What Makes a Campaign Smart? Google Smart Campaigns and Managed Google Ad Campaigns

Meet Google’s Smart Campaigns

Powered by Google and part of Google Ads, Smart Campaigns is an automated approach to paid ads with an easy, DIY setup for small business owners with little-to-no marketing resources. Launched in 2018, it’s marketed heavily for its ease of use. Users write an ad that describes their business, choose keyword themes to target, and then set a daily budget. These ads automatically populate across Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and Google partner websites. It takes 15 minutes to set up, and the platform measures performance and results based on a user-set campaign goal attributing brand awareness, the number of calls or form submissions, website or physical business visits, and other forms of conversion to the campaign.         

Sounds easy, right? Like anything using artificial intelligence and machine learning—there’s a catch. While the technology offers ease of use, it lacks user control and strategic thinking. Most small-to-mid-size business owners need far more control to fully realize the benefits of paid search, plus a strong strategy is required to compete in a crowded search space. In this blog, we’ll explore the platform and compare it to more strategic approaches. Plus, we’ll discuss TopSpot’s best practices, recommendations, and approach.

The Trouble with Keywords

The first big giveaway that Smart Campaigns poses problems is its setup of keywords. You chose themes to target versus individual keywords, meaning the platform chooses words based on this selection. The platform gives little guidance on recommended keyword themes or how the tool decides what keywords to use. 

When running a manual Google Ads campaign, you select each keyword and choose how much you’re willing to pay. While you control the daily budget in Smart Campaigns, the tool takes care of the individual keyword bidding. The tool will automatically bid higher, equating that to success and driving up the cost. With very little reporting to ensure you’re driving the right traffic; these clicks might not equate to conversions and be worth it. At the end of the day, it’s deciding whether you or an AI makes budget decisions.

Keyword strategies will not only get you found by the right user but save on budget. A TopSpot program uses intent to develop hundreds of keywords that will home in on your target market, show less competition in search results, and focus your budget on the exact areas that drive revenue opportunities. Unlike other agencies, we don’t limit the number of keywords but use as many as you need to achieve business goals.

Negative Keywords Create a Positive Impact

Negative keywords let you exclude search terms from your campaigns, and without this setup, Google can display your ads for anything it deems relevant and include your ad in broad or irrelevant search results. Adding negative keywords improves the performance of your account but drives more relevant traffic to your site. TopSpot Account Managers research keywords along with negative keywords to utilize the allotted budget to attract the right kind of users. It’s the kind of strategy AI and machine -learning have yet to develop.

The Limits of Landing Pages 

When it comes to search, your ad or organic search results should link the user directly to the matching product or service, providing a seamless user experience. Should you direct them to your home page first, you’re asking the user to take unnecessary steps to fulfill their request.

When adding a link to your Smart Campaigns, the platform only allows one page per ad group, meaning not every keyword will match up with its page. This lack of flexibility means users will almost always have to navigate further. An ad per service or product is always better and not doing so will hurt your search quality score even when using a Google product like Smart Campaigns.

What is Smart Strategy?

The TopSpot Team recommends starting with manual bidding and keyword testing based on historical data pulled from various tools. We can then build up an automated program if it makes sense and create an integrated strategy so that your paid search and SEO work together for dynamic results. When manual bidding is in place for our Clients, the Team checks in regularly and makes updates as needed. Smart Campaigns does not offer testing, monitoring, and updating.

Another difference is the inability to opt-in or out of ad targeting with Smart Campaigns. At TopSpot, we recommend starting with Google Search, Maps, and the Google Search Partner Network and only expanding into other areas (like Remarketing, for example) once we’ve optimized your budget.

Already Using Smart Campaigns?

If you are already using the platform, you can maximize your results by consulting with the experts. TopSpot can audit your existing Smart Campaigns, make recommendations, and help you implement the right changes to get the most out of the tool. We then fold this into our integrated approach to ensure you get the most from your search and data.

What’s Your Takeaway?

Without critical thinking and customizations, Smart Campaigns can only take your business so far and puts your ad budget into the hands of AI. Contact the TopSpot Team to find out how you can amplify the impact of your paid ads with a personalized program that includes monitoring, testing, and updates tailored to your business.