PPC best practices come from a variety of sources, including Google Ads reps, the Help Center, official certifications, auto-apply and manual recommendations, ad strength recommendations, and even automated assets. However, it’s important to be critical of these “best practices” as they may not always be tailored to your account’s context.
The goal of advertisers is to deliver the highest results with the smallest budget possible, while ad networks like Google Ads aim to get you to spend more. Therefore, a balanced approach is necessary when considering Google Ads’ best practices.
Leverage automated bidding
Automated bidding strategies are often more effective than manual bidding in properly set up A/B tests. Google Ads rolled out automated bidding almost 10 years ago, and it’s a best practice that can be applied in most cases. However, it would be helpful if Google Ads provided more clarification on optimal setups for conversion density, latency, frequency, etc.
If your automated bid strategy isn’t performing as desired, review the above parameters. In most cases, moving away from manual CPC bidding is recommended.
Grow with broad match keywords
Broad match keywords, which are a form of automated targeting, are becoming increasingly effective. Google Ads recommends using broad match types for their benefits in speeding up PPC staff training and streamlining campaign maintenance. However, it’s important to avoid blindly using broad match without understanding optimal setups.
In particular, the “Grow your Smart Bidding campaigns with broad match” auto-apply recommendation and the broad match keywords campaign setting should be approached with caution. It’s advisable to fuel your bid strategy with initial down funnel data (such as purchases) before relying solely on Google’s AI.
While performance is improving with broad match keywords, visibility is limited due to Google’s privacy restrictions on search term reporting. This can make it difficult to make informed marketing decisions.
Overall, growing with broad match keywords is a valuable best practice, but it’s important to be aware of its limitations.
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