Google Ads Account Goes Off the Rails with Auto-Apply Recommendations
December 7, 2023
Tags: digital marketing consultant, google ads, lead generation online, Paid Advertising, Pay Per Click, pittsburgh digital marketing, search engine marketing,
Hey Google Ads Managers –
Have you reviewed the “auto-apply recommendations” in your Google Ads Account? This feature was rolled out to allow for Google’s machine learning to make performance updates to your ads account without a user manually doing the updates. The goal is to save time and use automation to improve the account. On performance calls, Google’s Account Managers will all but demand that you select this option. But do you really understand the implications of auto adjustments?
Auto-Apply Recommendations Horror Story
Recently, HBT Digital reviewed a Google Ads account that had “add broad match keywords” selected to auto apply; this accounted for hundreds of dollars of wasted clicks because it added search terms that had absolutely nothing to do with their primary service. Had this issue not been caught, the client would have lost even more cash, seen an increased cost per conversion, and received website traffic that was not relevant. Make sure to uncheck this “broad match” box in the “Grow Your Business” section!
The two main reasons to use “auto-apply recommendations” are to:
- Keep your campaigns and account up to date with best practices
- Optimize your targets and improve your ads to get better results
Maintain Your Ads
In my opinion, the eight recommendations to “Maintain Your Ads” offer decent options to keep your campaigns and account up to date with best practices. The most important selections are to “use optimized ad rotation” and “remove conflicting negative keywords.” You should want your best ads to be seen at all times. Also, by removing conflicting negative keywords, you can avoid missing out on opportunities for clicks and conversions. I like to uncheck the “add responsive search ads” because I want full control of the copy I use in ads, such as offers, service/product highlights, and calls-to-action.
Grow Your Business
Google Ad Account Manager Beware: The options to “Grow Your Business” can cause devastation if not reviewed and managed carefully. The goal in this section is to optimize targets and improve ads to get better results. That’s a great statement and we all want “better” results. However, the option to automate “bidding” is scary and I believe that one day Google Ads will sunset this option. Ads Managers have the ability to auto apply their bid strategy; essentially Google could switch you from Max Clicks, to Target Impression Share, to Maximize Conversion Value. If your goal is to get in the Top 3 of search results 100% of the time, Target Impression Share is for you. But how upset would you be if Google changed your strategy to Max Clicks, and your clicks, cost per click, and click thru rate all changed dramatically? Seriously, uncheck the “bidding recommendations!”
Can you sit back, check all relevant boxes in the “auto-apply recommendations” area in Google Ads, and coast to a lead generation victory? No way. You’ll still need to actively manage the account, review ad performance, search terms, conversion actions, bid strategy, and more to make sure that you’re getting maximum ROI from your campaigns.
Need a digital agency whose primary focus is on search engine marketing and pay-per-click advertising? Look no further than HBT Digital, Pittsburgh’s premier online advertising agency. Let’s connect and see if we can provide outstanding value and service to your business!