Google Ads Optimisation Score Recommendations Dos and Donts
Google Ads Optimisation Score provides a health-check on ad accounts and scores them out of 100%. I genuinely find this a useful summary that helps raise my gaze out of the under growth by providing some oversight on performance. It also provides a general pattern as to what type of things Google approves of and rewards and therefore what kind of practices it frowns upon.
Thankfully I can still override what Google suggests is best practice with what I know to be better practice, without being overtly punished for it with a low Optimisation Score. If any recommendations are dismissed they will only stay quiet for about 4 weeks at which point they will have to be dismissed again (and again and again) to maintain a high Optimisation Score.
As long as recommendations are “dismissed” the grey section will not count towards Optimisation Score
I’ve already covered some of the more common recommendations in the account level auto-apply recommendation article as there is some overlap but there are unique recommendations related to Optimisation Score that can’t be automated (which I have an opinion on too, so read on)!
If these recommendations are followed they only lead you down a path to more and more automation which assumes the inevitable outcome is improved performance
“Upload Customer Match lists”
“Show impactful and personalised ads to your existing customers by using the contact information that they share with you”
“This is a very good idea and should be followed if possible. Some clients do not want to send any hashed data to google or to USA so this is not always possible”
Being able to dismiss such recommendations in certain specific circumstances and it not having a negative impact on the account Optimisation Score is essential.
“Add broad match keywords”
“Get more conversions at a similar or better ROI by adding broad match versions of your existing keywords”
“Recommended because using broad match type keywords in these Smart bidding campaigns can help you effectively grow conversions within your performance targets “
A Longer explanation in the small print:
“Your Smart Bidding campaigns use a host of auction time signals to automatically deliver as many conversions as possible at or below the target or budget that you set. In combination with Smart Bidding, adding broad match versions of your existing keywords allows your campaigns to reach more customers who are likely to convert while ensuring that your performance targets are met.”
There are a number of caveats to consider before replacing all your keywords with broad match versions so doing this by “applying” this from the recommendations section would not be recommended! Google’s own recommended (internal) way to implement this is not by pressing “Apply”. Some pre-requisites include:
The campaign is using a Smart bid strategy of either target ROAS or target CPA. Max conversions or Max Conversion value is not a Smart Bidding strategy in this context
The campaign is not limited by budget and will never become so
Monthly conversion volume is 2x - 5x times the recommended minimum
The campaign generally meets its bid strategy target month after month
implied by the wording “ensuring your performance targets are met” that the campaign is already hitting its targets before enabling
Bid more efficiently with Maximise conversion value using a target ROAS or Target CPA
“Get more conversion value at a similar ROAS with a value-based bidding strategy”
“Recommended because our simulations show your campaigns are likely to benefit from Maximise conversion value using a target ROAS, which can use data from all of your campaigns, including the conversion values that you’re reporting to optimise performance “
My Personal Favourite!
Context and the precise wording of the recommendation is important here:
“Get more conversions at a similar CPA by setting a target and staying unconstrained by budget
Recommended because your campaign has no target CPA ”
“Set a target” recommendation is often seen on Campaigns using a “Maximise” Conversion or “Maximise” Conversion Value bid strategy. And at least the CPA recommendation specifically calls out the need to also “remain unconstrained by budget”. The same requirement is also true for the tROAS bid strategy but there’s no mention of staying unconstrained by budget. Following this recommendation can lead to a continually under performing campaign as Google has no recommendation to go back from a “Target” focused bid strategy to a “Maximise” bid strategy. In chronological order, the following will happen:
The Campaign currently uses a Maximise Conversion Value bid strategy
Google recommends using a tROAS bid strategy so you follow the recommendation
Google recommends increasing budget as the tROAS bid strategy is now limited by budget
If you have more budget then you can do this and this is all good
If you have no additional budget you will get stuck in a sub-optimimal situation
One option is to increase tROAS which may result in the campaign becoming unconstrained by budget and achieving a higher ROAS
The implication is that you’ve just sacrificed growth for efficiency
There is no other google recommended option to follow or even alert you that this has happened
I’ve outlined on the “Smart Bidding” resource page a better methodology on how to manage, transition and balance growth with efficiency using Smart Bid Strategies.
“Improve your responsive search ads”
“Get more clicks on your responsive search ads by improving your headlines and descriptions”
“Recommended because some of your responsive search ads have an ad strength below “Good””
The implication here is that an “average” and “good” ad strength is deemed “not good enough” and google will punish this with higher CPCs and / or lower Quality Score.
Getting an ad strength of “excellent” is based on :
Headline relevance to the keywords in the ad group +
fully populating all available ad real estate (so all 15 headlines and all 4 Description lines) +
Minimal but probably no “pinning” +
Would be helped by having one “Keyword Insertion” headline
All of which might help the ad be more relevant and generate more clicks but it will also:
Not be performing any business related or Smart Bidding objective like driving sales and improving conversion rates
Look totally bland and exactly like all the other Ads having no discernible creative differentiation
Be totally stuffed full of repetitive headlines all looking very similar
It is very difficult to populate all 15 headlines (unspoken rule) in a well themed ad group with anything else but repitition
Enable automatically created assets
“Get more clicks on your responsive search ads by enabling automatically created assets for your Search campaigns”
Recommended because you have Search campaigns that have not enabled automatically created assets
More circuitous reasoning from Google; “we recommend doing this because you haven’t done it yet and we recommend that you do”.
This seems to combine the above Campaign level recommendation to “improve responsive search ads” with the auto-apply recommendation to “add responsive search ads”. Either way the reason not to do this is the same as already stated.
“Create a Performance Max campaign”
“Maximise performance for online sales, lead generation, shop goals or multiple objectives by unlocking all of Google's ad inventory”
“Recommended because this campaign type can help you maximise results for your goals while finding more converting customers across Google's available ad inventory
The Performance Max campaign uses your conversion goals and the best of Google Ads automation to serve ads on all Google properties, ensuring that you reach your customers at the right time with the right ad. You can set up campaigns to meet your online, in-store and lead generation goals.”
In the small print when hovering over the “?” it says; “You're seeing this recommendation because Performance Max is the easiest way to serve across all Google properties and maximise your performance with Google Ads.”
Interesting that Google are rolling out this recommendation for non feed based campaign types now. There was a very good reason why Google previously did not recommend using PMax for Lead Gen campaigns so things have changed and moved along as they have a tendency to do. Even so, I don’t think the recommendation of it being easy to serve across Google inventory is actually a very good reason, its just re-stating the main feature of Performance Max.
I have nothing against PMax and it can certainly be tested as a campaign “experiment” but there is quite a lot of work to do in setting this up including ensuring all creative assets are made deliberately by the Brand e.g. do not go live with PMax without a video asset.
“If these recommendations are followed they only lead you down a path to more and more automation which assumes the inevitable outcome is improved performance ”
