Last Updated on January 28, 2025
Recommendations
Google provides recommendations they believe will improve the account. These recommendations are automatically generated and often don’t match the goals of the account. Google Ads provides a score for each campaign, the “optimization score”. It’s important to keep this score high (over 80%). However, we don’t want to implement each recommendation, so for many recommendations, we dismiss them. When a recommendation is dismissed, the optimization score still goes up.
Here are a few best practices to use when going through the recommendations section:
- Don’t increase campaign budgets without asking the MC (usually just dismiss these).
- If the recommendation is to set a target CPA, it’s usually accompanied by a budget increase recommendation.
- Many recommendations will increase the daily spending of the account.
*In the video he discusses expanded text ads – these are no longer available in Google Ads.
Below are the list of possible recommendations you may see. Google is always adding more, so the list may not contain all recommendations. For the training exam you DO NOT need to read through all the tabs below. Go ahead and go straight to the Exam on the Exam list in Google Docs.
Apply
This is a great recommendation to improve elements of our RSAs that will hopefully improve the CTR of those ads. Often, improving ad strength to an ‘excellent’ status requires some tweaks to the headlines and descriptions, whether that be (1) adding more keywords to headlines or descriptions, (2) adding more unique headlines, or (3) adding more descriptions. Follow the recommendations on the ad and it will automatically update!
To learn more about RSA ad strength check out Google’s help article.
This is a great recommendation that will hopefully improve the CTR of your ads. It gives the ads a nice balance of visual elements and increases our “Google real estate.” When adding image extensions, the easiest way to choose images is to “scan website” and pick images from there. Some best practices are to choose images with simple backgrounds, no text, well lit, and relevant.
To learn more about image extensions, check out Google’s help article.
This is a great recommendation. Expanded text ads are going to be phased out soon and RSAs give you a better chance of a higher CTR. If an ad group doesn’t have an RSA, this would be a great recommendation to implement.
To learn more about responsive search ads, check out Google’s help article.
This is a great recommendation to apply! Often, google will recommend headlines and descriptions (based on other ads and your designated keywords) that you can implement. Those can be helpful. Focus on including keywords in the headlines and descriptions. Adding assets to your RSAs will improve the ad strength of your ad and boost the CTR.
To learn more about assets in RSAs, check out Google’s help article.
If this is applicable to the business (ie: they have a phone number to call), go ahead and add the call extension!
To learn more about call extensions, check out Google’s help article.
Adding observation audiences helps us get more information about those who are converting. If Google Ads suggests observation audiences that are relevant to the client go ahead and add them.
Google will ask if the audiences comply with the or Customer match policy, as applicable. Most of the audiences do comply and you should be fine to check the box. Please read the policies once through so you are familiar with them before adding any audiences.
To learn more about audience segments, check out Google’s help article.
Location extensions can appear beside, above, or below search results on Google Maps, including the Maps app. Location extensions may show on sites and apps on the Display Network when people are near, or have demonstrated an interest in, your local area. Location extensions may show on YouTube TrueView in-stream and bumper ads when people are near, or have demonstrated an interest in, your local area.
If the client has a retail store, then adding location extensions is a great idea to drive people to the storefront.
If this is a new client go ahead and set up a GA4 account for them. All of our clients should have a GA4 account. If they do have one, this recommendation can be dismissed.
To learn more about linking Google Ads to GA4, check out Google’s help article.
Sometimes Apply
This is a recommendation that should only sometimes be implemented. Look at the list of negative keywords and the keywords that they are blocking. Use your own judgment to decide if it would be a better move for the account to take off those negative keywords or leave them.
To learn more about negative keywords, check out Google’s help article.
The keywords recommended are sometimes good recommendations and sometimes not so good. Most MCs do not want any broad match keywords added to their accounts, so feel free to dismiss those. Other than that, when scrolling through the recommended keyword list, look especially for relevance. Also be sure that there are no unnecessary repeats of similar phrases that already exist in the account. There will be few keywords (if any) that you will actually want to apply.
To learn more about building keywords, check out Google’s help article.
This could be a good recommendation to apply, but look at each of the keywords and make an apply-or-dismiss decision for each one.
To learn more about building keywords, check out Google’s help article.
This is a great recommendation to apply, but look at each keyword and try to figure out why it hasn’t received traffic for the past year or more. Would it still be a good keyword to keep? If not, go ahead and remove.
To learn more about building keywords, check out Google’s help article.
Lead form extensions are useful because they allow customers to fill out and submit a form directly on your ad (without clicking into the site). This is a good recommendation for ads promoting lead gen sites. In some cases, our google ads point to a product page. Those cases might be ones that wouldn’t require a lead form extension.
One drawback, however, is that most clients would have to manually download the leads’ CSV. If a client already has their CRM connected to Google Ads then this is an excellent choice because the forms can go straight to the CRM. This is unlikely so, in most cases, dismiss the recommendation.
To learn more about Lead Form Ad Extensions, check out Google’s help article.
Talk to the MC About
This is a recommendation to set a target CPA AND raise your budget. We leave that up to the MCs so feel free to dismiss this one. However, if you feel like this is a good idea let the MC know.
To learn more about target CPA bidding, check out Google’s help article.
This is a recommendation to set a target CPA AND raise your budget. We leave that up to the MCs so feel free to dismiss this one. However, if you feel like this is a good idea let the MC know.
To learn more about target CPA bidding, check out Google’s help article.
If we’re limited by budget, dismiss this recommendation. We may want to expand to other networks (or Google search partners) if we have a really high performing account already and have some unspent budget. If you think this would be beneficial, talk to the MC.
To learn more about Google Search Partners, check out Google’s help article.
Dismiss
This recommendation can almost always be dismissed. Leave any budget changes to the MCs.
To learn more about choosing your bid or budget, check out Google’s help article.
Most often, this is a recommendation to dismiss (especially if we’re limited by budget). The only time we would expand to other networks (or Google search partners) is if we have a really high performing account already and have some unspent budget.
To learn more about responsive display ads, check out Google’s help article.
Most often, this is a recommendation to dismiss. The only time we would expand to other networks (or Google search partners) is if we have maximized our budget and are really happy with how we’re doing on the search network already.
To learn more about display expansion, check out Google’s help article.
This setting allows Google to add ads and assets whenever, without our approval. Since we can’t preview these assets we run the risk of the ads showing that do not represent the client well.
