The Google rep called. Should you do what they say?
A call from Google sounds official. Here's how to treat the advice, the optimisation score and the "apply all" button.
The phone rings. It's someone from Google, and they've been looking at your account. They've got some ideas to help you get more out of it.
It sounds official. It is Google, after all. Surely they know best?
Sometimes they do. But it's worth understanding what that call is for before you say yes to everything.
First, check it's really Google
Plenty of calls claiming to be "from Google" aren't. If someone asks for your login, payment details or access to your account, be careful. Google won't need your password. If in doubt, hang up and check in your account.
What the call is for
Google's account teams are there to help advertisers use Google's products. Their suggestions tend to follow a pattern: raise the budget, broaden the keywords, switch on more automation, try a new campaign type.
None of that is necessarily bad. But all of it means more of your money going through Google. Their job is to get you using more of Google Ads. That's not the same job as getting you more customers at a price that works for your business.
The optimisation score
Your account has a score out of 100, with a list of recommendations to push it higher. It's very tempting to treat it like a school report.
Don't. The score goes up when you accept Google's recommendations, not when you get more customers. You can have a high score and a rubbish month, or a low score and a great one. I don't run accounts to the score. I run them to the results.
Auto-applied recommendations
This is the one to check today. Google can apply some recommendations automatically: adding keywords, changing bids, changing how ads are written. If those settings are on, your account may be changing without anyone deciding it should.
Go to the recommendations page, find the auto-apply settings and switch off anything you'd rather decide for yourself. You can see what's already been applied in the account's history.
So should you do what they say?
Treat it like advice from a supplier. Listen, ask why, and ask how it would affect your cost per lead, not just your number of clicks. Then decide.
And if you'd rather not have to decide, that's what I'm for. I'm on your side, not Google's.