TikTok Upgraded Smart+ Web Conversions: Sales Guide

What the Client Gets

The Upgraded Smart+ Web Conversions API lets advertisers create TikTok ad campaigns that optimize toward website events such as purchases, signups, or page views.¹ The API uses three separate endpoints — one each for the campaign, ad group, and ad level — replacing the single-call legacy system.¹

Each campaign supports up to 30 ad groups, each with its own targeting, schedule, and optimization goal.¹ Advertisers can choose from three optimization targets: conversions (CONVERT), landing page views (LANDING_PAGE, available only with the TikTok Pixel), or clicks (CLICK).¹ The system bills on OCPM, meaning TikTok charges per thousand impressions but optimizes delivery toward the selected conversion event.³

Creative options include standard video ads, carousel ads (up to 35 images plus one music track), and TikTok Post ads (also called Spark Ads, which use organic posts as ad creative).¹ Each ad can contain up to 50 creative assets combined, up to 5 ad text variations, and up to 3 standard call-to-action buttons.¹

What Changed from the Legacy API

The legacy Smart+ Campaign Creation API used a single endpoint (/campaign/spc/create/) that bundled campaign, ad group, and ad settings into one call.² That endpoint stopped accepting new campaigns on March 31, 2026.² Legacy update and status-check endpoints remain functional until June 30, 2026.²

The legacy system allowed only one ad group per campaign, which meant advertisers who wanted to test different audiences or budgets had to create entirely separate campaigns.¹ The upgraded API supports up to 30 ad groups in a single campaign.¹

Targeting was previously automatic-only. The upgraded API adds manual targeting and introduces two types of automatic targeting: "Audience Controls," which guarantee delivery stays within the specified parameters, and "Audience Suggestions," which serve as non-binding hints that TikTok's algorithm may expand beyond.¹

Budget management also changed. The legacy system supported only campaign-level budgets. The upgraded API lets advertisers choose between Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO), where TikTok distributes spend across ad groups, or individual ad-group-level budgets.¹

Client Qualification Checklist

Before a client can run Upgraded Smart+ Web Conversions campaigns, they need the following:

1. TikTok For Business developer account. The client or their agency must have a registered developer application with API access.¹

2. Allowlist approval. Access to the Smart+ API requires explicit approval from TikTok. The client must contact their TikTok sales representative to be added to the allowlist.¹

3. TikTok Pixel or Events API integration. The client's website must have either the TikTok Pixel (a JavaScript tag) or the Events API (a server-to-server integration) installed and firing the conversion events they want to optimize toward.³ If the client uses both Pixel and Events API, they must pass an identical event_id parameter in both to prevent duplicate event counting.⁵

4. Conversion event history. TikTok's optimization performs best when the Pixel or Events API has collected prior conversion data on the advertiser's account.⁴

5. Sufficient budget. TikTok recommends a daily budget of at least 10 times the advertiser's historical cost per acquisition (CPA). For bid strategies like Target CPA or Minimum ROAS, 30 times the historical CPA is the recommended starting point.⁴

Common Client Questions

"How many campaigns and ad groups can I run?" Each campaign supports up to 30 ad groups.¹ There is no published per-account campaign limit in the API documentation, but each ad group can hold up to 50 creative assets.¹

"Can I control my audience or does TikTok decide?" Both options exist. Manual targeting lets advertisers specify demographics, interests, and custom audiences. Automatic targeting has two modes: Audience Controls (hard constraints TikTok will not exceed) and Audience Suggestions (soft signals TikTok may override).¹

"What creative formats work?" Video, Carousel (up to 35 images and one music track), and TikTok Post (Spark Ads using existing organic content).¹ A single ad can combine up to 50 assets across these formats, with up to 5 text variations and 3 CTAs.¹

"What's the minimum budget?" TikTok recommends a daily budget of at least 10x the historical CPA. For Target CPA or Minimum ROAS bidding, the recommendation is 30x the historical CPA.⁴ The API enforces minimum budget thresholds that vary by currency, but the practical minimum for meaningful optimization is the 10x CPA figure.⁴

"How long until I see results?" New campaigns enter a learning phase during which TikTok's algorithm calibrates delivery. TikTok advises making no edits for 7 days after launch. After the learning phase, bid adjustments should not exceed 15% every 2 days.⁴

Setup Timeline

Step 1: Developer registration. Register a TikTok For Business developer application and obtain API credentials (app ID and secret).¹

Step 2: Request allowlist access. Contact the client's TikTok sales representative to get the advertiser account added to the Smart+ API allowlist. Timing depends on TikTok's approval process.¹

Step 3: Install Pixel or Events API. Deploy the TikTok Pixel on the client's website, or implement the server-side Events API, or both. If using both, configure matching event_id values for deduplication.⁵ Verify events are firing correctly in TikTok Events Manager.³

Step 4: Accumulate conversion data. Allow the Pixel or Events API to collect baseline conversion data before launching the first campaign. This gives the algorithm historical signals to optimize against.⁴

Step 5: Create the first campaign. Call the three API endpoints in sequence: first create the campaign (setting objective to WEB_CONVERSIONS and selecting CBO or ad-group budgets), then create ad groups (setting targeting, schedule, optimization goal, and bid strategy), then create ads (attaching creative assets, text, and CTAs).¹

Step 6: Observe the learning phase. Do not edit the campaign for 7 days. After the learning phase ends, adjust bids by no more than 15% every 2 days.⁴

Pricing Model

OCPM billing. The advertiser is charged per thousand impressions, but TikTok's system optimizes which impressions to buy based on the likelihood of the selected conversion event occurring.³

Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO). When CBO is enabled, the advertiser sets a single budget at the campaign level. TikTok distributes that budget across ad groups based on performance. All ad groups within a CBO campaign must use the same bid strategy.¹

Per-ad-group budgets. When CBO is disabled, each ad group has its own daily or lifetime budget, giving the advertiser direct control over spend allocation.¹

Bid strategies. Advertisers choose between Cost Cap (TikTok targets a specific CPA or ROAS while allowing fluctuation) and Max Delivery (TikTok spends the full budget as efficiently as possible without a CPA constraint).³

Restrictions and Limitations

Spark and non-Spark ads cannot be mixed. A single campaign must contain either all TikTok Post (Spark) ads or all standard ads. Combining both types within one campaign is not permitted.¹

CBO bid strategy uniformity. When Campaign Budget Optimization is active, every ad group in the campaign must use the same bid strategy.¹

Learning phase edit freeze. Editing a campaign during the first 7 days resets the learning phase, delaying optimization. After the learning phase, changes to bids should stay within 15% every 2 days to avoid re-triggering the learning phase.⁴

LANDING_PAGE optimization requires Pixel. The landing page view optimization goal is available only when using the TikTok Pixel, not with the Events API alone.¹

Legacy deadline enforcement. Campaigns created through the legacy /campaign/spc/create/ endpoint before March 31, 2026, can still be updated through legacy endpoints until June 30, 2026, but no new campaigns can be created through the old API.² The Manual Campaign Management API creation endpoint is scheduled for deprecation on December 31, 2026.²