If you manage campaigns in Google Ads, you’ve probably noticed the Recommendations tab constantly suggesting changes.

• Increase your budget.
• Add new keywords.
• Turn on automated bidding.
• Enable new campaign types.

On the surface, these suggestions look helpful. And sometimes they are. But blindly applying them – especially with auto-apply enabled -can quickly damage campaign performance.

Let’s talk about why.

What Google Ads recommendations actually are

Google Ads recommendations are automated suggestions generated by Google’s algorithm to improve campaign performance or increase activity.

They can include:

• Increasing daily budgets

• Switching to automated bidding

• Adding new keywords

• Expanding targeting

• Creating new ads

• Applying new campaign features

Google also calculates an Optimization Score, which encourages advertisers to apply these recommendations.

While the score can be useful as a general indicator, it should never replace strategic decision-making.

The real reason Google pushes recommendations

Here’s something many advertisers don’t think about.

Google’s goal is not only to improve your performance – it’s also to increase advertising activity on the platform.

That means many recommendations are designed to:

• Expand reach

• Increase impressions

• Increase spend

That doesn’t automatically mean they are bad. But it does mean they don’t always align with your business goals.

For example, if your campaign is already profitable, increasing the budget or broadening keywords may increase traffic – but lower lead quality or increase cost per conversion.

The risks of auto-apply recommendations

Google allows advertisers to automatically apply certain recommendations. This might sound convenient, but it can create several problems.

1. Sudden budget increases

One of the most common recommendations is to increase daily budgets.

If auto-apply is enabled, Google can raise your spend without careful review.

For businesses working with fixed budgets, this can quickly become expensive.

2. Adding irrelevant keywords

Google often recommends adding new keywords to expand reach.

While some suggestions are useful, others can be too broad or unrelated to your service.

If applied automatically, they may bring:

• Irrelevant traffic

• Lower conversion rates

• Higher costs

3. Changing bidding strategies too quickly

Switching to automated bidding strategies like Target CPA or Maximize Conversions can work well – but only under the right conditions.

If campaigns don’t have enough conversion data, automated bidding can actually increase costs and reduce control.

This is why many experienced advertisers test these changes carefully before committing.

4. Loss of strategic control

The biggest problem with auto-apply is simple:

You lose control over when and why changes happen.

Successful campaigns require consistent strategy, testing, and monitoring – not automatic changes applied by an algorithm.

When recommendations can actually help

Not all recommendations are bad.

Some can be very useful, such as:

• Fixing disapproved ads

• Adding missing ad extensions

• Improving ad strength

• Identifying tracking issues

The key is reviewing them manually and deciding if they align with your campaign goals.

How I handle Google Ads recommendations

Instead of auto-applying them, I review recommendations regularly and ask three simple questions:

1. Does this support the campaign goal?

2. Will it improve lead quality, not just traffic?

3. Is there enough data to justify the change?

If the answer is yes, I test it.

If not, I ignore it.

Final thoughts

Google Ads recommendations are tools – not instructions.

They can help identify opportunities, but they should never replace thoughtful campaign management.

The best results usually come from:

• Careful keyword targeting

• Consistent testing

• Conversion tracking

• Strategic optimization

Not from automatically applying every suggestion the platform provides.