An Insight To Google Ads Recent ‘Ad Suggestions’ Feature

Many advertisers put a great deal of effort into writing the perfect ads, with the goal of standing out from the crowd. In fact, studies have shown that ad groups containing 3 or more high quality ads can increase clicks and conversions by up to 15%, providing ad rotation has been optimised. This can be a time-consuming task, consisting of creativity, research and lots of testing! But, with the aim to make our lives easier, Google has recently launched a feature called ‘Ad Suggestions’.

What are Google Ad Suggestions?

In April 2018, Google introduced its new ‘ad suggestions’ feature to Google Ads, which suggests variants of existing ad copy to use in your ad groups. These ads are created based on relevant content already in your account including ads, extensions, landing pages, keywords and targeting to optimise the ad copy. A mixture of machine learning and human review is also used to help create high quality ad suggestions.

How do they work?

Once Google has created your ad suggestions, they will appear on your Recommendations page in Google Ads. You will also receive an email notification, where you can choose to review, edit or dismiss these. However, if you don’t act within 14 days, these ads will be automatically added to your PPC account, which advertisers need to be aware of. Ad suggestions are limited to 50 per week for each account and are only provided to a small proportion of ad groups.

In some cases, Google will not create ad suggestions if any ads in your ad group have limited approval, or have been disapproved. However, ad groups that have limited approval due to trademarks are still qualified to receive ad suggestions.

Why did Google create these?

Since Google switched over from AdWords to Google Ads, they have promised a more efficient way of working, with automation being a necessity. Ad suggestions have primarily been created to boost performance of your Search Network campaigns, save valuable time and reduce the scope of error.

How can I switch them on or off?

Whilst some advertisers may accept the extra help from Google, others may want to retain more control over their ads and therefore choose to opt out of this setting. However, if you do decide to opt in, you’ll be able to distinguish a ‘suggested ad’ as it will be labelled as an auto-applied ad suggestion in the Google Ads interface.

You can switch ad suggestions on or off by following these steps:

1. Sign into your Google Ads account
2. Select settings in the menu
3. Choose account settings
4. Select whether you’d like to automatically apply or opt out of ad suggetions
5. Save changes

Our experience using Ad Suggestions

Overall, we have had mixed reviews amongst the team at SilverDisc regarding ad suggestions. We believe that ad suggestions can be a great addition to those who are new to PPC or are seeking creative ideas for a new ad copy. However, it is important to make sure you keep a close eye on performance and determine the impact these ads are having on the account. We would also recommend, advertisers review these suggestions before they are set live to ensure all relevant information has been pulled through correctly. Like many of us here, if you already have an ad strategy in place, you may want to consider opting out of the auto-apply setting and run testing of your own to see how well they perform.

If you would like to know how SilverDisc can help you with your PPC marketing, please get in touch with our team on 01536 316100.