I open an email from a PPC friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was very short, only two words: “Code steal?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a screenshot. I zoom in, see an unknown account name, and start looking at the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, my friend rightly recognized the code as mine. (I use specific coding styles when writing custom scripts for clients.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone did, in fact, steal custom code that I created for an agency a while back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having someone copy your code and ignoring (as well as removing) the license feels bad. Of course it does. It’s stealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the PPC “pro” in question is ultimately on the losing side of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One, because of karma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two, because the most powerful scripts solve a specific problem for a specific strategy in a specific Google Ads setup during a specific time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the context changes, the script must change too. Therefore, simply copy-pasting a custom script can be dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just because the script created great value for a specific account at a specific time, it doesn’t mean it will do the same today in a different account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Google Ads is constantly changing, and so should your strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n