Pros and Cons of AdWords Upcoming Ad Suggestion Beta

On September 30th, AdWords will be rolling out a brand new beta to a few advertisers called Ad Suggestion. The feature allows for Google to automatically create ads and launch them into an advertiser’s account.

While the idea of having automated ads added to the account may seem like a great time-saver, there are a few considerations before fully committing to this beta.

In this blog post, we will discuss the details of this new beta along with the pros and cons of implementing it.

Ad Suggestion Feature Overview

Like previously mentioned, Google’s Ad Suggestion feature automatically inserts new ads into ad groups. These new ads are created based on a few factors:

• Existing Ad Copy (Headline, Description)
• Ad Extensions
• Landing Page

Once in the beta, Google will roll new ads into the account every 7 days. Advertisers are then given 14 days to either approve, disapprove or edits the ads. If no action is taken, the ads will automatically go live.

Keeping this information in mind, we will be discussing where advertisers could see potential benefits with this beta, as well as issues they may run into.

Pro: Increase the Number of Clicks

One of the biggest advantages of this revolves around the fact that Google claims an advertisers will receive 5%-15% more clicks if they have 3 or more ads in an ad group.

This shouldn’t be a new concept to AdWords advertisers, as Google has been promoting the idea of 3 ads per ad group, instead of the previous recommendation of 2, for a few months now. With this beta, advertisers are able to easily review and add new suggestions to reach that 3 ad minimum.

Con: Ad Copy Could Be Low Quality

The biggest issue with the Ad Suggestion beta will be the quality of the ads. When creating ads, it is essential that messaging and CTAs are aligned with company goals. While Google will be using existing elements to create ads, such as ad copy and landing pages, it is possible the quality of the ads might not be in line with a company’s expectations.

That’s why it will be important to review every ad that comes through. If the messaging doesn’t line up with a company’s goals, then the beta might not be worth pursuing any further.

It is also worth noting that basing ad copy on extensions, such as sitelinks might also result in ad quality issues. For example, most sitelinks promote a secondary goal that is purposefully separate from the main ad. If Google incorporates ad extensions into the main ad copy, there could be an issue of not having the desired goal line up with the messaging.

Pro: Get New Copy Ideas

That said, even if the ad copy doesn’t reflect 100 percent of the desired quality, there might end up being new ideas, call-to-actions and messaging proposed by Google that has not been tested or thought of.

It will be important to keep an open mind when reviewing these ads, as having an outside opinion of what ad copy should look like might help change the account for the better.

Con: Ads Enable Automatically

The other key element to pay attention to is the fact that ads will automatically go live in 14 days. That means if an advertiser is not paying attention, ads could run that do not accurately reflect the company and their goals. This could possibly hurt performance, or worse, the company’s reputation.

In order for this beta to be effective, it is essential that a watchful eye is kept on all automatic ads that are added into the account.

Pro: Saves Time

Ultimately, with the Ad Suggestion beta, advertisers will be able to save time on having to create new ads. By allowing for Google to come up with ad copy based on existing ad copy and landing pages, advertisers are able to spend time optimizing elsewhere within the account.

Con: Uses Copy from the Landing Page

This next problem is specific to advertisers who utilize final URL at the keyword level. When Google is creating ads, they will be using an ad’s “Final URL”. If advertisers opt to set the “Final URL” at the keyword level, issues of ad quality might occur.

For example, if an ad’s Final URL goes to a general page, Google might create ads that have poor quality and keyword density. This would hurt quality score within an ad group and, ultimately, overall results. It will be important that “Final URLs” for ads are as targeted as possible.

Final Takeaway

Ultimately, this beta will rise or fall based on the quality of the ads Google is automatically adding into accounts. While it is important to save time and have 3-plus ads in each ad group, advertisers may sacrifice quality and, more importantly, accuracy if not reviewed properly.

Time, monitoring, and consistent testing will be key in determining if this beta is right for an advertiser’s AdWords account.

The beta will be officially launched on September 30th. In order to be put into the beta, reach out to your Google AdWords representative.