Do You Really Want a 100% Google Ads Optimization Score?

Published

5 years ago

January 9, 2020

Entireweb News Bot

It isn’t unusual for companies to offer free online PPC analysis tools.

So perhaps it isn’t surprising that Google itself got into that game in 2018.

Google Ads has a built-in feature that provides users with an optimization score and recommendations to improve it.

This sounds good in theory.

But what would happen if you applied Google’s recommendations across the board?

This question came up recently when a client came to us with a new goal. He wanted to get his Google Ads optimization score to 100%.

This isn’t something we typically hear from clients.

We cautioned him that we would need to go slow. His account has over 200 campaigns, and we would start with only a few.

Why our hesitation?

Because whenever we’ve implemented Google Ads recommendations in the past, we’ve had mixed results.

Nevertheless, our client was determined to meet this new goal, so we took a stab at it.

In this article, I describe how it went.

What Is Google Ads Optimization Score?

Before we dig into our findings, let’s have a short refresher on Google Ads optimization.

Google describes its optimization score as an estimate of how well your Google Ads account is set to perform.

You can score anywhere between 0 to 100%, with 100 meaning that your account can perform at its full potential.

Your optimization scores are available at the campaign, account, and manager account levels. It is shown for active Search, Shopping and Display campaigns.

Since its rollout, Google has continued to expand on this feature, including adding recommendations to improve your score.

In your account, it looks something like this:

google ads optimization score 5dfbe2cd866b3 scaled 1

As you can see, each recommendation comes with a “score uplift” which reflects the estimated impact of the recommendation if made.

Some recommendations also come with APPLY buttons, which automatically apply the recommendation to your account.

Now let’s take a closer look at the recommendations we received for our client’s account.

Recommendation 1: Add Price Extensions

Adding price extensions was an interesting suggestion and not something we had considered.

Usually, price extensions are used by retail stores, which our client is not.

Our client provides at-home euthanasia services for ailing pets, which hardly seems like a natural fit for price extensions.

Besides, up to this point, our client had resisted adding pricing to his ads.

Based on increased competition within this space, we decided to test adding pricing to this client’s ad messaging to better qualify people going to his website.

Depending on how that goes, we may very well implement price extensions.

So in this case, Google’s recommendation was a good one (at least potentially).

Recommendation 2: Use Customer Lists

Customer lists isn’t a marketing method we would have normally considered for this account.

After all, would we really want to retarget customers who had gone through the painful process of putting down a pet?

Of course not. That would be horrible!

However, Google does allow you to target similar audiences, which sounds like it could actually work.

The idea is intriguing. We haven’t tested it yet, but we haven’t written it off either.

Recommendation 3: Apply Dynamic Search Ads

Google also recommended applying dynamic search ads.

Dynamic search ads seemed a bit out of the box for this account, but we decided to test it in one campaign.

So far, the dynamic search ads are performing well.

This was surprising, given that dynamic search ads are geared to advertisers that have a large inventory of products to sell, such as healthcare supplies or car parts.

Indeed, Google describes dynamic search ads as:

“…ideal for advertisers with a well-developed website or a large inventory… Dynamic Search Ads use your website content to target your ads and can help fill in the gaps of your keyword-based campaigns.”

That doesn’t sound like a fit for our client, who offers exactly one service.

I do wonder if these automated ad creatives are cannibalizing our other ad groups. (Indeed, we have seen a drop in performance in those groups.)

I also wonder if performance would remain as strong if we were to implement dynamic search ads across multiple campaigns.

With all these unknowns, we’re going to move slowly on the implementation of this recommendation while continuing to monitor and test.

Recommendation 4: Apply Automated Bidding

Here’s where Google lost us.

Every campaign in our client’s account (of which there are over 200) comes with a recommendation to apply automated bidding.

I guarantee that if we implemented automated bidding across the board, our client’s spending would go through the roof.

Instead, we proceeded cautiously and tested automated bidding in only one of our client’s campaigns. As a result, we saw a 47% increase in spend.

If we were to multiply this increase across 200-plus campaigns, that’s a big-ticket item – and something our client wouldn’t appreciate, even if his optimization score hit 100%.

100% Optimization Shouldn’t Be the Goal

All of this leads us to the question:

Is a 100% optimization score a good or useful goal?

I would say not.

Most of our accounts have an average optimization score of around 80%, which sounds right to me.

Sure, you could try to push it higher. But you’ll likely blow a hole in your advertising budget in the process.

That’s not to say that Google’s optimization score is useless. It did give us some useful hints and out-of-the-box suggestions, which was great.

I could also see it coming in handy when auditing a new account with a low optimization score. It could be a fast and easy way to identify the most obvious problems.

The main takeaway here?

As always, whenever Google recommends something, don’t trust it. Test it.

Because while Google’s artificial intelligence might be smart, it doesn’t know you or your business.

And that’s what makes the human touch so critical – even in 2020.

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Image Credits

Featured Image: Dreamstime.com

Screenshot taken by author, December 2019

Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Published

4 weeks ago

September 12, 2024

Max

Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.

Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:

“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”

This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.

What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.

But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.

Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.

How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:

Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.

Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

3 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

AI

Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

Published

7 months ago

February 26, 2024

Max

A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.

In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.

However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.

The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.

In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.

For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.

The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.

In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.

Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator