YourAgency's"Strategy"IsJustGoogle'sRecommendations

There's a tab in Google Ads called "Recommendations."

It contains suggestions Google's algorithm thinks you should implement. Each one comes with a projected impact. There's even an "Optimisation Score" that goes up when you apply them.

Many agencies have built their entire service around clicking "Apply."

Here's what those recommendations actually are:

Suggestions from an algorithm whose primary incentive is increasing Google's revenue.

"Add more keywords" means: let us show your ads to more people.
"Increase budget" means: give us more money.
"Switch to Smart Bidding" means: let us control your spend.
"Apply automated extensions" means: we'll write your ad copy.

Some of these suggestions are genuinely good. Some are actively harmful. Most are somewhere in between.

The problem is that distinguishing between them requires understanding your business. Google's algorithm doesn't understand your business. It understands patterns across millions of accounts.

What this looks like in practice:

• Google recommends broad match keywords. Your agency applies them. Traffic increases. Conversions increase. Quality decreases. Returns spike. Profit drops. ROAS looks fine.
• Google recommends increasing budgets on "limited" campaigns. Your agency applies it. Spend goes up. Results stay flat. You're now paying more for the same outcome.
• Google recommends Performance Max. Your agency applies it. The black box takes over. Nobody knows what's working. The numbers look good. Nobody can explain why.

The tell:

Ask your agency what their Optimisation Score is on your account. If they know immediately and seem proud of it, you have a problem.

Our accounts often have "low" Optimisation Scores. Because we've dismissed the recommendations that don't serve our clients.

Google marks them as missed opportunities. We mark them as avoided mistakes.

Strategy isn't clicking "Apply." Strategy is knowing when not to.