As a Google Ads advertiser in 2022, we are constantly being bombarded with new messages from Google. Your optimization score dropped. Your account has Google recommendations. You get emails and calls from your Google rep with suggested changes to your account.  All of these suggestions and scores are based on what is best for Google and not what is best for your business. Never forget that.  It is the key to Google Ads success. Of course, Google will tell you that they want you to succeed, which is true to some degree. They want you to succeed enough to keep spending money on ads.

Google Help With Some Basics

If you are just getting started and want someone from Google to help you set up your basic campaign, that may be worth exploring. I would still recommend hiring an independent consultant to help you or even read up on blog posts and tutorials for a better understanding. Beyond the absolute basics though, please always take any suggestion from Google and consider where it comes from. This is the company that you are paying to advertise telling you what the best way to pay them to advertise is. Would you do this in any other part of your business?

Generic Suggestions

Google GuidelinesAs a consultant for over 15 years, I have watched as Google has taken more and more control away from the advertiser so they can hide where your money is going to some extent. I have also sat through calls with their reps where they gave me generic advice without having any idea what the true goals are of the company we are discussing. The general Google suggested strategy is to spend a lot of money to see what works and then spend more money. This is clearly not the most efficient way for a small business to operate.

You Know Your Business Better than Google Does

You know y0ur business and your goals better than Google does. I have always said small businesses have to be smarter with their approach to Google Ads or they can start leaking money very quickly. As I have worked on some more high-budget clients in recent years, the same still holds true but at a grander scale. I had a client that was totally focused on increasing their Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) as their primary driver recently. Google’s suggestion to them was to reduce their target ROAS and spend more money. Completely contrary to their business driver. Accepting these suggestions and boosting Google’s “Optimization Score” could have gotten someone fired.

A Few Quick Suggestions with Google Ads Communication

  • No matter how often Google emails you about your optimization score, it doesn’t matter. This is their grade on how well you are giving them money. If your ads are working and making you money, your optimization score doesn’t matter. Don’t let it stress you.
  • Your Google Ads rep doesn’t know what your company goals are and in the end, doesn’t care that much as long as you keep spending.  Their suggestions aren’t to best help your bottom line. If you are having trouble getting your campaigns to work, bring in a consultant on a project to give you suggestions and tweaks to help your problem, not Google.
  • Don’t just accept Google recommendations for your campaigns.  Think through what they are suggesting and if it makes sense for your business. They aren’t all bad ideas, but they aren’t all good either. Some of the bad ones can make a huge difference to your bottom line.
  • Have very clear goals and measurements of those goals when you set up a Google Ads campaign so you can measure success through your Analytics and make decisions on what keywords, ads, landing pages are driving success. Then you won’t be as tempted to listen to Google’s suggestions, because you will know what is working. The answer is not always to spend more and open up your targeting. That is often what they will tell you.

Generally, it is a good idea to bring in an independent consultant to help you navigate your Google Ads campaigns. Now more than ever, Google is getting more and more tricky at taking away your control and an experienced consultant will know how to counter this and help you get the most out of your advertising spend. If you need help with your Google Ads campaign, give us a call.