Google Ads Recommendations: Can You Trust Them?

No, not blindly. Google earns money when you spend, not when you make a profit. Chris gets thousands of calls and emails from Google reps pitching some new "mind-blowing recommendation," and he does not just say yes.

Who Does Google Ads Really Work For?

Google does. That is the first thing to get straight.

Chris says Google does not care about your revenue, your profit, your ROAS or how many leads you need per month. What it cares about is Google's revenue. It is one of the most profitable businesses on earth, and the ad system is built to grow that.

If you get results, great. If not, Google still earns money while you spend.

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Google doesn't care about your results. Google doesn't care how much revenue you make. Google doesn't care how much profit you make.

Keep that in mind the next time Google tells you what to do with your account.

Three Reasons Not to Take Google's Word

1. The Slow Start Keeps You Spending

A new campaign is slow. You need data first. Chris says plan for at least 30 to 50 conversions, or one to two weeks of running ads. CPC is often too high at the start and everything feels a bit off.

Then it slowly gets better. You get excited and spend more. Results improve but never feel quite good enough. Chris calls it an addiction mechanism. You stay on the platform and keep spending.

2. The Black Box

PMax is sold as a big, smart AI campaign across search, YouTube, shopping and more. But you see very little. Not 100% of the search terms. Not the full split between properties. Chris says it is better than it was, but it is still far from transparent. Sometimes his team needs third-party scripts or workarounds to push spend toward one segment.

His question: if Google had your best interest at heart, why is it such a black box? For more on this, see how to fix a PMax campaign that wastes spend.

3. One Campaign to Rule Them All

There used to be many strategies and campaign types. Now it is mostly PMax and a few bid strategies. Google's pitch is simple: set a budget, listen to our recommendations and it will be fine.

Chris says it is not that simple. When every advertiser runs the same streamlined campaign, Google controls where the ads show and where the money goes. That control is why it promotes this setup so hard, he says. Not because the AI is so smart.

He is clear it is a powerful tool and ZenoX uses it. You cannot fight it. You just should not take it at face value.

The Bell Curve: Why Google Will Not Make You a Giant

The best reason comes last. You might think: if Google gave me better results, I would spend more and everyone wins. Chris says it does not work that way. It works like a bell curve.

• Bad results. You quit and Google loses your spend.
• Crazy results. Not every advertiser can scale endlessly. And you hit back-end limits: stock, payment processing, customer service, team size. In lead businesses, if the apartments sell out in a day, you stop advertising. Then Google loses spend too.
• The middle. You keep spending because things work, but never enough to stop. That is where most advertisers sit, and where Google makes the most money.

So the middle is where the platform is happy. Your job is to not stay there by accident.

What to Do Instead

There is no secret hack. Chris says you have to stay inside the Google system. But you do not have to follow it blindly. His list:

1. Stay in control. Check where your spend goes. Read the data. Know what is happening.
2. Feed the algorithm quality data. The AI is strong. Give it good inputs to get the most out of it.
3. Segment smartly. Cut low-performing campaigns, keywords and products early. Push the winners harder.

Run every recommendation through that list before you click apply.

The best place to start is how to scale Google Ads for ecommerce and the Performance Max best practices. If you want a team that reads the data for you, see how ZenoX runs accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Follow Google Ads Recommendations?

Not blindly. Chris says Google's main goal is Google's revenue, not your ROAS or profit. Treat every recommendation and every rep call as a suggestion to test against your own data, not as an instruction.

Why Does Google Push Everyone to One Streamlined Campaign?

Chris says it gives Google control. When all properties sit in one campaign, Google decides where the money is spent. It is a powerful setup and ZenoX uses it too, but he says Google promotes it for control, not because it is the best option.

Why Do New Google Ads Campaigns Take so Long to Work?

Google needs data first. Plan for at least 30 to 50 conversions or one to two weeks of running ads. CPC is often high at the start. Chris also says the slow start keeps you hooked while results improve.

Can I Get Around the Google Ads System with a Hack?

No. Chris says there is no secret trick that gives you crazy ROAS. Work inside the system, stay in control, feed it good data and cut low performers early.

Use Google's tools. Just do not hand over the wheel.