If you're looking for a way to enhance your Google Ads performance without spending hours analyzing and implementing changes, then you can utilize Google Ads' auto-apply recommendations. Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations is here to simplify and automate your advertising strategy and optimizations. With this powerful tool, Google can automatically make changes to your campaigns based on data analysis. However, not all recommendations are good for your campaign or applicable to your account. This article will discuss all the Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations and provide insight into whether you should enable or disable them. Let's dive in!
Summary of Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations
Here are the auto-apply recommendations that we suggest to enable:
Use optimized ad rotation
Remove redundant keywords
Remove non-serving keywords
Remove conflicting negative keywords
Upgrade your conversion tracking
Adjust your CPA targets
Adjust your ROAS targets
How to Enable Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations?
Login to your Google Ads account
Navigate to Recommendations (top-left-hand-side)
Click on Auto-apply (right-hand side)
Scroll down to check the auto-apply recommendations you'd like to enable or disable
Which Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations should be enabled?
1. Use optimized ad rotation
What is it: The system will automatically show the best ads in the auction as opposed to rotating your ads equally. If you enable this option, your different ads will not get the same volume of impressions. Google will drive more impressions towards the ads / asset groups that Google considers to be better in performance.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like the algorithm to serve the ads and assets with the best CTR more often and/or if you do not have time to optimize the ads manually.
Disable: If you would like full control to manually optimize the ads to enable or pause.
2. Add responsive search ads
What is it: The system will create ads automatically using information on your landing page.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you are a big business that does not have time or resources to customize ads individually, or if you're a huge eCommerce website whereby various ad copies should be applicable to your product pages.
Disable: If you are an agency running ads for clients as the system will create ads automatically with ad copies that your clients might not approve, or if you are a B2B that has a niche product / service.
3. Improve your responsive search ads
What is it: The system will change the ad copies (headlines, descriptions, final URL, etc) automatically based on your website's copy.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you are happy to experiment with new ad copy - or if you don't have the time to create unique ad copies.
Disable: If you would like to have full control over your ad copy.
4. Expand your reach with Google search partners
What is it: Your ads will serve in Google Search partners (eg. Youtube, Google Maps, Ask.com etc.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you are looking to expand your reach.
Disable: If Google Search partners are not converting as well as Google Search.
5. Remove redundant keywords
What is it: The system will remove keywords that are not "needed" from your campaigns. If there is a keyword that is redundant (e.g. if you have other keywords that trigger the same queries), then it will remove this keyword.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you do not have time to manage your campaigns weekly and you would like to automate the keyword optimization.
Disable: If you want more control over your keyword optimization.
6. Remove non-serving keywords
What is it: The system will remove keywords that are not serving impressions.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you do not have time to manage your campaigns weekly and you would like to automate the keyword optimization.
Disable: If you want more control over your keyword optimization.
7. Remove conflicting negative keywords
What is it: The system will remove negative keywords that do not allow your positive keywords to serve impressions. For example, if you have a certain keyword in your keyword list and you have the same keyword in your negative keyword list, then it will remove it from the negative keyword list.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you feel that negative keywords were not applied correctly.
Disable: If you are manually adding or removing negative keywords.
8. Use optimised targeting
What is it: The system will ignore your audience targeting for campaigns (Display, Youtube, or Search campaigns in targeting mode) and will broaden your targeting to get conversions at a similar cost.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like the system to go above and beyond your targeting criteria.
Disable: If you want to retain control over your audience targeting.
9. Upgrade your conversion tracking
What is it: The system will give credit for conversions across multiple ad interactions with data-driven attribution.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like to follow Google Ads default conversionm tracking approach.
Disable: If you would like to use a different attribution model.
10. Add new keywords
What is it: The system will add new keywords to your ad groups.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you are managing a huge business or eCommerce store with multiple products or offers and it is not manually possible to manually add releavnt keywords under each of your ad groups.
Disable: If you would like to retain control over the keywords you are targeting.
11. Add broad match keywords
What is it: The system will convert your keywords to broad match.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like to massively broaden your Search campaigns' reach.
Disable: If you want more control over the keywords and their match types on your campaigns.
12. Use Display Expansion
What is it: The system will serve your Search Ads in Google Display Network.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like to massively broaden your reach or if you are going primarily for Brand Awareness and eyeballs.
Disable: For most industries, showing Search Ads in Google Display Network will result in very low CTR and negative cost per conversion - thus you should always disable this option to run conventional search campaigns.
13. Bid more efficiently with [Bid Strategy]
What is it: The system will have the freedom to change your Bid Strategy at will (without your consent).
Enable / Disable:
Enable: If you would like the algorithm to make high-level optimisation decisions in your Google Ads account.
Disable: If you would like to keep control over high-level optimisation decisions.
14. Set or Adjust Target CPA or Target ROAS
What is it: The system will have the freedom to adjust your Target CPA or Target ROAS targets. It will automatically increase /decrease your target CPA and target ROAS based on historical data.
Enable / Disable:
Enable: Only if you do not have the time to manage your campaigns closely.
Disable: If you would like to control your cost per acquisition or tagert ROAS manually
15. Add store visits as an account default goal
What is it: The system will add store visits (if you have physical stores) as a default conversion into your account.
Enable / Disable:
Enable if it is applicable to your business.
Disable: If you do not have a physical loaction
Frequently Asked Questions on Google Ads Auto-Apply Recommendations
Can I receive notifications about Auto-Apply Recommendations?
You can set up notifications in just a few clicks:
Go to Tools & Settings
Click on Preferences under "Setup"
Find the notifications section
Enable campaign maintenance notifications
Choose your preferred frequency (daily or weekly)
How can I track what recommendations have been applied?
There are two easy ways to check which auto-apply recommendations are applied:
Visit the Change History tab in the Recommendations section
Go to the Recommendations page and filter for "Applied" recommendations
Can I review recommendations before they're applied?
No - Auto-Apply makes changes automatically without review. If you want to review changes first, you'll need to turn off Auto-Apply and manage recommendations manually.
How do I turn off Auto-Apply Recommendations?
It's simple to disable:
Go to the Recommendations section
Click on Auto-apply
Uncheck any recommendations you want to disable
Click Save
Are Auto-Apply recommendations guaranteed to improve performance?
No - period.
Do Auto-Apply recommendations affect my budget?
Yes, some recommendations might affect spending:
Bid adjustments can change cost-per-click
Budget suggestions might increase daily spend
Campaign expansions could use more budget Always review your budget settings regularly.
Can I reverse Auto-Applied Recommendations after they are applied?
Yes, you have several options:
Manually reverse the specific change
Disable that recommendation type
Review your account settings to prevent similar changes
Contact Google Ads support for guidance
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