Google Ads Recommendations: Which to Implement and Which to Ignore

1. Add Assets to Your Ads

What Google recommends: Add more headlines, descriptions, and ad extensions to your responsive search ads.

Why this is good advice:

• More headline variations give Google more combinations to test
• Additional assets make your ad take up more space on search results
• Larger ads typically achieve higher click-through rates
• Zero downside—only requires time investment

Implementation:

• Aim for 10-15 headlines per ad (maximum allowed)
• Create 4 descriptions (maximum allowed)
• Add all relevant extensions: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, price extensions

Expected impact: 10-30% CTR improvement, proportional ROAS increase

2. Include Popular Keywords in Your Headlines

What Google recommends: Use your target keywords within your ad headlines.

Why this is good advice:

• When ad copy mirrors search query, users recognize immediate relevance
• "Search term → headline match" dramatically improves CTR
• Higher relevance signals improve Quality Score
• Better Quality Score = lower costs and better positions

Expected impact: 15-40% CTR improvement on keyword-matched headlines

3. Make Headlines and Descriptions More Unique

Why it's worth considering: Most advertisers copy competitor ads. Unique messaging can dramatically outperform generic copy.

Implementation strategy:

• Keep 70% of headlines conventional and proven
• Make 30% experimental and distinctive
• Let Google's algorithm determine which unique headlines work

4. Fix Disapproved Assets

Why you should do this:

• Disapproved assets reduce available testing combinations
• Multiple disapprovals can trigger account-level penalties
• Account suspension risk increases with pattern of violations

5. Optimize Your Budgets (Increase Spending)

What Google recommends: Increase daily or monthly budgets to capture more conversions.

Why this requires scrutiny:

The inherent conflict: When the company you're paying says "give us more money to get better results," skepticism is warranted.

The reality of scaling:

• ROAS typically decreases as budget increases
• You reach less qualified audiences as you expand
• Cost per conversion usually rises with scale

When budget increases make sense:

• Current campaigns are profitable with good ROAS
• You're consciously trading slightly worse ROAS for higher volume

When to ignore:

• Current campaigns aren't profitable yet
• Scaling from a position of weakness won't fix fundamental problems

6. Add Broad Match Keywords

What Google recommends: Expand from exact/phrase match to broad match for increased reach.

Why this is often harmful:

• Your ads appear for loosely related, sometimes irrelevant searches
• Budget wastes on low-intent clicks that don't convert
• Well-performing campaigns can be destroyed by introducing broad match
• Particularly dangerous for B2B and lead generation businesses

When broad match might work:

• Account has 500+ conversions (sufficient data for optimization)
• Using conversion-focused bidding (Maximize Conversions, Target CPA)
• High search volume business that needs maximum reach

When to ignore:

• New campaigns or accounts
• Lead generation businesses (quality matters more than volume)
• Currently profitable with phrase/exact match

7. Remove Conflicting Negative Keywords

What Google recommends: Delete negative keywords that conflict with your target keywords.

Why you should usually ignore this:

The purpose of negative keywords isn't just blocking irrelevant searches—it's blocking:

• Low-quality searches that don't convert well
• Searches that generate leads but poor-quality leads
• Searches that waste budget even if technically relevant

Example:

• Target keyword: "marketing services"
• Negative keyword: "free marketing services"
• Google flags this as conflicting
• Your response: That's intentional—you don't want clicks from people looking for free services

Aligned Incentives

Google benefits when you succeed:

• You continue spending month after month
• You increase budget as results improve
• You add more campaigns and expand
• You recommend platform to others

Google loses when you fail:

• You reduce budget or pause campaigns
• You abandon platform entirely
• You warn others about poor results

Conclusion: Google generally wants you to succeed, but not all recommendations serve that goal equally.

The Money Test

Recommendation Type	Trust Level
Don't require spending more money	High trust
Focus on creative optimization	High trust
Improve campaign structure	High trust
Enhance tracking and measurement	High trust
Require budget increases	Low trust—scrutinize
Expand match types	Low trust—scrutinize
Remove targeting restrictions	Low trust—scrutinize

Principle: Recommendations about spending more deserve extra scrutiny. Recommendations about optimizing existing spend are generally trustworthy.

Immediate Actions (Implement Now)

• ☐ Review all RSAs for missing headlines/descriptions
• ☐ Add extensions to all ad groups (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)
• ☐ Verify keywords appear in headlines for each ad group
• ☐ Identify and fix all disapproved assets
• ☐ Test 2-3 unique/distinctive headlines per ad group

Weekly Review Actions

• ☐ Check recommendations tab for new suggestions
• ☐ Implement asset-related recommendations immediately
• ☐ Flag budget increase recommendations for deeper analysis
• ☐ Review broad match keyword suggestions against conversion data
• ☐ Assess negative keyword conflict recommendations for strategic fit

Monthly Strategic Actions

• ☐ Analyze performance before considering budget increases
• ☐ Calculate actual ROAS trends as campaigns scale
• ☐ Test broad match on top 3 highest-performing keywords only
• ☐ Review negative keyword list effectiveness
• ☐ Document which recommendations helped vs. hurt performance

Testing Recommendations Safely

The A/B Testing Approach:

1. Create duplicate campaign
2. Implement recommendation in test campaign only
3. Run both campaigns with equal budget for 30 days
4. Compare performance metrics
5. Scale winner, pause loser

The Gradual Implementation Approach:

• Week 1: Add 3 new headlines
• Week 2: Monitor performance, add 3 more if positive
• Week 3: Add descriptions
• Week 4: Add extensions

This isolates impact and allows performance tracking.