The Google Ads Recommendations tab is a centralised hub where Google surfaces automated suggestions intended to improve your campaign performance. These recommendations span bidding strategies, keyword additions, audience expansion, ad creative improvements, and budget adjustments. Google positions the tab as a helpful guide, but experienced advertisers know the reality is more nuanced.
At its core, the Recommendations tab serves two masters: your performance goals and Google's revenue objectives. While some suggestions genuinely align with advertiser interests, others primarily increase spend or shift control away from manual optimisation. Understanding this dual nature is essential before acting on any recommendation.
Google Ads optimisation score is a percentage from 0% to 100% that represents how well Google believes your account is set up to perform. The score is calculated based on statistical models, simulations, and historical data from similar accounts. Each pending recommendation carries a weight, and applying it increases your score by that amount.
However, the optimisation score has significant limitations. It does not factor in your actual business goals, profit margins, or strategic constraints. A 100% score does not guarantee better results—it simply means you have accepted everything Google suggested. Many high-performing accounts deliberately maintain lower optimisation scores because they reject recommendations that conflict with their strategy.
Google has increased the visibility of optimisation score in account health dashboards and agency reports, creating pressure to chase a higher number. Resist this pressure. Evaluate each recommendation on its own merit, not on how many percentage points it adds.
Google organises recommendations into several categories. Understanding what each category typically contains helps you approach them with the appropriate level of scrutiny.
The main categories include: Ads and assets, Automated campaigns, Bidding and budgets, Keywords and targeting, Repairs, and Measurement. Each category has its own risk profile, with some being generally safe to accept and others requiring careful evaluation.
Recommendations in the Bids and Budgets category are often among the most reliable. Suggestions to switch to smart bidding strategies like Target ROAS or Maximise Conversions can improve efficiency when you have sufficient conversion data. Budget increase recommendations based on impression share loss are straightforward—if campaigns are consistently limited by budget and performing well, scaling makes sense.
That said, exercise caution with recommendations to raise budgets on campaigns that are not yet proven performers. Google may suggest increases based on potential reach rather than actual profitability. Always cross-reference with your own performance data before committing additional spend. If you are working with ROAS campaign structures, ensure any budget changes align with your return targets.
Tip: Before accepting any budget increase recommendation, check whether the campaign has a positive ROAS trend over at least 14 days. Short-term spikes can mislead Google's suggestions.
Audience expansion recommendations often suggest adding new audience segments or enabling optimised targeting. While expanding reach sounds appealing, these suggestions can dilute campaign focus and waste budget on low-intent users.
Recommendations to enable Optimised Targeting in Display or Discovery campaigns effectively hand targeting control to Google's algorithms. This can work well for prospecting campaigns but undermines performance in remarketing scenarios where you need precise audience control.
Geographic expansion recommendations are particularly risky. Google may suggest adding new locations based on user interest signals, but these locations may have vastly different conversion rates, shipping costs, or competitive landscapes. Always validate geographic expansions against your actual business capabilities.
Accept audience suggestions when you are actively seeking scale and have robust conversion tracking in place. If you are testing new markets or have exhausted your core audience, controlled expansion can help. Just ensure you monitor performance closely after implementation.
Keyword recommendations deserve the most scrutiny. Google frequently suggests adding new keywords—often broad match variants—that increase your reach and spend. While some additions are valuable, many are loosely relevant terms that inflate costs without improving conversions.
The recommendation to switch keywords to broad match is particularly common. Google argues that broad match combined with smart bidding captures more relevant queries. In practice, this works best for large accounts with extensive conversion data. Smaller accounts often see wasted spend on tangential searches.
Recommendations to remove redundant keywords or consolidate duplicate keywords can be helpful for account hygiene. However, suggestions to pause keywords based on low search volume may prematurely eliminate long-tail terms that drive qualified traffic.
Before adding any recommended keyword, check its search terms report potential. Ask yourself: Does this keyword align with purchase intent? Does it match my landing page content? Will it cannibalise existing campaigns? If any answer is uncertain, dismiss the recommendation.
Auto-applied recommendations are perhaps the most dangerous feature in the Recommendations tab. When enabled, Google automatically implements certain suggestions without requiring your approval. This includes adding keywords, adjusting bids, expanding audiences, and even creating new ad variations.
By default, some auto-apply settings may be enabled on your account. Google can change these defaults, so regular audits are essential. Navigate to Settings within the Recommendations tab and review each auto-apply option carefully.
The categories most critical to disable include: Add responsive search ads, Use optimised ad rotation, Add keywords, Remove redundant keywords, and Upgrade to broad match keywords. These changes can fundamentally alter your campaign structure without your knowledge.
Tip: Schedule a monthly review of your auto-applied recommendations settings. Google occasionally resets or adds new auto-apply options without prominent notification.
Go to your Google Ads account and click on Recommendations in the left navigation. Select Auto-apply from the top menu. Review each category and toggle off any recommendations you want to control manually. Document your choices so team members maintain consistency.
Rather than accepting or dismissing recommendations blindly, apply a structured evaluation framework. This ensures decisions align with your goals rather than Google's defaults.
First, assess alignment with business objectives. Does this recommendation support your primary KPIs—whether that is revenue, leads, or profitability? A recommendation that increases traffic but not conversions may not serve your goals.
Second, consider the reversibility of the action. Changes to bidding strategies or keyword match types can be undone, but the data disruption during testing periods may be costly. Weigh the potential upside against recovery time if the change underperforms.
Third, evaluate the data quality behind the recommendation. Google bases suggestions on aggregate patterns and your account's recent performance. If your account has limited data or recent anomalies, the recommendation may be unreliable.
Fourth, check for conflicts with existing strategy. If you are running a tightly controlled PPC automation setup or have specific audience segmentation in place, generic recommendations may undermine your structure.
Finally, test before committing fully. Where possible, apply recommendations to a single campaign or ad group first. Monitor for 14 to 30 days before rolling out account-wide.
The Google Ads Recommendations tab is a tool, not a directive. While some suggestions genuinely improve performance, others serve Google's interests more than yours. A high optimisation score is not inherently valuable—informed decision-making is. Disable auto-applied recommendations, evaluate each suggestion against your strategic goals, and resist the pressure to chase percentage points. The best-performing accounts are built on deliberate choices, not automated compliance.
