I’m not often a proponent of automating paid search campaigns. I relish the management of selecting key phrases, setting bids, and writing advert copy.
Nevertheless, Google has launched options within the final yr or two — audiences, responsive search advertisements, bidding methods — that embrace indicators that advertisers can’t impression. For instance, advertisers can set machine bid modifiers, however can’t modify bids primarily based on the person’s working system. Solely Google’s algorithm can.
I relish the management of selecting key phrases, setting bids, and writing advert copy.
Thus I’ve tailored to much less management by cautiously embracing automation. I’ll let Google make the most of bidding methods or take a look at advert inventive so long as I set the parameters. If I’m operating a marketing campaign utilizing a “Goal CPA” bidding technique, I’ll outline what the associated fee per acquisition ought to be as a substitute of utilizing Google’s advice.
However one side of automation that I’ve discovered useful is Google Adverts scripts.
Scripts are items of JavaScript that may automate account duties and join with exterior knowledge sources, corresponding to Google Sheets. Amongst different capabilities, scripts can:
- Replace bid modifiers primarily based on pre-defined parameters.
- Delete disapproved advertisements.
- Monitor High quality Scores.
- Report account anomalies.
The thought of utilizing scripts initially scared me. I do know little coding. However it’s not an enormous deal. Most scripts require solely that you just copy and paste into the Google Adverts interface and set your parameters, which are sometimes highlighted to know what to replace. You possibly can then set the scripts to run on any schedule. I’ve discovered that automating duties permits me to spend time on different facets of the account.
Implement scripts within the Google Adverts “Instruments & Settings” part, at Instruments & Settings > Bulk Actions > Scripts.
Implement scripts within the Google Adverts “Instruments & Settings” part, at Instruments & Settings > Bulk Actions > Scripts.
After copying it into the interface, you need to authorize the script. (The message says that the script desires to entry your Google account.) After offering entry, you possibly can then preview the script to see the outputs. If the preview is appropriate, you’ll run the script. You possibly can choose the run frequency on the overview web page. The choices are:
- As soon as,
- Hourly,
- Each day,
- Weekly,
- Month-to-month.
There are a whole bunch of Google Adverts scripts. On this submit, I’ll deal with three which are particularly useful.
Hyperlink Checker
What it does. “Hyperlink Checker” from Google evaluations your account and sends an alert for advertisements and key phrases with URL errors. For instance, if an advert hyperlinks to a 404 web page or a 500 standing code web page (inner server error), the script will ship you an electronic mail. The script checks the URLs of all advertisements, key phrases, and sitelinks — dwell or paused. For accounts with a whole bunch of URLs, contemplate operating the checker hourly to know shortly if there are errors. Each day or weekly is okay for smaller accounts.
What to customise. There are three sections of the code to replace: “Spreadsheet_URL,” “Recipient_Emails,” and “Label.”
- SPREADSHEET_URL. Insert the URL of the sheet that incorporates the damaged hyperlinks. Copy this doc and previous the brand new URL into the script.
- RECIPIENT_EMAILS. Add the e-mail deal with(es) of whoever ought to obtain the report. For a number of emails, the syntax is “person1@instance.com”, “person2@instance.com”.
- LABEL. Assign a label to each advert and key phrase that has been reviewed by the checker. The title by default is “LinkChecker_Done.” You possibly can change for those who desire.
The script. Obtain a textual content file of the “Hyperlink Checker” script.
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Unfavourable Key phrase Conflicts
What it does. Accounts can include a whole bunch of key phrases. It’s widespread to discover a damaging key phrase blocking a optimistic one. For instance, my advert is not going to present if I bid on the precise match of “pc monitoring software program” and I’ve “pc” as a damaging key phrase. The “Unfavourable Key phrase Conflicts” script from Google identifies these errors and sends an electronic mail alert. In case you constantly add key phrases, contemplate operating the script hourly. In any other case, run it every day or weekly.
The script could day out for greater than 250,000 key phrases (and 50,000 damaging). A bit of the script might be personalized, nonetheless, to look solely at campaigns which are below the thresholds.
What to customise. The script additionally requires three updates.
- SPREADSHEET_URL. Insert the URL of the sheet that incorporates the damaging key phrase conflicts. Copy this doc and paste the brand new URL into the script.
- RECIPIENT_EMAILS. Add the e-mail deal with(es) of whoever ought to obtain the report.
- CAMPAIGN_LABEL: You possibly can create a label and assign solely the campaigns that you just need to verify. This helps keep away from scripts timing out from massive accounts. You could possibly, for instance, create a label referred to as “Test Unfavourable Key phrases” and assign it to particular campaigns. The script will solely evaluate these campaigns. If the sphere is left black, the script will verify all campaigns.
The script. Obtain a textual content file of the “Unfavourable Key phrase Conflicts” script.
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Overdelivery
What it does. Two years in the past, Google introduced that every day budgets might mechanically overspend by two occasions. Google’s rationale is that it is aware of the busy and idle occasions of the month. Google claims that the general month-to-month funds will nonetheless be the identical. This script, from Free AdWords Scripts, is for advertisers that need a safeguard.
The script will mechanically pause campaigns once they’ve reached a threshold after which re-enable them the subsequent day. For instance, the script will pause a marketing campaign at a $102 every day spend if the funds is $100. The script runs hourly. You may also set an over-delivery share.
There are a number of objects to contemplate when operating this script. First, you’ll must create a every day rule to re-enable the campaigns. Observe these steps:
- Go to the “guidelines” part of Google Adverts.
- Create a brand new “Marketing campaign rule.” The rule kind is “Allow campaigns.”
- The situation is by “label” and can apply the “paused by over-delivery checker script” label.
- The frequency is every day at midnight.
- The “utilizing knowledge from” possibility doesn’t matter.
- Select to obtain an electronic mail notification primarily based in your preferences.
- Save the rule.
The script doesn’t work on Procuring and Video campaigns. It additionally doesn’t work on campaigns with shared budgets.
What to customise. Other than the automated rule, the script solely requires one replace. The “allowedOverdeliveryPercentage = 0.2” line wants to incorporate the brink to exceed. For instance, 0.2 is 20 p.c, whereas 0.0 is 0 p.c. You should embrace the decimal.
The script. Obtain a textual content file of the Overdelivery script.
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See “4 Extra Google Adverts Scripts to Automate Duties, Save Time.”
