What is Google OptiScore and is it Useful?

What is Google OptiScore?

If you are a PPC executive you will always find new features in the Google Ads interface to keep you busy - whether it’s testing new bid strategies, creating different ad types or finding new keywords through search queries. Sometimes it seems too easy to lose focus on what’s important for your goals.

With the new Google Ads interface came new functionality called Google OptiScore, or Optimisation Score -  which you can find in the Recommendations tab.

In the past, especially in the old interface, you could only see some recommendations. Now at the top of your page, you can see your actual OptiScore in percentage value as well as how you could improve it.

In the example above, this account’s OptiScore is 86% so there is some room to improve it.

What are the benefits of using Google OptiScore?

The main benefit of using OptiScore is that it allows you to focus precisely on specific areas of the account and it tells you how much your score will improve if you follow suggested actions (see above). 

For people who are slightly less familiar with Google Ads the recommendation tool offers simple suggestions that are relatively easy to follow.

You can apply many changes from the interface so it’s quick and easy to use.

Although it might not be the best practice, some marketing departments treat OptiScores as a benchmark against industry standards.

 What are the disadvantages of trusting OptiScore too much?

Although some tips on account management are spot on, they are automatically generated so they may seem generic and not really tailored to your business. You or your agency partners know your business and should be able pick up the right recommendations.

It’s not a secret that Google is a profit-driven business. Therefore, some suggestions might not be the best for you and could cost you a lot of money. For example, Google might suggest you increase campaign budgets or bids for keywords, which are kept low on purpose to be in line with your business strategy. Also as much as the suggestions might help to guide a newbie, if he/she blindly follows the recommendations it would most likely be very costly for the company.

OptiScore in Depth

As we considered advantages and disadvantages of using Opti score we can now discuss in depth of what to expect from each recommendation.

Repairs

This section is fairly useful, and it tells you what you need to fix in the account. It will highlight ad groups without ads, ad groups without keywords and errors in final URLs for ad copy.

Bids & Budgets

This section can be useful but you need to be careful as some changes will cost you a lot of money. Some of the suggestions include: campaign budget increases, bid strategy advice or device bid adjustments.

Keywords & Targeting

Here you can find recommendations on adding new keywords, match types and fixing any negative keywords conflicts. It will also highlight potential opportunities for using audiences. Be careful especially when reviewing keywords suggestions, as many of them might be too expensive or not relevant to your business. 

Ads & Extensions

This section is fairly useful as Google will tell you which extensions you are missing and how to improve your ad performance with the use of new extensions.

Automated Campaigns

This is a fairly new addition to OptiScore and is likely to be expanded in the future. For example, Google might suggest you implement smart shopping campaigns. Before you commit to it, you should make sure that it is the most appropriate choice for your business.

OptiScore is a relatively new Google feature that allows account managers to judge the health of their accounts with ease. It has plenty of useful features such as Repairs and Ads & Extensions. You should go ahead and try some of the recommendations, but remember to remain critical and always try to assess the potential impact of your changes.