le’s Update to the Remove Redundant Keywords Recommendation – What You Need To Know //
We’ve always recommended that you take Google Ads recommendations with a grain-of-salt. However, this was reinforced with more caution in 2021 when auto-apply recommendations were accelerated. Now, with the new update from Google, we’re increasing our caution just a bit.
The “remove redundant keyword” recommendation has been modified to work with all match types as of January 19. This update has had a lot of confusion and understandable frustration from advertisers. It also has important implications. Continue reading to find out:
- What’s changing in this recommendation?
- It doesn’t matter if it has an impact on your account
- It upsets the PPC community
- What you should do
You need context, clarity, and a course of action to ensure that you have complete control over your campaigns.
The TL:DR
The following three points can be summarized into a single announcement:
- The “remove redundant keyword” recommendation will be changed as of January 19. “Redundant keywords” does not refer to keywords with high-performing keywords of the exact match type. It also includes keywords with wider match types in the same ad groups.
- If you’re currently enrolled in autoapply for this particular recommendation and don’t want Google to remove redundant keywords based on this new definition of January 19, (or are unsure), you can opt out of autoapply for the recommendation right away.
- This change is a result of many advertisers’ predictions for match-typeless future. Google’s approach has created further uncertainty about the reliability of its recommendations.
Confused? Continue reading to learn the answers! Satisfied? Continue reading to make sure that you are fully informed.
The context: How does Google Ads recommend?
Google Ads recommendations uses your campaign settings and performance data to create (wait for it recommendations to improve) your campaigns. These can be accessed by clicking on “Recommendations”, at the top of your dashboard.
There are many recommendations. The list is growing and can be found in many different categories.
- Ads and assets
- Automated campaigns
- Budgets and bidding
- Keywords and Targeting
- Repairs
- Measuring
- Other
Each one is described by Google in the recommendations help webpage. As you can imagine, the reliability of these recommendations varies by account and recommendation–while Google’s data and machine learning can be effective, at the end of the day, a human will know the ins and outs of any given account and ultimately what’s best for it–which is why the best practice is to take them with a grain of salt.
What are auto-apply recommendation?
There are three main ways to manage Google recommendations.
In bulk, manually: To apply all recommendations to a specific category, you can click “Apply All”.
Individually or manually: By clicking “View all recommendations”, you can see each recommendation for a specific category and decide whether you want to apply it.
Google will implement your suggestion automatically. This applies only to suggestions that can be executed automatically. You can choose which recommendations you wish to auto-apply. This may be a good option for advertisers depending on the account’s size and complexity.
Which recommendation is changing now?
This article and update refers to advertisers who have enrolled in autoapply for “Remove redundant keyword” (RRK). This is how it looks on the Recommendations Page:
Clarification: What’s changing with the Remove redundant Keywords recommendation?
Google sent an email to advertisers enrolled in autoapply for RRK on January 4th, stating that this recommendation’s behavior would change on January 19.
The email states:
The ‘Remove redundant keyword’ recommendation currently suggests that redundant keywords be removed from the same ad group, destination, bidding strategy and match type. The recommendation will be available starting January 19 and can include keywords from different match types
This means that “redundant keywords” no longer refers to keywords which are identical to higher-performing keywords of the same match type. It now refers to keywords with broader match types. Google will also remove “redundant” phrases or keywords that are not exactly matching the match type.
Image source. View full-size
Google offers this example:
We recommend that you delete the phrase “women’s hats” from your ad groups. The broad match keyword ladies’ hats covers all searches starting with “women’s hats”.
Google gives this reason:
Consolidating keywords across match types and removing redundant keywords will make it easier to manage your account. It won’t impact your performance and allows you to still have your ads appear in the same searches.
What does this mean for your account?
You may have additional questions if you are enrolled in or had previously enrolled in autoapply for the RRK recommendation. These are additional clarifications, based on Ginny Marvin’s FAQ tweet thread .
- All ad groups that include keyword insertion were excluded from the suggestions.
- You are still eligible to appear in more searches.
- You can opt out of this recommendation before January 19 but it will not affect the ad groups to which you have previously applied.
Q. Q. What if you manually applied the “remove redundant keyword” rec?
A. It doesn’t impact any previous recommendations, manual or automatic. You may start to see recs to eliminate redundant keywords that are not related to your broad match keywords.— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) January 5, 2023
To view all six FAQs, click on the tweet above.
This last point is crucial. This means that if you have removed redundant keywords from ad group in the past according to the old definition (either manually or automatically), and Google finds new redundant keywords after January 19, Google will not remove those keywords automatically from those ad group. Unless you opt into auto-apply. A new recommendation will be sent to you with the option of applying or declining.
The consensus: Why is advertising so upset?
This update is only applicable to advertisers who are enrolled in auto apply for RRK. However, there are wider implications that you need to be aware of. The Search Engine Land article by Cypress North Director Marketing Greg Finn reflects on the frustration of many advertisers in PPC who feel this change is detrimental for three reasons.
- Google is actually changing an existing recommendation instead of adding it to a new recommendation. Users will be automatically opted in unless they opt out. Greg says, “How can advertisers trust one recommendation from Google if the recommendation you accept today could be completely different tomorrow?”
- Google claims that this change won’t affect your performance, but advertisers still rely heavily on exact and phrase matches to keep their ads relevant. This continues push to broaden match and the trend towards a possibly match-less future are increasingly being viewed as a Google money grab.
- Third, because these recommendations can be used to benefit many small advertisers and beginners. Without the context knowledge, namely how match type have been evolving and Google’s entire shift towards automation, one can easily opt in to something that will cause them to lose their money (to Google’s advantage).
The best course of action: What should I do?
The key message is, as I said in the introduction: Be careful with Google’s recommendations. And even more so with auto-applying them. How does this look?
You can opt out of auto apply for this recommendation.
Recommendations should be taken with a grain. Some recommendations can be helpful and others may not be so bad. Some of these recommendations may not take into consideration your account details, and others might be more in Google’s favor than the advertiser’s. Avoid taking extreme measures like ignoring or applying all of them. Instead, take the time to review them manually and then apply them as you wish.
Be cautious with auto-apply suggestions. Although recommendations might seem like a great feature for beginners, it is best for experienced advertisers who are familiar with the inside workings of an account and can identify what they can automate. Manual work is better for beginners. This will save you both time and money over the long-term. There are many agencies that can assist you if you don’t feel like doing the manual work. Here are some helpful resources:
-
Do You Allow Google to Auto-Apply Recommendations Pros & Cons
-
Google Ads Automation: When and How Not to Use It
Your keywords should be cleaned up. No matter how relevant this recommendation may be to your account, cleaning your keywords is a good practice to maximize your performance. Make sure your ad groups are following account structure best practice. This means that you should stick to one theme and not more than 20 keywords per advertising group. More information on keywords:
- The last major match type update is.
- Michelle Morgan offers solid advice on whether to use broad match with Smart Bidding.
- Greg has also written a excellent article about how to use multiple match types for the same keyword even with Smart Bidding and broad match.
You, and not any machine, will decide what is best for your account. So be receptive, but not reliant on recommendations–especially when it comes to removing redundant keywords!
The post Google’s Move to the Remove Redundant Keywords Recommendation was first published on WordStream.