As student search trends and the higher education industry continue to evolve, Google Ads Scripts provides an effective tool that is utilized to efficiently manage campaigns. These blocks of JavaScript code assist in developing data-driven campaign insights and optimizations that are utilized to further maximize the impact PPC and Performance Max campaigns have on reaching your enrollment goals.
Let’s explore some tips and tricks to effectively manage campaigns.
What Are Google Ads Scripts?
Google Ads scripts allow you to control your Google Ads data using simple JavaScript in a browser-based IDE. These pieces of code are a key advantage in ensuring that you can act swiftly in a constantly changing landscape, and provide three main benefits:
1. Automation and Data IntegrationThese scripts can handle repetitive or time consuming tasks, allowing you to save time and dedicate more time to crafting in-depth data driven optimizations. They can automate budget adjustments or even implement changes within your ad copy.
Google Ads Scripts also provide seamless data integration, allowing you to quickly and routinely pull data from external sources such as Google Sheets or API connections. They can also routinely pull campaign performance data or ensure ad relevancy if program information changes.
2. Reporting: Scripts allow you to enhance your campaign analysis by staying informed, and delivering reporting insights used to effectively implement optimizations that improve your campaign performance over time. Scripts generate custom reports on the metrics that matter most, and can assist in quickly identifying key performance indicators, such as click and conversion volume, conversion rate, or cost per conversion.
3. Custom Solutions: No script is a one-size-fits-all solution. Each script can be custom tailored to meet the needs of your campaigns, and ensure that your campaigns are managed as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Script Writing Best Practices
Crafting the perfect line of code is no easy task. When it comes to crafting the perfect solution with a script, ensure that any Google Ads Scripts implemented into your accounts are not just effective, but that the data is also accurate and actionable. Here are some best practices for crafting custom code:
1. Start Simple
At first glance, it may be tempting to write a single all-encompassing script to manage campaigns. While there isn’t a limit to the number of lines each script can have, each Google Ads account is limited to 250 authorized scripts, and each script can only run for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Writing too many lines of code within a script may cause it to run over this time limit or create unnecessary errors. To ensure these scripts work effectively within your account, take advantage of the 250 slots available, and break their functionality down into smaller pieces. When it comes to crafting the perfect script, less is more!
2. Use Comments
Writing a script may seem daunting at first, but by utilizing comments you can ensure that anyone who reads your code will have a full understanding of its functionality without needing to decipher multiple lines. These snippets of text hidden within the code can be used to write individual notes, further citing what each piece of the code is doing with the campaign and data.
For example, a simple note such as “//Pauses Open House sitelinks after the date has passed” will allow any team member to know that the specific snippet piece will automatically pause the Open House sitelink within the campaign, after the event has passed. Should changes be needed in the future, these comments allow your team to leave behind detailed logs as to what we’ve created, and provide full transparency into the functionality of what we have created.
3. Use the Logger Function
Transparency remains key when implementing scripts, and the Logger Function is the perfect tool to ensure you remain both transparent and accountable in implementing automated solutions. This segment, written as Logger.log() within the code, tracks the exact date and time all steps are made by the code, as the changes occur. For example, a Logger such as “Logger.log(“Processing campaign: ” + campaignName)” informs us that the script is processing a campaign, the associated name of the campaign, and the exact date and time this process occurred. This helps further ensure that your script runs as intended with a detailed record of changes, and assists in further troubleshooting errors when changes occur within the Google Ads platform.
4. Test, Test, and Test
Creating a script that runs perfectly can be challenging, but testing is your ultimate key to success. By leveraging the built-in preview and testing tools within Google Ads you’re able to catch errors before they can occur, ensuring data is highly accurate, and that the scripts deliver the perfect results for your campaigns.
5. Know Your Resources
AI-based tools such as ChatGPT can help provide framework for your scripts. Resource kits such as Google Ad’s Reference kit, provide the best tools and transparency necessary to craft the perfect solution for your campaigns.
This reference kit provides a starting point for all documentation, proven code samples, and a deep dive into the available methodology we can implement. By harnessing these resources in addition to generative AI tools, you can craft deeply customized Google Ads Scripts best suited to your account’s needs!
If you’re looking for a partner to bring your Paid Search campaigns to the next level, our team is here to help. As a 2024 Google Premier Partner, Carnegie is committed to delivering top-tier performance and strategically innovative approaches for our partners.Reach out today and start a conversation to learn more about how we can help transform your PPC campaigns with Google Ads Automated Scripts.