Auto-Apply Automations in Google Ads

The auction system in Google Ads is an automated process. Automation is all around us (in Google Ads), impossible to avoid, and can help or harm your account’s performance.

There are automation elitists out there, and some that curse the very ground the automation walks on. Personally, I could do without, but it’s foolish to think that maximizing manual control of your account and campaigns is what’s best either.

A mix of automation paired with some manual restriction and steering is what I’ve found to be most successful.

Auto-Apply Optimizations

Found on your recommendations page when you click on the auto-apply button in the top right, there are 25 auto-apply optimization options that you can opt-into. I have a few favorites, and a few that I nearly always recommend against.

Maintain Your Ads

In Maintain Your Ads, I typically recommend enabling:

• Optimized ad rotation: Allow Google to serve the ads that perform best instead of endlessly rotating ad copy

• Search partners: Expand your search reach, provide Google with some wiggle room to match your ads to the most relevant audiences

• Optimized targeting: Allow Google to match your ads to the most relevant audiences

• Upgrade conversion tracking*: This is recommended unless you prefer attribution models other than data-driven

I would recommend against enabling:

• Add responsive search ads: Your ad copy is your message to consumers, I always recommend retaining control of brand messaging

• Improve your responsive search ads: Same as above, maintain your messaging power

• Remove redundant keywords: Your keywords are the terms that you are buying and paying for. I do not recommend allowing Google to choose that for you

• Remove non-serving keywords: Same as the above, some high-quality, low-traffic keywords get buried by high-demand keywords

• Remove conflicting keywords*: This one can be alright if you don’t want to put energy into addressing conflicts manually. Negative keyword conflicts can help you identify opportunities or weaknesses in your keyword strategy though

No one knows an auction like Google does, but I wouldn’t recommend that you let Google dictate what keywords you’re spending money on, or the messages that are used to represent your business.

Grow Your Business

This section is not my personal favorite; I don’t have many recommended actions, here’s why:

• Add new keywords: See the above, you should definitely control what you’re spending money on

• Add broad match keywords: This one isn’t horrible! Broad match keywords have been, impressing me lately, they tend to be optimized well by Google. Not ideal for budget restricted accounts

• Use display expansion: In small to mid sized accounts, budgets are restricted on search and search networks alone, much less with overhead on top to buy display network space

• All 74 thousand bid-focused auto apply options: Make selections aligned with your bid strategy and goals, be aware that enabling some of these optimizations will result in a significant increase in cost for campaigns affected

Be careful with Grow Your Business auto-apply optimizations, I’ve seen accounts rack up thousands of dollars in unanticipated spend in a week because a rep walked them through the recommendations page and enabled every recommendation.

Automation and manual controls compliment each other. Allow for Google to optimize, while retaining control over your budget and where you’re spending your money. You don’t need a fully automated account to see spectacular results.

Consider the humans behind the search, put yourself in the consumer’s shoes, and bid on controlled, quality terms. Run ad copy that represents your brand and your story, and allow Google to match your ads to your unique audiences.

I’m sure you’ve got your account settings under control, but you can request more information about account audits for a full health check-up here.