Google’s Smart Campaigns isn’t a new tool. This addition to Google Ads has been around for a while now, helping users make the most out of their Google Ad campaigns and business strategy. There are big benefits to using Smart Campaigns. You can use this savvy tool to advertise your website on Google, write a personalized advertisement or help your ad appear at the top of Google searches.

1. Google Ads
Smart Campaigns
This addition to Google Ads has been around
for a while now, helping users make the most
out of their Google Ad campaigns and business
strategy.
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6 Problems advertisers should know about Google Ads Smart Campaigns
There are big benefits to using Smart Campaigns. You can use this savvy tool to advertise your website on
Google, write a personalized advertisement or help your ad appear at the top of Google searches.
However, there are a few drawbacks of Smart Campaigns that may restrict advertisers from using this tool
effectively.
As an advertiser yourself, whether or not you should integrate Smart Campaigns into your strategy can be a
crucial decision for your overall success. Despite its perks, there are a number of reasons why marketers may
not want to take it on.
This has become clear from the fact that only a limited subset of Google Ad users have opted to use it.

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6 Smart Campaigns Shortcomings
What are some of these potential drawbacks of Smart Campaigns?
From afar, the tool seems helpful enough for advertisers. It’s a smart platform, offering helpful abilities to
highlight your selling points and attract customers.
However, upon further inspection, we may begin to see the tool for what it really is.
1. Conflict of Interests
2. Restrictions are Included
3. The Level of Risk Involved
4. Smart Targeting has the Potential to be Wasteful
5. You May Need to Set a High CPA Target to Rank
6. Technology May Still Need to Mature

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1. Conflict of Interests
This may be a top concern for many advertisers.
Google Ads are provided by Google to help run your advertisements as needed, however, Smart Campaigns
leave all the control up to Google.
While Google operates everything, it begs the questions: is Google giving themselves more of a leg-up in the
process than your business?
For example, Google may make you spend more of your budget compared to what your manual campaign may
require, however in return, this could result in fewer conversions.

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2. Restrictions are Included
A certain amount of data is required to run machine learning algorithms properly. Since Google Ads Smart
Campaigns rely on AI and machine learning, it may take a while to get your campaign to the level where you can
actually choose this option.
In fact, Google suggests users have at least 50 conversions on the display network and 100 conversions from
search ads in the past 30 days in order to be eligible for the Smart Campaign tool.
So, if advertisers optimize their campaigns for 100 conversions, then why would they need Smart Campaigns
anyways?

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3. The Level of Risk Involved
While technology continues to evolve, automaton should be expected to provide perfect results every time. This
is especially true when you’re in the first stage of the PPC life cycle.
By leaving campaigns up to Google, you run the risk of losing the ability to tweak aspects of the campaign that
may have given you a competitive edge.
Leaving the work up to automation means needing to sacrifice some control over your campaigns. While
automation may be the reason why you’re drawn to Smart Campaigns in the first place, taking a closer look at
what that change means may sway your decision.

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4. Smart Targeting has the Potential to be Wasteful
You’ll learn that Smart Display requires a combination of all targeting methods within regular display campaigns.
Some of the targeting smart display uses are:
• Similar Audiences
• Remarketing
• Topics
• Keywords
The campaign targets and tests all these uses to discover which singular use or combination works best for offer
conversions at the campaign’s set CPA target.
If Google finds that one of these targeting methods are performing poorly, it will actually switch focus to other
more effective methods. This targeting trial may lead to a waste of your budget.
• Placements
• Demographic
• Interest categories

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5. You May Need to Set a High CPA Target to Rank
If your Display campaign isn’t performing the way you had intended, it may be because of problems with your
bidding, ads, targeting, remarketing, conversion tracking or campaign settings.
One of the ways to fix this issue is by setting a higher CPA target in order to see your ad in the ranking position
you were expecting. However, this change involves bidding more money on the advertisement, and therefore
affecting your overall budget once again.

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6. Technology May Still Need to Mature
While automation is an exciting movement towards the future of technology, other facets of Smart Campaigns’
technology may need more work.
Simple tasks such as placement exclusions still need attention in order for this Google tool to be fully
functioning and effective for all advertisers. While this may be simply a lack of focus in specific areas, it could
also simply mean the technology needs a bit more time to fully mature.

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Now You Know About the Drawbacks of Smart Campaigns
Google is the master of control. While this comes in handy sometimes, it also presents the possibility of the
giant disabling the opt-out option for users in order to obtain maximum control.
For this reason and more, you need to come prepared with a tool that provides insight on what Google is doing
to your Google Ads account, and whether it’s fulfilling its claim on providing you with a highly-optimized,
effective campaign.
PPCexpo’s extensive library of reports allows you to run any report according to your specific needs, enabling
you to receive a detailed analysis on the outcome.
Having a reliable reporting tool at hand is an absolute must for advertisers. With these changes in motion,
keeping an eye on everything will keep you in charge and ahead of the game.

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