Did you know that Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day? With such high numbers, it’s no surprise that Google Ads has become an essential tool for businesses looking to capture the attention of potential customers online. However, while Google Ads offers many features to optimize your campaigns, one aspect that can sometimes be overwhelming is the automatic recommendations it provides.
These suggestions, although well-intentioned, may not always align perfectly with your advertising strategy or goals. In-fact, sometimes they Google might automatically apply recommendations that change your targeting or even your budget.
If you’ve found yourself wishing for more control over your Google Ads account, or more specifically wanting to disable Google’s automatic recommendations from applying, we got you! In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of disabling automatic recommendations in Google Ads, putting the power back in your hands to make informed decisions about your advertising efforts.
The Steps To Disabling Auto Apply Recommendations In Google Ads
Here are the steps to disable Google Ads from automatically applying recommendations.
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Click on the “Recommendations” tab in the left-hand menu. Make sure you do not have a campaign selected!
- Once you’re on the Recommendations page, look towards the top right of the screen and click Auto-apply to open the auto-apply recommendations settings.
- Ensure that you have selected the manage tab. This is the default tab after clicking Auto-apply.
- You then see 2 collapsable menus named Maintain Your Ads and Grow Your Business. Open both of them by clicking on them.
- Uncheck the settings under each category to disable them from automatically applying to your Google Ads account.
- Save your changes.
Now that you know the steps, lets break each step down in detail so you can make the right decisions when disabling Google Ad’s auto apply recommendations.
Sign in to your Google Ads account.
From Google Ads home page click on the sign in button in the top right corner of the screen. Once you’ve logged in, select the Google Ads account you want to disable automatic recommendations on. This will open the Google Ads dashboard for that specific Google Ads account.
Click on the “Recommendations” tab
From the Google Ads dashboard, the next step to disabling auto apply recommendations is to click on the recommendations tab in the left-hand menu. It is the 2nd option directly under “Overview.” You can also find the recommendations settings by clicking on the search bar and typing “recommendations.”
Click On Auto-Apply
On the newly opened recommendations page, you will see an auto-apply button in the top right of your screen. Click on that to open Google Ads Auto apply recommendations settings.
If you do not see the Auto Apply button, make sure you do not have a campaign selected. If you have a campaign selected, the auto-apply button will not appear. You must also set your view to All campaigns.
If you have a campaign or filter selected click on the top left dropdown menu in your Google Ads dashboard and under campaigns click “View all campaigns in this view”
Ensure that you have selected the manage tab
By default, after clicking the Auto-apply button the manage tab will be selected. If you accidentally clicked on history, swap to the Manage tab next to it in the top left of the page content.
You will know if you have selected the right tab if you see 2 dropdown sections below named “Maintain your ads” and “Grow your business”
The Auto apply settings only have 2 tabs, manage and history, so it is easy to tell whn you are on the right section.
Opening The Auto Apply Recommendations Options
The “maintain your ads” dropdown section might already be opened if this is your first time accessing Google Ads’ auto-apply recommendations settings. Here you can also open the “Grow your business” dropdown menu.
Inside these 2 sections are all the settings that Google will automatically apply its recommendations on. To maximize your control over your Google Ads, disable every checkbox under both sections of settings.
However, if you use a negative keyword campaign strategy, consider leaving “use optimized ad rotation” enabled.
If Google Ads automatic recommendations have changed your budget and you want to disable this from happening again you can do so under the “grow your business settings.” Make sure to disable every setting under the bidding category in this section.
Save your changes
Once you are done disabling and changing your Google Ads auto-apply recommendations settings, click the blue save button in the top right of the page. This will save your new auto-apply settings giving you full control over your Google Ads account.
Want to learn more about Google Ads Auto Apply Recommendations?
If you want to learn more about how to disable Google Ads auto apply recommendations or Google Ad strategies check out our blog. We have articles covering Google Ads optimization, SEO, website design, PPC, and more.
Originally published . Last updated .
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