So, last week I was at ADworldExperience for my talk about “ChatGPT and Google Ads Scripts.”
Here’s my biggest takeaway from the session: 75% of participants had used Google Ads Scripts in their accounts, BUT only 5% ever created their own script.
Why is that?
If you have never created your own script before, please help me understand.
What has kept you from creating your own Google Ads Script?
A) JavaScript is like ancient Greek to me B) I don’t have time to learn C) I have no idea how to get started D) I don’t EVER want to code E) Other, namely…
A simple one-letter reply will do.
Thanks already,
– Nils
PS: Registration for the ‘5-Day ChatGPT and Google Ads Scripts Challenge’ is open.
Since you are on my list, you have access to a €50 discount (use coupon NILSLIST).
Elevate and celebrate – that’s what happens when you meet PPC royalty!
Still buzzing from a brilliant Google Ads scripts talk at #ADworldExperience today…
Mike Rhodes presented all the exact steps he took to create his famous PMax script, AND how _you_ can do the same. Even without any coding skills.
If you’re still not convinced about the value of scripts, listen to what this PPC legend (who just sold his agency) had to say:
“Scripts have helped massively over the years to ensure the team work efficiently and don’t have to spend time on ‘grunt work’. And an efficient, happy team was no doubt attractive to the buyers of my agency. In short, scripts add value.“
Now, while I cannot confirm the accuracy of the claim or the data, I can say that I’ve seen similar (though less extreme) spikes in search partner data in my accounts.
All to say that search partners are another example of where you cannot simply trust Google’s automation (AI) to act in your best interest.
You need to monitor search partner performance like a hawk!
Earlier this week I shared an email explaining how I use the age report to get actionable insights. (email repeated below for your convenience)
Fellow list member Mads Hjortshøj responded with a question (shared with permission):
“I probably look at age performance only twice a year.
Maybe I rely too much on Google’s Smart Bidding to adjust for this?
I assume it will spend most of the budget on people who will provide us with the best possible performance, based on the set targets.
Have you ever experienced that you had to take action based on the age report while using Google Smart Bidding?“
The short answer is Yes.
When a report like the one I shared shows that a certain audience has subpar performance, there’s probably room for improvements.
Mads is right in that smart bidding will learn to bid lower on the segments that have lower conversion rates/conversion value.
BUT, smart bidding doesn’t learn what is the cause of this subpar performance.
It might very well be that the specific low-performance age segment values different features/benefits, or even completely different products.
So, one action one could take is to create separate ad groups/campaigns for these audiences. With different creatives and/or different products that resonate with that specific audience.
Simply ignoring the difference in performance would limit growth.
Here’s the thing: Automation (incl AI) works best when there’s a human in the loop.
For now at least.
– Nils
EMAIL FROM SEP 26:
Your honest answer please: how often do you look at the age performance data in your account?
Personally, I schedule to have look at the data at the account level at least once every quarter.
And I use the report editor to generate a report that looks like this:
This table immediately shows lower performance for Age 55+.
Here’s the thing: Reports like this create highly actionable insights in minutes!
We could show different ads and/or products to this audience, or simply exclude it.
You can get the same insights in minutes. Simply create the report via report editor, save and schedule to have it sent to your email every day/week/month.
Go ahead, give it a try and see if your Age segments show widely different performance.
Your honest answer please: how often do you look at the age performance data in your account?
Personally, I schedule to have look at the data at the account level at least once every quarter.
And I use the report editor to generate a report that looks like this:
This table immediately shows lower performance for Age 55+.
Here’s the thing: Reports like this create highly actionable insight in minutes!
We could show different ads and/or products to this audience, or simply exclude it.
You can get the same insights in minutes. Simply create the report via report editor, save and schedule to have it send to your email every day/week/month.
Go ahead, give it a try and see if your Age segments show widely different performance.
Even when your advanced location options are set to “People in or regularly in your targeted locations”, you might still see a few clicks from random places. It can add up over the year.
More importantly (especially with PMax), even without clicks you might get chunks of impressions that could hurt ad quality score.
Here’s how that could look:
(in all fairness: these numbers are very small so I don’t really see an issue here, but you get my point)
And here’s how I learned about this:
Yep, that’s Ed Leake’s GTA Performance Framework, helping me again to fix an account I just took over.
Curious to learn: do you get a significant chuck of clicks or impressions from outside your targeted locations?
Go ahead, check it right now. It only takes 2 mins!
– Nils
PS:
Ed actually has 400+ more valuable items on his checklist. They are part of the God Tier Ads Framework. If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or your money back) -> sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.
Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.
I’d still share these tips without the kickback… Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!
Back in 2019, I was invited to the Great Day event to speak about this issue.
In my presentation titled “Keeping an Eye on Google’s AI using Scripts“, I spoke about my methodology and scripts to monitor and analyze the impact of Google’s AI, mitigate some of the risks, and regain control.
The first slides talk about the different stakeholders in the Google Ads game, and how their goals aren’t aligned.
Recent revelations in the US antitrust trial against Google stress the importance of the matter.
Don’t believe me?
Read this:
“Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen has the details of Google ads executive Jerry Dischler’s testimony, where he describes statements he made under oath in 2020.
Dischler says Google tweaks its auction process in ways that may have raised prices in the past by 5 percent for the typical advertiser and could potentially have raised them by 10 percent for some queries.
The parties buying the ads would have been unaware of these “tunings” of prices; “we tend not to tell advertisers about pricing changes,” Dischler said.“
It helps you create a very simple script that automatically generates a Google Sheet with your campaign stats.
1. Select the fields, metrics, and date range 2. Hit “Get Your Script” 3. Copy to clipboard 4. Paste in your Google Ads Script editor (for more instructions, visit my “How to install and run your first script” guide) 5. Create a Google Sheet and add the URL to the script (follow the instructions in the top section of the code) 6. Authorize, Preview 7. Schedule to run daily/weekly/monthly 8. PRO TIP: Ask ChatGPT to add some code to send you an email with a link to the sheet every time the report has been generated
– Nils
PS:
Want to learn how to create your own scripts via ChatGPT? Join my “5-Day ChatGPT and Scripts Challenge”.
“Never fails that you inspire, uncontrollable desire”
Rosie Gaines taught us some 30 years ago: “close” is what we desire.
Ed Leake and I are no different.
We like to be close.
Not literally, him and me.
Ed likes to live as a solitary Hebride on rainy Scottish islands so I doubt we’ll ever meet.
BUT…
Close to clicks? Yes.
Close to conversions? Even better.
I’ll let Ed explain:
– Nils
PS:
Ed actually has 22 more pillars of great ad copy to get more clicks and conversions. They are part of GTS.
If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or get your money back) -> sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.
Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.
I’d still share these tips without the kickback… Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!
Here’s a pro tip from fellow Google Ads Scripter Stefan Neefischer:
“Add soft conversion events to your ads account, e.g. engaged user (not bouncing after some seconds), and use this for making the n-gram analysis. You will identify a lot of totally off-topic patterns thanks to Google’s changes in the match types / close variants”
I agree and can confirm. N-gram analysis based on micro conversions allow you to reduce wasted ad spend much quicker.
Watch how the Shopping, DSA, and Broad-match algorithms match your products, pages, and keywords to user queries.
A great example of how you can use scripts to “Keep an Eye on Google’s AI“!
Are you creating custom or recommended events for tracking via GA4?
This cheat sheet is a goldmine for understanding event parameters, key dimensions, and metrics in GA4.
I really love the interactive interface and the details of the information.
Example use case: click on a metric or dimension and it will tell you if it’s available in Looker Studio, if it’s calculated, etc. At the top of the page you can also choose “Data Studio” in the dropdown and it will filter to show all available metrics/dimensions.
Is this the most extensive checklist you’re going to find?
Not at all.
What I like about it, and what discriminates Ed’s work from the rest, is that it gets you _thinking_ about what is _really_ important. Who is my ideal customer? What problem do they have? Without your product/service, what would they be doing?
The list is concise, concrete, and actionable. Another thing Ed and I both appreciate.
Here’s my advice: next time you open your Google Ads interface, navigate to Landing Pages, sort by Cost desc, open the top landing page, and work your way through this checklist!
– Nils
PS:
Ed actually has 7 more checks to level up your landing page. They are part of his GTA course. If you’re really serious about upping your PPC skills and want to get more PPC nuggets like this, sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.
Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.
I’d still share these tips without the kickback… Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!
