Some Google Ads recommendations are worth accepting, many aren't, and none should be accepted just to push up your optimisation score. Fix-it recommendations, such as broken conversion tracking or disapproved ads, are usually worth acting on. Recommendations that widen your reach, such as broad match keywords, search partners or automatically created ads, usually aren't for a small local business until the basics are profitable. Turn off auto-apply, review each suggestion against one question ("will this bring me more paying customers at a cost I'm happy with?"), and treat calls from Google's own advisers the same way: politely, and on your terms.
I'm a Google Ads certified specialist in Search, Performance Max and Shopping, and I manage accounts for small businesses and tradespeople. Before that I spent 16 years running a plumbers' merchants, so I know what it's like to be the business owner getting the phone call, not the person making it. This guide is part of my small business guide to Google Ads.
What Google Ads recommendations actually are
Recommendations are automated suggestions Google generates for your account. You'll find them under Campaigns, then Recommendations. Google's page about recommendations says they're based on your account's performance history, your campaign settings and trends across Google.
That same page is refreshingly honest about their limits. It says the Recommendations page "doesn't predict whether your ads will do well". It uses past data to estimate how a change might affect performance. That's a useful starting point, not a guarantee.
The key thing to understand is that the system doesn't know your business. It doesn't know that half your enquiries are for jobs you don't do, that you can't take work more than 15 miles away, or that a customer is only profitable above a certain job size. You do.
Why optimisation score isn't a measure of performance
Optimisation score is the percentage at the top of the Recommendations page. Google's page about optimisation score defines it as "an estimate of how well your Google Ads account is set to perform", running from 0 to 100%.
Note the words "set to perform". It's a measure of how closely your account matches Google's suggested setup. It isn't a measure of how many leads you're getting or what they cost. The clearest proof is in Google's own help page: "Your account can reach an optimisation score of 100% by applying or dismissing all recommendations."
Read that again. You can reach 100% by dismissing every single recommendation. So a 100% score can mean you accepted everything, or that you rejected everything. It tells you nothing about whether the account makes you money.
Two more things worth knowing. First, optimisation score is not the same as Quality Score, and Google says optimisation score "is not used by your Quality Score". It doesn't affect what you pay per click or where your ad shows. If you want to improve what you pay, my guide to Google Ads Quality Score covers the score that does matter.
Second, the score does matter to agencies. To earn Google Partner status, Google's Partners programme requirements say an agency's manager account needs a minimum optimisation score of 70%. Google also says agencies are "in control, with the ability to apply or dismiss recommendations". So a good agency can meet that bar by dismissing what doesn't fit. Just be aware the number exists for reasons that aren't your profit.
Which recommendations to accept, and which to dismiss
To be fair to Google, some recommendations are genuinely helpful. Here's how I'd treat the common ones for a small local business running Search campaigns. Recommendation names are taken from Google's list of types of recommendations, checked in September 2026.
| Recommendation | My usual verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fix your conversion tracking / Set up conversion tracking | Accept (and check it properly) | Without accurate tracking, every other decision is guesswork. |
| Fix disapproved ads, sitelinks or assets | Accept | Disapproved items don't run. Fix the cause. |
| Add call, callout, sitelink or structured snippet assets | Usually accept, but write them yourself | More useful ad space for free. Just make sure the wording is yours and accurate. |
| Add location assets | Usually accept | Shows your address alongside your ads. Useful for local businesses with premises customers visit or recognise. |
| Remove non-serving or redundant keywords | Usually accept, after a quick look | Tidies the account. Check nothing important is being removed. |
| Remove conflicting negative keywords | Review | Sometimes a negative is blocking a keyword you want. Sometimes the keyword should go instead. |
| Set up enhanced conversions | Often worth it | Can fill gaps in measurement. Needs setting up correctly, so check what it sends and how. |
| Improve your responsive search ads | Consider, but write the text yourself | More headline variety helps. Auto-generated text can be generic or inaccurate. |
| Raise your budgets | Only if the account is profitable | More budget on a campaign wasting money means more waste. Check lead quality first. |
| Switch to Maximise conversions, Target CPA or similar | Only when conversion data is reliable | Smart Bidding needs accurate, sufficient conversions. On weak data it can chase the wrong things. |
| Add broad match keywords | Usually dismiss for small local accounts | Broad match can open the door to searches you'd never choose to pay for. |
| Expand your reach with Google search partners | Usually dismiss at first | Test later, separately, once the core account is profitable. |
| Turn on AI Max | Dismiss until the basics are solid | It expands matching and tailors ads automatically. Worth testing carefully, not switching on blind. |
| Use optimised targeting / targeting expansion | Usually dismiss | Widens who sees your Display, Demand Gen or video ads. Small budgets need focus, not reach. |
| Create a Performance Max campaign | Not as a first step | PMax can work, but only with solid tracking and a clear reason. |
You'll notice a pattern. The recommendations I accept tend to fix something broken or add useful information to ads. The ones I dismiss tend to make the account broader: more searches, more places, more automation. That's not because broader is always wrong. It's because broader on a small budget usually means paying for clicks from people who were never going to be customers.
My own approach is the opposite of broad. I exclude anything that isn't directly transactional, keep location targeting tight around where the business is actually based, and review the search terms report daily in the early weeks. My guide to negative keywords and the search terms report explains why that matters so much more than any recommendation. If you're being nudged towards Performance Max, read my honest take on whether PMax is worth it for a small business first.
Three questions before you accept anything
- Does it fix something broken, or does it make the account bigger? Fixes are usually safe. Expansion needs a reason.
- Is my conversion tracking accurate enough for this? Anything involving Smart Bidding or automation relies on it. If you're counting page views or duplicate calls as conversions, the machine will optimise for the wrong thing.
- Can I measure whether it worked? Note the date you applied it and compare leads and cost per lead over the following weeks. If you can't tell whether it helped, you can't tell whether it hurt.
Auto-apply recommendations: check it's off
Auto-apply lets Google apply certain recommendations for you, regularly, without you clicking anything. According to Google's page about applying recommendations automatically, it's turned on from the top bar of the Recommendations section, works at account level, and can be switched off at any time.
The list of recommendations that can be auto-applied, as of September 2026, includes adding broad match keywords, adding keywords, expanding to Google search partners, using targeting expansion, changing bid strategies and adjusting CPA or ROAS targets. Those are exactly the kinds of change I'd want a human to decide on.
To be fair, Google has made some changes here. Its help page says auto-applying recommendations won't increase your budget. It also says that from 26 January 2026, the "Add responsive search ads" recommendation no longer automatically creates new ads. That's welcome.
My advice: open your Recommendations page, find the auto-apply settings in the top bar, and check what's switched on. If you didn't knowingly choose each item, turn it off. Then check the History tab and your Change History to see what has already been applied. If you've inherited an account, or someone set it up for you, this is one of the first things I'd look at. It's on my Google Ads audit checklist for that reason.
Calls from Google: who they are and what they want
If you run Google Ads, sooner or later you'll get a call or email from someone at Google offering to help with your account. They may be called a Google Ads specialist or Google Ads expert. Two things are true at the same time: they're real Google staff, and they work for Google, not for you.
Google offers these calls openly. Its page for booking a call with a Google Ads specialist says the meeting will cover "your business and marketing goals, the optimal setup for your campaign and your monthly budget to advertise on Google Ads". New advertisers can also book onboarding help from a Google Ads Expert in their first 30 days.
That can be genuinely useful, especially if you're setting up for the first time and have no one else to ask. The advice usually follows Google's own best practices, which lean towards automation, broader matching and more budget. What the adviser won't know is your job values, your capacity or which enquiries you actually want. Treat what they suggest exactly as you'd treat a recommendation on the screen: consider it, test what makes sense, and say no to the rest.
How to check a call is really from Google
Plenty of calls claiming to be from Google aren't. Google's own guidance on suspicious emails or calls claiming to be from Google Ads says:
- Ask the caller to send you an email. A genuine Google representative's email will have "@google.com" in the From address and the Return-Path.
- Never share your password or sensitive details. Google says it "will never send an unsolicited message asking you to provide your password or other sensitive information".
- Check third parties. If an agency contacts you claiming a link with Google, check whether they're genuinely a Google Partner.
- Report anything suspicious using the forms on that same help page.
How to handle a genuine call from a Google rep
Here's what I'd suggest if you're running your own account:
- Ask them to email the suggestions. That also confirms it's really Google, and gives you time to think.
- Don't agree to changes on the call. Never let anyone make changes to your account while you're on the phone unless you understand exactly what's being changed and why.
- Ask how each change would affect cost per lead. Not clicks, not impressions, not optimisation score. If the answer is only about reach or volume, be cautious.
- Test one thing at a time. If you do try a suggestion, change one thing, note the date and judge it over a few weeks against your leads.
- Say no politely if you're not interested. You don't have to accept the help. In your account's email notification preferences, Google's help page on email notifications says you can opt out of "Google Ads expert guidance" emails, as well as customised help and performance suggestions.
If someone else manages your account, pass the call on to them. A good manager will be happy to hear the suggestions and explain why they'd take them or not.
What I look at instead of optimisation score
If optimisation score isn't the measure, what is? For the small businesses I work with, it's simple:
- Leads. Who got in touch, by phone, form or email, reported by source and type.
- Cost per lead. Spend divided by genuine enquiries, not by every tracked "conversion".
- Search terms. Are the searches triggering your ads ones you'd choose to pay for? The aim is to drive unwanted paid clicks towards zero.
- Spend and impressions. I send a report across all the accounts I manage every Monday, so if a campaign is underspending or impressions drop, it's caught within the week.
If your campaigns are being held back by budget, that's a real issue worth understanding, and my guide to Search lost impression share (budget) explains how to tell. For more ways to improve an account that don't involve accepting everything Google suggests, see how to optimise your PPC campaigns.
FAQ
Should I accept all Google Ads recommendations?
No. Accept the ones that fix problems, such as broken conversion tracking or disapproved ads, and consider ones that add useful ad assets. Be cautious with anything that broadens your reach, such as broad match keywords, search partners or targeting expansion, especially on a small budget.
Does a low optimisation score hurt my ads?
No. Optimisation score estimates how closely your account matches Google's suggested setup. Google says it isn't used in Quality Score, and you can reach 100% by dismissing every recommendation. Judge your account on leads and cost per lead instead.
Should I turn off auto-apply recommendations?
For most small businesses, yes, or at least check exactly which ones are switched on. Auto-apply can add broad match keywords, expand targeting and change bidding without you approving each change. You can turn it off from the top bar of the Recommendations page.
Is the Google Ads specialist who called me really from Google?
Possibly, but check. Google advises asking the caller to email you. A genuine Google email will show "@google.com" in both the From address and the Return-Path. Never give out your password or sensitive information on an unsolicited call.
Is a Google Ads account manager free?
Google's booking pages don't mention any charge for these calls. Bear in mind they work for Google, and Google's own booking page says the conversation covers your monthly budget to advertise on Google Ads. Their advice can be useful, but it isn't a substitute for someone who knows your business and is measured on your leads.
Want a second opinion?
If you've accepted a pile of recommendations, had a call from Google and now your ads cost more for fewer calls, you're not the first. If you're running your own ads and they're not paying, I'm happy to take a look and tell you which changes are helping and which to undo.
You can read more about my Google Ads management service, see my wider PPC services, or get in touch and tell me what's going on with your account.
