Category: Google Ads

Thought starter for the week:

“The best way to increase your future productivity is to automate it today.”

– Nils

Adding relevant search terms as new keywords in your account is a great way to grow your account.

The data in your search term reports is a gold mine for just that. Simply go into your search term report, find relevant search terms for which you would like to get more clicks, and add them as a keyword.

But here’s the thing: when you decide to add the keyword Google now defaults to making that keyword Broad match. 

There used to be a dropdown match type selector where you could choose to make that added keyword Exact, Phrase, or Broad match before adding the keyword to your ad group. Google removed that match type selector and now you have to manually add the Exact or Phrase syntax which means extra, repetitive work.

We don’t like. 

Luckily for us, this Chrome extension solves the issue by giving you the ability to:
– Select the match type per keyword when adding matched search terms
– Change the match type for all matched terms before adding, in bulk

WIN: Time savings AND reduced risk of making mistakes when trying to manually add the match type syntax.

Here’s the link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-ads-add-as-keyword/lohkmkohhglpgndcmobnpiekmkobgdkp

Go ahead and try it right now, it only takes 2 minutes!

– Nils

Many of you asked me how ChatGPT would change our jobs and how we can use it to make our jobs easier. 

And, of course, many of you want ChatGPT to create scripts for you. (Good news: you can! More on that later.)

For now, I decided to ask ChatGPT itself.

Here’s my prompt:

“Imagine ChatGPT as a real-time collaboration tool for PPC professionals, enabling them to brainstorm, strategize, and optimize Google Ads campaigns with AI-generated insights and suggestions. Describe the dynamics of this AI-human collaboration.”

And here’s what it came up with:

“ChatGPT could serve as a real-time collaboration tool for PPC professionals, revolutionizing the way they brainstorm, strategize, and optimize Google Ads campaigns. By integrating AI-generated insights and suggestions, the dynamics of this AI-human collaboration would create a seamless and efficient workflow that enhances productivity and results. Here’s how this collaboration could work:

1. Continuous Improvement: The AI-human collaboration would create a feedback loop, where ChatGPT learns from the PPC professionals’ decisions and outcomes, continuously improving its suggestions and insights over time. This would lead to a more productive and effective partnership.

2. Seamless Integration: ChatGPT would be integrated into the Google Ads platform or other project management tools used by PPC professionals, allowing them to easily access AI-generated insights and suggestions within their existing workflow.

3. Dynamic Brainstorming: As PPC professionals discuss and brainstorm ideas for campaigns, ChatGPT would actively participate by suggesting keywords, ad copy, targeting options, and bid strategies based on its extensive knowledge and real-time analysis of campaign data.

4. Real-time Analysis: ChatGPT would continuously monitor and analyze campaign performance, identifying patterns and trends that may be affecting results. It would then provide actionable recommendations for adjustments and optimizations to improve the campaign’s performance.

5. Instant Feedback: PPC professionals could consult ChatGPT for instant feedback on their ideas and strategies, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and quickly iterate on their campaign designs. This would help to reduce time spent on trial and error and improve the overall efficiency of the campaign development process.

6. Personalized Learning: ChatGPT would learn from each PPC professional’s unique preferences, working style, and campaign history, enabling it to provide tailored insights and suggestions that align with their specific needs and goals.

7. Cross-team Collaboration: By serving as a central hub for campaign discussions and ideas, ChatGPT would facilitate cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing among PPC professionals, designers, and copywriters, leading to more cohesive and effective campaigns.

8. 24/7 Support: ChatGPT would be available around the clock, offering PPC professionals constant support and guidance in managing their Google Ads campaigns. This would help reduce stress and workload, enabling professionals to focus on more strategic tasks.

In summary, by incorporating ChatGPT as a real-time collaboration tool for PPC professionals, the dynamics of AI-human collaboration would lead to more efficient brainstorming, strategizing, and optimizing of Google Ads campaigns. This partnership would not only improve campaign results but also enhance the overall workflow and productivity of PPC professionals.“

What do you think?

– Nils

PS: I am considering giving a workshop that teaches you how to use ChatGPT to create scripts for you. If you’re interested, send me an email at nils@nilsrooijmans.com.

Here’s a pretty common situation in today’s Google Ads Scripts environment: You’ve had a script running smoothly for months or even years. You’ve changed nothing in the script. Yet, at right this moment, the script fails because of “Stopped due to timeout”.

I’ve seen this issue appear in multiple accounts.

The root cause is unknown to me, but it almost certainly has something to do with Google quietly migrating your old scripts to the new environment.

There’s no error in the code. The script just times out.

Here’s the thing: If you do not check your script execution logs, you might not spot this issue and your scripts won’t run!

My current solution: Simply create a completely new script, copy-paste the code from the old script into the new one, and test again.

Most of the time it works without the need for any further debugging.

Happy scripting!

– Nils

PS: If you run into other scripting issues that are a bit more complex, my Google Ads Script Support Call might be just for you. Here’s the link: https://nilsrooijmans.com/google-ads-scripts-support-call/

PPC is a numbers game.

But also it isn’t.

Sometimes we need to step back and take a different perspective.

Your ad impression creates a user perception that creates a sensation.

The way that sensation is interpreted determines the outcome of a decision. A decision to click, or not to click.

The next desired action, the conversion, is a leap of faith and requires trust.

– Nils

Beating Performance Max’s results doesn’t require you to do a lot of hard work.

However, it does require you to do some smart work.

– Nils

Did you know?

In Google Ads, you can hold ‘SHIFT’ and press ‘A’ to jump up to the “whole account” level while staying on the same view.

I like to use this shortcut when I am looking at search terms within one campaign, and then quickly want to check how a search term performs in the whole account.

Here’s a list with some more shortcuts to improve your PPC productivity:

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7282037?hl=en

– Nils

Change happens.

Some changes are good. Other changes… not so much.

Occasionally, some of the most terrible changes pop up in your change history.

And the worst thing… they do so without you noticing!

Remember that last client of yours? That stubborn, overly self-confident, ego-driven maniac? He decided he knows best. Made some “minor” changes to your carefully optimized account. All by himself. Changing ad copy, reducing test budgets, and adding non-brand keywords to your BRAND campaign… the horror.

Or maybe that overly ambitious intern who joined your team last week… Negating keywords all over the place!

And let’s not forget the worst of the worst — your colleague accidentally hitting the ‘Apply’ button next to one of Google’s Recommendations. 

Oh dear.

Here’s the thing:

It is _your_ job to manage and optimize your account. Therefore _you_ want be in the know when someone else makes any unanticipated change. And you want to know _immediately_!

Thankfully, there’s a script for that.

Today, I am sharing a stripped-down version of one of my favorite scripts in my private stack:

Change History Alerts

URL: https://nilsrooijmans.com/google-ads-script-change-history-alerts/

What it does: 
The script checks all the entries in the Google Ads change history of your account, and if there is a change by a user outside of your list of ‘recognized’ users, you will get an alert via email. The alert mail contains the number of changes, as well as a link to the Google Sheet that lists all changes by unrecognized users.

Why you care: 
It is all too often people outside your team make changes to the Google Ads accounts you manage. You want to make sure these changes are in line with your strategy asap. This script ensures you do.

Happy scripting!

– Nils

PS: Want to learn how to create scripts like this from scratch? 

Sign up for my next “Google Ads Scripting Workshop for Beginners” (scheduled for early June 2023).

GPT-5: Can perfectly build a website from simple wireframes.

GPT-6: Can build and run a company. 

GPT-7: Passes Turing test.

GPT-8: Overthrows world governments and expands into space.

GPT-9: Fails to understand how PMax is supposed to work, gives up, and resorts to standard campaigns.

– Nils

“What is the best Google Ads Script you have ever used?”

Ugh… if only I got a penny every time someone asks 😉

Although I have many, many favorite scripts in my arsenal and they are all very useful, there is one single clear winner for me. 

It is the script I install the first day when taking over a new account. It is also a great way to finally get started using Google Ads Scripts.

I’m talking about a script that automatically alerts me if any of my landers are broken: the Broken Link Checker script, published by our friends at Google.

If you want to read more about what makes this script my favorite, go here: https://nilsrooijmans.com/the-best-adwords-script-i-have-ever-used/

This note is just to update you about the fact that Google has updated the script to be more efficient, especially with sitelinks.

So, stop wasting ad spend on clicks that go nowhere!

Go copy-paste and install the script. It only takes 5 mins.

– Nils

Yesterday, I ranted about Google Recommendations. (A copy of it is provided below for your convenience.)

I also asked my subscribers to think about what happened and why. The response has been crazy (thanks for your enthusiasm!). Many of you wanted to know the details, so with your permission, today, the rant continues.

Here we go.

The new client is leadgen for SaaS business.

Sort of Salesforce, but different (and much smaller).

Let’s say the brand name is PowerDeals. (In reality, it’s a hard-to-remember, impossible-to-spell, crazy-web2.0-startuppish name that doesn’t have any meaning whatsoever.)

Now, in the before situation, my client had a brand campaign with a few exact match keywords on manual bidding.

Think:
[powerdeals], CPC bid: 1
[power deals], CPC bid: 1
[powerdealz], CPC bid: 1

Then, the friendly Google Rep came along with his wisdom straight from the big G Oracle’s mouth.

After implementing the Google recommendation, my client had a brand campaign with broad keywords on smart bidding (target impression share).

Here’s _what_ happened:

Ad spend for the brand campaign tripled, cost per lead increased 80%. Ad spend for the total account increased by roughly 10%.

And the worst part? The overall number of leads in the CRM system didn’t increase _at all_.

Here’s _why_ that happened: 

The combination of broad match and smart bidding opened up the campaign to a whole bunch of user queries that were either:
A. completely irrelevant for lead generation (thus low conversion rates),
B. very competitive (thus high CPCs), or
C: already generating most potential clicks via organic listings (most important)

This is best illustrated with some examples from new search terms in the SQR:
1) powerdeals login, avg CPC: 1.03
2) powerdeals support, avg CPC: 1.68
3) powerdeals crm demo, avg CPC: 12.62

Number 1 and 2 explain why the cost went up, but number of conversions did not. These types of queries generally do not generate new leads. 

Number 3 explains why the avg CPC of the campaign, and the cost, went through the roof. The auction for this user query is probably bursting at the seams, with competitors bidding like crazy for the “crm demo” keyword. But hey, we told the smart bidding to target a 100% impressions share, right?

The broad match keyword combined with high CPC bid from the target impression share bidding made this new brand campaign eligible to show ads for “powerdeals crm demo”, whereas before the old brand campaign could not.

NOTE: Before implementing Google’s suggestion, people would click on organic search listings, not on the paid ads. Our client wasn’t paying for this kind of traffic (very warm clicks with high conversion rates).

(To be fair, there were competitors showing ads where my client was not, but since the user explicitly searches for a CRM demo _from PowerDeals_ my guess is that they’re relatively likely to scroll down and click on the organic link.)

So, I think it is worth repeating:

Always question each and every recommendation a Google Rep or the Google algorithm makes before you apply.

When in doubt, follow the ABT mantra:

    Always
    Be
    Testing

– Nils

PS: For those of you who missed it, here was part 1: https://nilsrooijmans.com/daily/questioning-recommendations

True story: One of my coaching clients was running a nicely separated brand campaign. Exact match keywords for the brand name and some popular typos. Manual CPC bidding.

Then, a Google Rep came along.

“Hey, why don’t we switch to broad match and automated bidding to increase leads and make sure no competitor will outrank you?”

“Sure, that sounds great!”

And so it went. 

The carefully-selected brand keywords all switched to broad match, and bidding switched to “Target impressions share” (without Bid Limit!).

The result?

Ad spend for the brand campaign tripled, cost per lead increased 80%. Ad spend for the total account increased by roughly 10%.

And the worst part? The overall number of leads in the CRM system didn’t increase _at all_.

Remember: It’s Google’s job to make money for its shareholders. It’s your job to make money for your client.

Always, ALWAYS, question each and every recommendation a Google Rep or the Google algorithm makes before you apply.

– Nils

ICYMI: Google is changing from their last non-direct click import from GA4 to Google Ads to full cross-channel conversion credit import.

This is HUGE if you are using Analytics imported conversions as your primary conversions in Google Ads.

Here’s the announcement:

Here’s a great explanation and discussion on LinkedIn, posted by Frederik Boysen:

“Let’s start by mapping out a typical buying journey:

On Day 1, a customer makes a Google Shopping search, clicks to shop and sees the product, but does not buy. On Day 3, the customer clicks on a Facebook retargeting ad and makes a purchase.

Google Analytics 4 last non-direct click import (before):

As Google Analytics used a last non-direct click attribution model, Facebook was credited with 100% of the conversion value in this journey, since it was the last click before conversion. When importing conversions from Google Analytics into Google Ads, this conversion would not appear inside Google Ads as it wasn’t the “last non-direct click” in Google Analytics.

Google Analytics 4 full cross-channel conversion credit import (soon to be released):

With this upgrade, full cross-channel conversion credit will now be imported into Google Ads (even if the last non-direct click was not Google advertising). This means that now Google ads can get a fraction of the value and conversion attributed in Google ads – let’s say you are using a linear model – Google will get 0.5 conversion and 50% of the conversion value for this journey.

It is hard to gauge the exact impact until we see how it is implemented in action; however, I believe the new funnel cross-channel import is invaluable for reporting, and will give you a more accurate representation of conversion value when it includes the impact of other channels. It will also make it possible to identify huge gaps in the values tracked by Google Ads vs GA4 cross-channel credit product/ads, and adjust bids/changes accordingly.

That being said, GA4 tracking still has its flaws compared to Google Ads tracking;

Here are some differences:

GA4: Does not track view-troughs for networks like display or Youtube while Google ads tracking can.

GA4 does not have built in cross device identification, so you need user IDs, while Google ads tracking use logged-in user data to identify users a cross device and also have Enhanced Conversion to track and identified users across device with hashed first-party data.

GA4 is unable to provide full server-side tracking unless a script fires, while Google Ads offers complete server-side tracking with offline conversions click import which bypasses ad blockers and is collected on the server level.

These factors play an integral role in optimizing performance as they determine what data is received by bidding algorithms used by Google ads – This means that Google Ads tracking will still my preferred choice for bidding (Primary). But GA4 import will properly be my preferred choice for reporting.“

Link to original post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/frederik-boysen-607ab444_ppcchat-googleads-activity-7044033395730837504-SBqg

– Nils

Last month, I sent out an email requesting my newsletter subscribers to participate in this year’s PPC Salary Survey.

If you participated in the survey, on behalf of Duane (the driving force behind the initiative) and myself: a big Thank You!

Data like this gives us PPC peepz some bargaining power!

You can (re)negotiate salary for your current or new role at your employer, or use it in negotiations with a new employer.

Today Duane shared the results. Here you go:

PPC Salary Survey 2023 Final Report: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/11xi72k/ppc_salary_survey_2023_final_report/

– Nils

Here’s a simple trick to make your callouts stand out more:

Add a hash (‘#’) in front of your text.

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

– Nils

Promotion assets are great for highlighting your time-limited offer. They increase visibility and CTR.

Here’s a hidden gem that I don’t see used very often: you can use the promotion asset even when you don’t have a specific time-limited sale or promotion event in progress!

Simply create a permanent promotion asset by following these steps:

1. Create a promotion extension 
2. Select ‘none’ for the occasion
3. Create the extension

Your newly-created asset will be added to your ad.

More visibility, more clicks!

Go ahead and create one right now, it only takes 5 mins.

– Nils

PS: If you are interested in the discount for my next Google Ads Scripting Workshop, here’s your link: https://nilsrooijmans.com/google-ads-scripting-workshop-for-beginners/

Did you know?

Google may decide to “optimize” your title in your product feed:

“To provide an optimal user experience, Google may promote key product attributes in the front of your title to best match your offer to a customer’s search.

For titles that use the product’s brand name as the first word in the title, other product attributes will be added after the brand name. 

Separators such as dash (“-“) may be added for readability.“

Here are some examples:

1. A king size mattress
– Search query: “King size mattress”
– Merchant-provided title*: “Memory foam medium firm mattress king…”
– Dynamic title: “King – Memory foam medium firm…”

2. A king size memory foam mattress from brand XYZ
– Search query: “XYZ King Memory foam mattress”
– Merchant-provided title*: “Memory foam medium firm mattress king…”
– Dynamic title: “XYZ – King – memory foam king size…”

*The merchant-provided title is the value that you submit for a product using the title [title] attribute. In cases where the title provided is already the best fit to a customer’s search query, no changes will be made.

SOURCE:
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324415?hl=en#zippy=%2Coptimized-titles

– Nils

FYI: Google is removing the ability to have independently configured conversion windows in GA4 and Google Ads. 

After March 31, GA4 imported conversions in Google Ads will solely use the GA4 settings.

GA4 allows you to select 30, 60, or 90-day conversion windows.

Google Ads did offer more flexibility in letting you pick any length you wanted, from 1 to 90 days. 

If you’ve used this feature, it’s time to rethink some.

– Nils

NB: Although this message is about imported conversions, I always recommend to use Google Ads conversion tracking instead of importing conversions through Analytics. 

Performance Max is super easy.

Do these 3 things and your revenue and profits will skyrocket:

1. Implement gtag.js on your site
2. Add Google Ads conversion tracking code
3. Set up dynamic remarketing 
4. Make sure the product id matched your feed id
5. Include hashed email
6. Add the new_customer parameter to your tag
7. Customize ad_personalization_signals to comply with regulations
8. Enable consent mode modeling
9. Enable enhanced conversion tracking
10. Set attribution to data-driven
11. Make sure to have GA4 implemented and linked to your account
12. Create Performance Max segment in GA4
13. For lead gen: use UTM parameters at the asset group level so that (in your CRM) you can track the quality of the leads for individual asset groups
14. For lead gen: track lead quality and automatically send value updates to Google
15. Disable Auto-applied recommendations
16. Connect merchant center
17. Optimize product feed 
18. Add a short title in the product feed so that it will show in Discovery and Gmail ads
19. Label products based on product margins
20. Decide on campaign structure
21. Make sure standard search campaigns are set up and working properly
22. Make sure standard campaigns generate >30 conversions per month
23. Create performance max campaigns
24. Decide on realistic additional value for new customers
25. Set advanced location targeting to ‘Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations’
26. Create ad schedule
27. Create assets groups
28. Create headlines
29. Create long headlines
30. Create descriptions
31. Create (lifestyle) images
32. Create attention-grabbing videos
33. Add call to action
34. Add display path
35. Add extensions
36. Create a customer-match audience of existing customers
37. Create a custom segment audience of converting search terms
38. Test both ‘People with any of these interests or purchase intentions’ and ‘People who searched for any of these terms on Google’
39. Create an in-market audience segment
40. Test if you should disable url expansions
41. Add a dedicated (dynamic) remarketing campaign next to PMax
42. Make sure website is mobile-friendly
43. Make sure landing page loads within 3 secs
44. Make sure landing page includes social proof
45. Make sure forms and/or checkouts work 100%
46. Make sure your feed is updated frequently (more than default once per day)
47. Exclude mobile app categories
48. Exclude content keywords
49. Exclude sensitive content
50. Exclude parked domains
51. Exclude YouTube live streams
52. Add url exclusions
53. Exclude brand from campaign
54. Add account-wide negatives
55. Ask Google rep to add a negative keyword list to the campaign
56. Choose bidding strategy
57. Determine target for bidding strategy
58. Apply seasonality adjustment for short sales promotions
59. Make sure no assets or extensions get disapproved
60. Make sure no top-selling products are disapproved 
61. Make sure no top-selling products are out of stock
62. Make sure prices remain competitive
63. Make sure shipping cost and delivery times remain competitive
64. Prevent extremely negative reviews 
65. For lead gen: prevent lead fraud by implementing lead fraud prevention tactics in your forms
66. Monitor campaign insights like a hawk
67. Monitor PMax networks’ performance via Mike Rhodes script
68. Monitor user location report
69. Monitor ‘new vs returning visitors’ segment
70. Monitor new customers reporting column
71. Add negative keywords
72. Exclude placements 
73. Exclude low-performing products
74. Exclude low-performing user locations
75. Replace zero-click products to new campaigns
76. Create new campaign for the product that spends >50% of budget
77. Monitor audience insights
78. Create new asset groups for best-performing audiences
79. Monitor ‘suggested trends’
80. Create new asset groups for relevant trends
81. Check for cannibalization in GA4
82. Gradually increase/decrease bidding targets
83. Gradually increase/decrease budgets
84. Improve poor assets
85. Spend at least 3 times your avg CPA and over $100 per day
86. Wait & pray 

What other 3 things did I forget?

– Nils

“How come when I google my keywords, I never see my ads?”

This is probably the most irritating question a client can ask you.

I got this question today.

Usually, my response is to explain to the client all the nuances that come with campaign settings, budgets, audience targeting, smart bidding, etc.

But, to be honest, my answers take forever and never really seem to satisfy my clients’ need. So, I decided to turn to our PPC friends on Reddit and see what they’ve come up with.

Here are some interesting responses:

1. “I’ve blocked your network IPs from showing your ads so you don’t end up paying for internal searches”
2. “I’ve set the optimization to maximize conversions, so unless Google’s AI thinks you’re about to do business with yourself, it won’t show you the ads.”
3. “Unless you have an unlimited budget and perfect ad rank you’re not gonna show on 100% of searches”

Number 2 is killing it for me.

Curious to learn: how do you respond to this question?

– Nils