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Auto-apply, Display Expansion, Search Partners, and budget recommendations deserve a closer look. Learn what to review before making changes.
When I first started working in Google Ads, I wished someone had explained which recommendations to trust and which to question. Some can improve performance. Others can increase costs or make changes that don’t align with your strategy.
Google Ads changes quickly, and trial and error is part of the job. Here are four recommendations and settings I’d review carefully before enabling them.
1. Auto-apply settings
Shortly after Google introduced the Recommendations tab, it also introduced the auto-apply feature, encouraging advertisers to let Google automatically implement many of the suggested changes. We’ve had several close calls with auto-apply.
One Google rep insisted we fully enable it before he’d get off a strategy call, but he couldn’t explain how it would improve the account’s performance. More recently, I received an email on behalf of a client referring to the feature as “enabling recommendations” instead of auto-apply.
To clarify, every account has a Recommendations tab, and it generates recommendations whether you accept them or not.
Auto-apply is a separate setting that allows Google to automatically implement whichever recommendations you select. These range from relatively routine options, such as Use Optimized Ad Rotation, to more controversial ones, such as Improve Your Responsive Search Ads (allowing Google to automatically generate new headlines or descriptions) or Use Display Expansion.
Only opt into recommendation types that align with your client’s strategy and brand guidelines. For example, regulated industries generally need to avoid auto-generated ad copy. Likewise, if a client has strict CPA or ROAS targets, don’t enable “Set a target CPA” or “Set a target ROAS” unless you’re comfortable letting Google determine those targets. This will become even more important as Google’s targeted bidding changes roll out on Aug. 17.
Google is aggressively pushing auto-apply, and we’re seeing more incentives to enable it. But these recommendations don’t make sense for every advertiser. Enable them only when they support your goals and strategy.
Dig deeper: The truth about Google Ads recommendations (and auto-apply)
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2. Display Expansion
Years ago, Google would automatically opt search campaigns into the Google Display Network, requiring advertisers to opt out. It didn’t make sense then, and it still doesn’t, even though the feature is now opt-in instead of opt-out.
Search and display campaigns serve very different purposes. A good search ad shows users you have what they’re already looking for. It’s a pull ad. Display ads, on the other hand, are push ads. They interrupt users as they browse, build awareness, and encourage them to stop what they’re doing and convert.
As a result, the tactics and success metrics differ significantly.
- A good search ad has a high click-through rate and, ideally, a strong conversion rate because it matches existing intent.
- A good display ad typically has a much lower click-through rate because it interrupts the browsing experience.
It also tends to have a lower conversion rate because users aren’t actively shopping. Display ads usually generate far more impressions than search ads, and their cost per click is much lower because there are nearly unlimited placements in the auction.
As a result, while Display Expansion can generate additional traffic, it’s generally not advisable to run display and search ads in the same campaign, except within Performance Max. Otherwise, you may find that your efficiency metrics suddenly appear much worse.
Dig deeper: Google Search Ads in 2026 require a different kind of audit
3. Network settings
Speaking of additional networks, make sure you know which ones your Demand Gen campaigns are opted into. You have choices.
Personally, I’ve noticed a decline in traffic quality across three campaigns that inadvertently had the Google Display Network selected, even though Google says performance should improve with Display enabled.
In another campaign, a legacy campaign that performed very well in Google Discover, I noticed it’s now serving impressions only on Gmail and YouTube, not Discover at all. Its CPA has also nearly doubled.
Google has somewhat hidden the setting that controls where your Demand Gen ads run. It’s located at the ad group level rather than the campaign level.
Make sure you’re opted into only the networks you want to use. If you segment by network in Demand Gen, you can evaluate performance by placement to help inform those decisions.
Beyond Demand Gen placements, be cautious with Search Partners. Google often recommends enabling Search Partners to increase volume. However, it’s important to evaluate Search Partners separately from the Google Search Network. The Network (with Search Partners) segment can help you do that.
If Search Partners aren’t performing well, it usually makes sense to remain opted out unless you have a traffic goal that can’t otherwise be met. There are exceptions, but efficiency should guide the decision.
Dig deeper: Why you should opt out of Google Search Partners
4. Budget recommendations
Google reps often reach out with opportunities to increase conversions, warnings that you may be losing potential customers, or estimates that you could reach 50% more people. What they don’t always highlight is the additional cost.
Over the years, I’ve received plenty of emails claiming my campaigns could generate 30% more conversions. What they don’t mention is that my budget might have to increase fivefold to make that happen.
Before accepting any recommendation designed to increase volume, make sure you understand the cost and whether it’s one you’re willing to pay. Google also frequently recommends substantial budget increases. When deciding whether to accept one, weigh the cost alongside the potential benefit.
For example, Google once recommended that a client double its daily budget to gain an estimated 0.75 additional conversions per week.
In that case, one projected additional conversion each week wasn’t worth spending twice as much each day, or 14 times as much each week.
I’ve also seen advertisers forget that once Google increases a budget, it doesn’t lower it again. We’ve seen account owners approve a change, only to wonder a month or two later why they’re still spending so much, even when the higher budget isn’t delivering results. Monitor every change you make, and if it isn’t working, revert it.
Dig deeper: PPC budgeting in 2026: When to adjust, scale, and optimize with data
See where competitors are investing, which keywords drive their results, and how to capture more of the market.
Review before you enable
While there are other Google Ads settings and recommendations worth reviewing, you can avoid many common issues by understanding where your ads will appear, how much you’re paying, and what you should expect in return, then validating those assumptions with performance data.
Taking a closer look at auto-apply, Display Expansion, network settings, and budget recommendations can help you make more informed decisions and keep your campaigns aligned with your goals.
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