Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist

Google Ads for eCommerce and Lead Gen | 50+ stores scaled past $1M | Google Premier Partner | DM me for an audit

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

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[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Leads that drop off the moment they hear your price? Put prices in your Google Ads before the click. Price assets show a set of up to 8 cards under your ad, each with a price, a short description and a link to that item on your site.

I’d rather someone see the price in the ad and decide it’s not for them than click, ring you and waste both your time. For service businesses with clear packages, this is one of the simplest filters you can add.

First, pick the type that fits, such as Services, Service tiers or Product categories.

Second, add at least 3 items, and 5 or more if you can, which is what Google recommends. Headers and descriptions are up to 25 characters each.

Third, link each item to the matching page, so a click on a package lands on that package, not your home page.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Merchant Center promotions for Black Friday? Submit them now, not on the morning of the sale. Google recommends submitting at least 24 hours before the start, and approval can take up to 72 hours after the start time.

A promotion adds a special offer link to your Shopping ads and free listings. It’s a cheap way to stand out in a crowded week, but only if it’s approved when the sale opens.

First, check the offer qualifies. Discounts need to be at least 5 percent or the equivalent of 5 dollars, and vague offers like up to a percentage off aren’t allowed.

Second, test the code at checkout yourself. A code that doesn’t work or a discount that doesn’t apply is a common reason for disapproval.

Third, map products to the promotion at least 24 hours before it starts, and set the end date so it doesn’t run past the sale.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Merchant Center misrepresentation warning and no idea what’s wrong? The policy is about trust. Google doesn’t allow listings or sites that leave out relevant information or mislead people about your products or business.

When I see this, I stop looking at the feed and look at the store the way a first time buyer would. A lot of what the policy names shows up around checkout.

First, check the full price is clear before checkout, including taxes, fees and any surcharges, and that extra fees like restocking aren’t hidden.

Second, make sure your business name and contact details are real and easy to find, and that you honour your own return policy.

Third, confirm at least one conventional payment method, such as card or payment on delivery, then request a review. Google says account reviews typically take 7 business days.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Searchers clicking your Google Ads, then leaving because you don’t carry what they wanted? Structured snippets can show your range before the click. They sit under your ad as a header, like Brands, Types or Service catalog, followed by a list of values.

I like them because they help the right people click and the wrong ones scroll past. A clearer ad can mean fewer wasted clicks.

First, pick the header that fits how buyers shop with you, such as Brands for a retailer or Service catalog for a service business.

Second, add at least 4 values per header, which is Google’s best practice. The minimum is 3.

Third, keep every value a true match for the header. Google says a mismatch between header and values is the most likely reason snippets get disapproved.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Google Ads auto-applied recommendations can change your ads, bidding, keywords and targeting without anyone on your side deciding each change. If new keywords or ad tweaks appeared and nobody remembers adding them, this is one of the first settings I’d check.

I don’t think every recommendation is bad. I just want a person to decide what changes in an account that’s spending your money.

First, open Recommendations and check whether Automatically apply recommendations is on, and which types are ticked.

Second, look at the History tab to see what’s been applied recently, and match it against any change in results.

Third, keep auto-apply only for types you’re comfortable with, and switch off the rest. You can change these settings any time.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Google Ads auto-applied recommendations can change your ads, bidding, keywords and targeting without anyone on your side deciding each change. If new keywords or ad tweaks appeared and nobody remembers adding them, this is one of the first settings I’d check.

I don’t think every recommendation is bad. I just want a person to decide what changes in an account that’s spending your money.

First, open Recommendations and check whether Automatically apply recommendations is on, and which types are ticked.

Second, look at the History tab to see what’s been applied recently, and match it against any change in results.

Third, keep auto-apply only for types you’re comfortable with, and switch off the rest. You can change these settings any time.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Performance Max sending people to your blog, careers page or an old promo? Check Final URL expansion. It’s on by default, and it lets the campaign swap your chosen landing page for another page on your domain it thinks matches the search better.

Google itself notes this can point ads at unintended pages if you don’t manage exclusions. I’m fine with it finding better product pages. I’m not fine with paying to send buyers to a job listing.

First, check your landing pages report for Performance Max and list any page you’d never choose for an ad.

Second, add those under Asset optimization as URL exclusions, or use rules to exclude whole sections like your blog.

Third, if your site is small or you need every click on set pages, turn Final URL expansion off. Then the campaign only uses the URLs you give it.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Thinking of raising your Google Ads budget but scared it’ll just burn money? Look at impression share first. It’s the share of impressions your ads got compared with what they were eligible for, and it tells you whether more budget can even buy more.

Before I’d tell an owner to scale, I want to know why the ads aren’t showing more. Budget and rank are different problems, and money only fixes one of them.

First, add the Search impression share, Search lost IS (budget) and Search lost IS (rank) columns to your best converting campaigns.

Second, if most of the loss is budget and cost per conversion is healthy, that’s where I’d add money first, in small steps.

Third, if most of the loss is rank, a bigger budget won’t help much. I’d work on bids, ad relevance and landing pages instead.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@benschreiber_ Google asking you to scale while another team won't let you prove your business exists is quite something. The lack of coordination between teams is frustrating, especially with Black Friday around the corner.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@Nate_Google_ Interesting approach. I'd still keep a close eye on actual ROAS and contribution margin during the ramp-up. Spending the full budget isn't necessarily a win if incremental sales aren't profitable.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@bengoogleads The product-level eligibility point is especially important. I'd also check whether the discount still leaves enough contribution margin after shipping and fulfilment costs. More clicks only help if the promotion remains profitable.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Google Merchant Center return policy still blank? If you offer easy returns, that’s a reason to buy you’re not showing shoppers. Google may show your return policy on your Shopping ads, free listings and in Gmail, and says it may help your products perform.

I treat this as a quick win for any store whose returns are a selling point. It takes minutes, and it answers a question shoppers otherwise have to click through to find.

First, go to Shipping and returns under Products and store, then Return policies, and add your policy.

Second, make sure it matches what your site says in the footer, returns page and any banners, and that anyone can read it without logging in.

Third, if some products have different rules, set those up as exceptions with a return policy label in your product data instead of leaving one policy for everything.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Lead gen ads running at 3 AM when nobody’s there to answer? By default Google Ads campaigns show ads all day, every day, unless someone sets an ad schedule.

I don’t switch off the night for every business. Some buyers research late and fill in a form that’s waiting for you in the morning. But if your leads only turn into sales when someone picks up the phone, I want the data before I pay for those hours.

First, open the Ad schedule page and look at Day and Hour performance for the last 90 days.

Second, compare conversions and cost per conversion for your open hours against the hours your team is offline.

Third, if the offline hours cost more and close less, set a schedule or lower bids for them, and leave the hours that bring good form leads running.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Selling to customers in another country from a Google Ads account set to your home time zone? Your hour of day reports may be telling a different story than your customers’ clocks.

Google says reports you segment by time follow your account time zone. It doesn’t change where your ads show, but it does change how you read peak hours. And for standard accounts, Google no longer supports changing the time zone. You’d need a new account, and historical data doesn’t move with copied campaigns.

Here’s what I’d do:

First, check your account time zone in settings before trusting any hour of day or day of week report.

Second, when you read those reports, mentally shift the hours to your main market’s local time.

Third, if you’re opening a new account for a new market, pick the time zone you’ll actually manage it in. It’s a decision you can’t easily undo.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@lifemaximised Product-level segmentation makes a big difference, especially when profitability varies widely across the catalogue. I'd just be careful not to move winners too quickly or reset valuable learning. Let the data justify the separation first.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

Demand Gen spending and you have no idea whether it’s YouTube Shorts, Gmail or Display doing the work? Google Ads now lets you see that, and choose channels per ad group.

You can pick YouTube in-stream, in-feed and Shorts, Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Display Network, or leave it on All Google channels, which Google recommends for most advertisers. Google also warns that restricting channels can mean lower efficiency and lower volume.

Here’s what I’d do:

First, segment your Demand Gen report by network. Channel reporting is available at campaign, ad group and ad level.

Second, judge the campaign on total cost per sale or lead, not on the cheapest looking channel. Google says the same.

Third, only isolate a channel when the data gives you a real reason, and put it in its own ad group so the rest keeps running as before.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@bengoogleads One thing I'd add is to check actual profitability before increasing budgets. Last year's high-spend campaigns aren't automatically this year's winners. Product margins and stock availability matter just as much as impression share.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

No stars under your Shopping ads while competitors show ratings? Merchant Center product ratings have a few rules, and missing one keeps them hidden.

You need at least 50 reviews across all your products, or ratings won’t show on Shopping ads. Reviews come in through a supported reviews aggregator or a product reviews data source you submit, refreshed at least once a month. Google matches reviews to products mainly by GTIN.

Here’s what I’d do:

First, count your total reviews. If you’re under 50, the fix is collecting more, not changing settings.

Second, make sure your review data includes GTIN, or brand and MPN. Without them, matching is weaker and some products may not get their stars.

Third, keep the feed fresh and be patient. Google says reviews typically go live 2 to 4 weeks after a successful review, and even then stars may not always show.

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

@SMBMoneyMike louder

[Shehzad Sadiq|Google Ads Strategist @ppcbyshehzad]

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