Google Adwords Ad Suggestions:

They were rolled out in a limited fashion last year, but they are now coming on strong.

In an effort to help improve its already awesome machine learning, Google is now insisting that ad groups have a minimum of 3 ads. (They are suggesting 3 – 5 ads per ad group). Ad groups that currently only have 1 or 2 ads in an ad group will get ad suggestions from Google. On the one hand, this can be a great assistance. Imagine if you have already thought out and created your best attempt at an ad, and then Google comes along and improves on it.

What could be better than that?

On the other hand……let’s think this through.

One of my accounts recently received a notification from Adwords with the following subject line: Important: Ad suggestions may be added to your AdWords account. The email then explained: “Starting after April 29, 2018, you may see ad suggestions on the Recommendations page, and can choose to manually apply or dismiss them. Depending on your account settings, you’ll get an alert in AdWords and receive a corresponding email every time we suggest new ads. You’ll have 14 days from the notification to review them, after which the ads will be automatically enabled unless you choose to remove them. ”

The big (i.e. huge) concern:

Some of my clients are very cautious about their ads, in terms of content. If you are selling shoes online, there is not much to worry about. If you are in the legal, medical or pharma space, or perhaps in a niche market or a representing a growth stage start up, ads need to be strictly considered from many perspectives. In short, there are just times that the last thing I need to happen is for ads to start showing without going through an approval process. In the current default mode, Adwords ad suggestions can be enabled after 14 days automatically.

Unapproved ads can now find their way into an account. Even if the ads are acceptable, there is always risk to the client relationship and trust if ads that they don’t review and approve start showing up.

You can find which ads were auto applied by applying the “auto-applied ad suggestion” attribute.

Adwords Ad Suggestions: Auto-applied ad suggestion column

Auto-applied Ad Suggestion Column in Adwords

Doing so, will show a column were the ads will be marked as Yes or No. In the screen shot below, they are all marked “No” as none of them were suggested ads.

Adwords Ads Suggestions: View of Auto-applied Ad Suggestion Column

View of Auto-applied Ad Suggestion Column in Adwords

Bottom line:

1. Make sure all your ad groups have at least 3 ads showing.
2. Make sure to monitor your account for ads marked auto-apply (or listed in the recommendations page).
3. You can opt out of auto-applied ad suggestions – but you will need to do so actively. Learn how to do so.

Having said all of the above, I’m looking forward to seeing some of Google Adwords ad suggestions – and measuring those ads’ performance versus my own.