Author: Nils Rooijmans

Automating Google Ads reports is like teaching a philosopher to code.

Suddenly, you have more time to ponder the bigger questions, like the true ROE (Reason Of Existence) of your Google Ads account.

You can ask yourself questions that (really?) matter, such as:

• “Why does this audience dance more gracefully with my main KPI than that other group of ad-clicking-tire-kickers?”
• “What is it that makes this group of best-selling products so special?”
• “What seasonal trends do I see upcoming in the near future, that I can act upon today?”

Questions that impact your account’s performance far beyond the mere act of compiling reports.

If you agree, meet Swydo.

Swydo is like a Zen garden, automating Google Ads reports and cultivating peace in your workday.

It allows you to contemplate the profound instead of getting lost in the data-gathering and number-crunching weeds.

I’ve found Swydo to offer me huge time savings when it comes to automated reporting:

• It aggregates data from all the major platforms.
• It has a very small learning curve (and is easier to implement than Looker Studio).
• It offers a free plan with a great onboarding service. You can get your specific report running in 20 minutes.
• It allows for copy-paste templates you can use for each new client.
• It’s the cheapest solution out there unless you want to spend a lot of time on the plumbing and client setups.
• It is reliable and robust. Reports go out on time, every time.

Again, their support is amazing; just book a support call via Calendly, and skilled professionals will help you create any report you need.

Yes, my firsthand experience with Swydo support took me by surprise, after numerous calls with other “platform professionals”. (*) 

– Nils

(*): Interested to learn how I handle all the endless calls from Google Reps? If so, hit reply.

PS: If you want a reliable and affordable solution to automate your performance reporting -> sign up for a free trial at: https://www.swydo.com/

When you are happy with the tool and ready to upgrade, mention “NilsRooijmans” during the upgrade to get a $100 discount.

I’d still share these tips without the kickback, but a few extra bucks is nice! Here’s the link again: https://www.swydo.com/

Here’s a little-known Google Ads feature that is actually quite useful: campaign-level headlines and descriptions.

Google says:

“Campaign-level headlines and descriptions can be scheduled if you have assets that you want to show during a specific time period. 

Additionally, these assets can be pinned to certain positions if you want to ensure they show“

I absolutely love this feature, because:

1. You can easily schedule assets to show across all ad groups inside a campaign. Think: promotional messaging that has a specific start and end date, you can schedule them in advance!

2. It is great for headlines and descriptions that need frequent updating across RSAs. No more manually editing many ads in multiple ad groups when you enable/disable promotions!

Here’s a 9-minute video by our PPC friends from Paid Media Pros that clearly explains this great feature and how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m35xGQjTFpE (play at double the speed)

If you haven’t used them thus far, I highly recommend checking them out. It only takes 10 minutes and I am sure you will benefit from using them in the near future.

– Nils

Here’s a quick and easy productivity win for you:

If you service multiple clients in different industries, group similar clients in your workweek.

For instance: 

• Monday is the lead-gen day, when I service my lead-gen clients.
• Tuesday is e-comm fashion day, when I service my B2C fashion clients.
• Wednesday is coaching day, when I service my coaching clients.

Client batching works because it allows your brain to focus on one type of client strategy and the type of work involved at a time.

No need to let the mind wander off in supplemental feeds when you are working on lead gen clients. Skip the e-comm blog post that popped up in your notifications, etc.

And if you are lucky, coming up with an idea for client A immediately translates into an almost copy-paste strategy for client B that is already open in a second window.

– Nils

Do you ask yourself any of these questions?

“Is my account in optimal shape?”

“Am I wasting budget on parts that don’t convert?”

“Are all my settings set to the best, and still in place?”

“Am I missing opportunities for significant growth?”

If so, come join me in my SMX Advanced workshop:

Google Ads Auditing (partly automated via scripts)

In this hands-on workshop, we will go over some of the more advanced auditing techniques for Google Ads, that you will immediately check in your account.

We will also automate some of the checks and analyses via scripts. Don’t worry if you don’t have any scripting skills; the scripts will be readily available for you to copy-paste during the workshop.

After the workshop, you’ll be able to impress your potential clients, colleagues, and your boss with unique insights to improve almost any Google Ads account!

Curious?

Here’s a sneak peek of one of the things we’ll cover (based on a post from /r/PPC):

“I have on multiple occasions turned off the Google search partners option, but the next day somehow the option keeps turning back on. Eating up my entire budget with useless leads. Any ideas on why this might be happening and how I can fix it?”

Turns out, it was an auto-apply recommendation setting…

Easy fix: check the recommendations tab and the auto-apply settings.

But here’s the thing: you CANNOT sit back and simply trust Google to apply automations that will benefit your objectives.

Don’t trust, verify!

Verify by testing.

Use scripts to continuously monitor the test data for you.

Here’s one of my favorite examples:

[Google Ads Script] Search Partner Performance Alerts

This script compares the performance of the Search Partners to the Google Search Network.

In case of a significant difference in CPA/ROAS performance, the issue is logged in a sheet and an alert is sent via email. That way you’ll know when Search Partners aren’t performing, and you can opt out of the Search Partner network for these campaigns.

Interested in more info like this?

Sign up for the workshop 🙂

Click here to apply »
https://smxadvanced.eu/workshop/hands-on-google-audit/

(Use discount code ATFPPCP24 to get 20% off the workshop and the rest of the event.) 

Seats are limited. It’s not too late, but it will be soon.

I hope to see you there!

– Nils

Last week, I was in Riga.

The friendly people of Marketing Shake invited me for a speaking gig on Google Ads and AI.

The event itself was great. Getting there, not so much.

The morning of the event, the weather was good. 

Google Maps told me it was a 30-minute walk. 

So, I went walking to enjoy the lovely city of Riga. (Beautiful Jugendstil architecture!)

Google Maps pointed me to a spot in an industrial area, the route looked easy, and for some reason, I did not look up the exact location.

Turns out, that exact location was hidden between some big buildings with no clear directions.

Long story short: the 30-minute walk turned into 60 minutes of strolling back and forth in little alleys,  and being almost late for my presentation.

The whole adventure reminded me of how Google Ads is also hiding locations from us — the exact location of the user.

In the distant past, the Google Ads UI had an easy-to-access report called “User locations.” This report would list the physical location of the users that got to see your ads.

That report has been gone.

Now, some of you might think: “Right Nils, but we’ve still got the ‘Matched locations’ report under ‘Insights and reports’-> ‘When and where ads showed’, right?”

Yep, very true.

BUT, here’s the thing: matched locations do NOT show you the physical location of the user. 

Matched locations show your performance based on the locations that matched your ads. These locations could be users’ physical locations or locations of interest.

For example, you target a keyword [hotel Riga] in a campaign that geo-targets the Netherlands. If someone in Amsterdam searches for “hotels in Riga,” Riga would show as the ‘Matched location’.

But then, how do you see the user location ‘Amsterdam’?

That is no longer a default report inside Google Ads.

For that, you have to create a custom report via Report Editor.

Here’s what that looks like:

Notice the difference in performance between the different User locations?

It might be interesting to update your location targets, maybe exclude some locations (especially for PMax), and/or change some advanced geo targeting settings.

Now, go grab a coffee and create this User location report for your accounts. 

It only takes 5 minutes and the insights might surprise you!

– Nils

With the deprecation of SKAGs and the rise of STAGs, single ad groups often contain tens of keywords.

And your ad groups most probably contain more than one ad.

This is all well and good, but how do you know what keyword triggered what ad?

Luckily for us, the Google Ads UI has a hidden feature that gives some clarity:

1. Navigate your way to your ad group
2. Click “Ads” 
3. Click “Segment”
4. Click “Keyword text”

Here’s what that looks like:

Hey Mom, look at that, I’ve got keyword stats per ad! 🙂

You can use these insights to optimize your ad copy and/or lander.

For example: 

• Include the top keywords in your headlines 
• Address the intent behind the top keyword in your description 
• Create a separate lander for a popular keyword that has a slightly different intent from the rest of the keywords

Enjoy!

– Nils

PS: Sharing is caring! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a few friends who might find it useful. Thanks!

Ever had an e-com client that preferred increased profit over revenue growth?

If so, be sure to join me and our PPC friends at Product Hero in their upcoming webinar ‘Everything you need to know about POAS’.

In the webinar, I present my “Gatekeeper Architecture” for Standard Shopping, which allows for controlled growth of your profit.

Here’s a sneak peek:

(The parts in green are automated via Google Ads Scripts.)

Here’s the link to the webinar (7 August, 13:00 CET, 30 minutes):

https://producthero.com/en/profit-on-ad-spend-poas-webinar

See you there?

– Nils

Have you ever had to fill out a form tens of times just to test if conversion tracking is set up correctly?

Re-populating these empty input fields with dummy data, countless times…

Ugh.

Here’s the good news: with the Lorem Fill plugin you can skip the horror of these endless mouse-click-type repetitions.

This plugin allows you to complete all input fills in a single stroke.

Here’s what that looks like:

Here’s the link:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/lorem-fill/jfjnfhfeibkcokofbeipmehclfdojpaa

– Nils

I just got back from my vacation.

A motorcycle road trip through Oregon and Idaho.

There’s something magical about motorcycle road trips.

You go where the roads take you.

You don’t know where you are going.

You don’t know where you’ll end up.

There’s no way to get lost.

If you are on a motorcycle you can’t get lost.

You are there.

I’ve created my best scripts while having the same magic feeling.

Not knowing where I am going.

Just open up the white space in the script editor and start scripting.

See where the code takes you.

It’s magical.

– Nils

I’ve got a confession to make.

In Wednesday’s mail, I told you I don’t do fancy reporting, and offered you a script to automate the very limited data that I do report. (Email repeated below for your convenience.)

It’s true; I do not send fancy reports to my clients.

However… I do advise many of my coaching clients to use a fancy reporting tool!

What’s that, Nils? You don’t eat your own consulting dog food?

No. And yes.

Here’s what happens.

Many of my coaching clients are small to medium-sized agencies that want to do more with less hands. I help them automate the work so they can increase revenue without increasing headcount.

They typically serve tens if not hundreds of clients.

One of the main things that takes my clients forever? Sending out monthly, or even weekly, reports to their clients!

Many agencies have clients that simply expect them to send detailed reports. On time, every time. If they don’t, the client starts dialing numbers.

Many agencies use detailed reports as an entry point to start a conversation. That conversation with the client increases client retention.

Many agencies simply promised it in their initial offering.

Many reasons. Many hours of tedious, labor-intensive data gathering, number crunching, dashboarding, writing summaries, sending out emails…

Many hours of wasted time.

Wasted? 

Yes. Because you can automate almost all of it, and I’ve got just the solution for you.

IF…

• you are swamped with daily reporting tasks and are losing your mind over it
• or, you’ve cobbled together some data source connectors that should work, but never do
• or, you are fed up with time-consuming setups for each new client
• or, you simply do not have the time to learn new complex tooling
• or, you don’t have the money for overpriced reporting solutions

THEN…

your GO-TO solution is Swydo.

I’ve found Swydo to offer the best price-to-quality ratio when it comes to automated reporting, for these reasons:

• it aggregates data from the major platforms
• it has a very small learning curve (easier to implement than Looker Studio)
• it offers a free trial with a great onboarding service (get your specific report running in 20 minutes!)
• it allows for copy-paste templates you can use for each new client
• it’s the cheapest solution out there unless you want to spend a lot of time on the plumbing and client setups
• it is reliable and robust (reports go out on time, every time)

Don’t get me wrong, it won’t give you the flexibility of a custom reporting setup using Supermetrics, Big Query, and Looker Studio. If that’s what you need, go for it.

Swydo is low effort, low cost, and just good enough. And good enough is what most agencies need.

– Nils

PS: If you want a reliable and affordable solution to automate your performance reporting -> sign up for a free trial. 

When you are happy with the tool and ready to upgrade, mention “NilsRooijmans” during the upgrade to get a $100 discount. 

I’d still share these tips without the kickback, but a few extra bucks is nice!

Here’s the link again: https://www.swydo.com/?utm_source=nilsrooijmans&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=jun2024)

Lastly, as promised, here’s the email from Wednesday: https://nilsrooijmans.com/daily/google-ads-script-monthly-reporting-my-very-basic-version

One of the most annoying things in my PPC workday?

Google Ads Editor stalling.

It’s constantly freezing when downloading my account, not responding at all after multiple attempts. Again, and again. 

Yes, also after checking my internet connection, resetting my machine, downloading the latest version of the tool, and only selecting the basic download of a selection of the campaigns.

I’ve tried everything from signing in and out, removing temp files, disabling virus checkers, using VPN, and turning off Cloudflare… nothing works.

It still freezes.

Sounds familiar?

If so, try this solution for large accounts: you can force the download to finish by changing the download mode in Google Ads Editor! 

For Windows:

• Select Start > Run, then type cmd.
• Press Enter.
• Enter the following command: cd “C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Google\Google Google Ads Editor”
• Press Enter.
• Enter the following command: start google google_ads_editor_launcher.exe -dlMaxRequests
• Press Enter.
• Restart the account download.

FINALLY! I got the complete account downloaded in Editor again. (It still took 3 hours, though.)

Here’s a bunch of additional resources that will help you get the job done and Google Ads Editor back up to speed:

Uninstall and remove temp files:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/editor/answer/30515?hl=en

Download and install the latest version:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/editor/answer/30513

Select a portion of the account and download only basic data:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/editor/answer/30542

Make sure to not download images and videos:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/editor/answer/38872?hl=en

Log diagnostics to see what went wrong:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/editor/answer/94249?hl=en&ref_topic=9314

Hope this helps,

– Nils

I don’t do fancy reporting.

In the end, there are only 4 numbers that matter:

1. Google Ad Spend
2. Gross Profit (from Google Ad Spend)
3. My Google Ads Management Fee
4. Your Net Result (‘net result’ = ‘profit’ – ‘ad spend’ – ‘management fee’)

Here’s what that looks like:

Here’s how I automate that via Google Ads Scripts: https://nilsrooijmans.com/google-ads-monthly-reporting-script-my-very-basic-version/

Go ahead, try the script right now!

It only takes 5 minutes to set up, and your clients will love you for the simplicity.

Happy scripting!

– Nils

I am recording a video course on Google Ads Scripts this summer.

Can you help me decide on the exact contents?

I’ve prepared 3 different courses for different levels and need some advice on which one to start with:

A) Google Ads Script Tutorial for Absolute Beginners

• Learn the absolute basics. 
• At the end of this tutorial, you’ve learned just enough to comfortably install, test, and run your Google Ads Scripts, AND you’ve installed the 5 best scripts for your account.
• Contents: 5 15-minute videos + 5 exercises
• Your total workload: 4h
• Price: ~$170

B) Google Ads Script Training for Beginners

• Learn to create basic scripts.
• At the end of this training, you will be able to read and understand almost any Google Ads script out there, understand basic Javascript concepts AND you’ve created your first, very own, Google Ads Script from scratch. 
• Contents: 8 15-minute videos + 8 exercises
• Your total workload: 8h
• Price: ~$470

C) Google Ads Script Course for Intermediates

• Learn to fix and write Google Ads Scripts for any task.
• At the end of this course, you’ll know about all Google Ads Scripts concepts and how to use them. You’ll be able to fix and write scripts for almost any task in Google Ads.
• Contents: 12 15-minute videos + 12 exercises
• Your total workload: 20h
• Price: ~$1470

D) Other, namely…

For A, B, and C, please rate your level of interest in each on a scale of 1 (least interested) to 7 (most interested).

If you respond in the next 48 hours, you will get access to an early bird discount.

Thanks a ton for your help!

– Nils

Are you running PMax campaigns and do you hate wasted ad spend?

If so, here’s another Google Ads Script for you. 

What it does:
This script monitors Performance Max campaigns across multiple Google Ads accounts under an MCC. It checks if these campaigns were served in Google Shopping the previous day and if their spend meets a specified threshold. If any campaigns do not meet these criteria, the script sends a warning via email.

Why you’d care:
For most advertisers running PMax campaigns, clicks from the Shopping PLAs are the main revenue driver. Spending the budget on other channels like Display and YouTube mostly tanks results. If, for some reason (*), PMax stops generating clicks from Shopping and/or starts spending much more on Display or YouTube, you want to be in the know.

(*) Potential reasons for PMax dramatically shifting spend to non-Shopping channels:

• Main products go out of stock
• Main products get disapproved
• Settings mistakes: wrong exclusion settings in product groups (e.g., custom label filters), too low/high ROAS targets, budget too high
• Sudden change in actual ROAS performance due to: sale promotions, seasonality, competitor pricing, increased brand traffic
• Google’s greed to make more $$$

Why I like it:
This script will help you monitor PMax behavior and make sure performance stays on par. It is another great example of how I like to use scripts to Keep an Eye on Google’s AI.

URL: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1GsgWS3GYeIXxTBvHyxJrkY-Za3FD1Vd8

Note on the installation:
Be sure to read the instructions in the Google Drive folder.

PRO TIP:
Learn about 15 other scripts I use to optimize PMax campaigns by watching the recording of my SMX Advanced session on “Mastering Performance Max campaigns using scripts.”

Happy scripting!

– Nils

“Think about what clicks you want today, and you’ll spend your budget.

Think about what clicks you want in 6 weeks, and you’ll invest your budget.”

– Nils

Quick GPT quiz:

Have a look at this 2-minute drawing I created this afternoon. Do you think GPT can create this?

Does this logic make sense to you?

If so, do you want to have a script that implements this logic for you?

If so, do you know how to use GPT to create it?

If you don’t, do you think it can?

– Nils

When you consider a new client or job opportunity, one of the first questions to ask is: 

“What role do I want my work to play in my life?”

Make as few decisions as possible that violate your answer.

Here’s the thing:

Many opportunities are disguised in excitement but actually give you less of the life you want.

– Nils

In PPC, every decision is a gamble.

When you decide on a course of action, you’re betting that your decision will pay off.

It might work, or it might not work.

You don’t know in advance.

You CAN’T know in advance.

You have to test.

You have to take a chance. 

As with all bets, you must put some “chips on the table” for a chance to “win the pot.”

The trick to making good decisions over the long term is to consistently try to maximize your payoff and minimize losing what you put at risk.

In other words, don’t “bet the total monthly budget” on a long shot that is highly unlikely to pay off.

Instead, make lots of small bets that have the potential of paying off big.

Placing small bets on new products, new keywords, and new audiences.

That’s how you grow your PPC accounts.

– Nils

Are you having trouble getting consistent results from PMax?

Do you feel PMax is wasting your spend?

Or does scaling PMax campaigns feel like a hit-and-miss to you?

If so, please join me in my session about ‘Mastering Performance Max using Scripts’. Coming up at SMX Advanced next week!

You will learn (1) how Google Ads scripts can open up the black box that PMax is, and (2) how you can use scripts to automate PMax optimizations that would not happen without them.

Hope to see you there!

Session Title: ‘Mastering Performance Max using Scripts’ 

Date and Time: June 11, 12.30 PM – 1.30 PM (EDT) / 18.30 – 19.30 (CEST)

Register for free: https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/agenda