Understanding the Suggestions in Your Google Ads Account and What they Mean for Self Storage Operators
If you’ve looked inside your Google Ads account recently, you may have seen a tab labeled “Recommendations”—often paired with a message like:
“Your account has an optimization score of 72%. Implementing these changes could improve your performance.”
Sounds important, right?
But before you click “Apply All,” here’s what you need to know.
What Are These Recommendations, Really?
Google’s recommendations are automated suggestions generated by its algorithm. They’re designed to increase your campaign’s reach, click volume, or budget usage—not necessarily to improve your return on investment or drive actual move-ins and improve occupancy.
Some examples you might see:
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“Raise your budget to capture more traffic”
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“Add broad match keywords”
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“Turn on Performance Max campaigns”
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“Use automated bidding strategies”
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“Expand location targeting”
These suggestions are often generic and one-size-fits-all—and that’s a problem for a niche, location-based business like self storage. Google doesn't know the occupancy levels and goals for each location, Adverank does!
Why You Should Be Cautious
Google’s recommendations are meant to help Google—not always your facility.
Here’s why blindly accepting them can backfire:
| Google Suggestion | What Could Go Wrong |
|---|---|
| Broader keyword match types | You start showing up for irrelevant searches |
| Higher budgets | You spend more without increasing conversions |
| Performance Max | Your budget shifts to YouTube, Gmail, or Display—low-conversion zones for self storage |
| Expanded locations | You pay for clicks from areas where customers won’t rent |
Here’s What We Recommend Instead
At Adverank, we manually review and assess all relevant recommendations in your account—and only implement those that align with:
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Your local market and competition
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Your facility’s actual occupancy data
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What we know works for self storage operators like you
That means we may intentionally ignore suggestions that seem flashy but don’t move the needle.
You can always trust that:
✅ We’re not ignoring your account
✅ We see the same alerts you do
✅ We make changes based on data, not default settings
Should You Apply Google’s Recommendations Yourself?
In general, no—especially during the first few weeks of a campaign.
Applying them manually without context can:
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Reset learning periods and disrupt optimization
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Conflict with Adverank’s automated recommendations
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Drain your budget into lower-performing areas
If you’re ever unsure about a recommendation, just forward it to us. We’ll explain what it is, why it’s showing up, and whether it’s worth acting on.
Key Takeaways
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Google’s recommendations are automated—not customized for self storage
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Many of them increase spend without guaranteeing better results
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Adverank already reviews and selectively applies what’s truly helpful
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You can always ask us to explain or evaluate a recommendation for you
Still curious about something in your account?
Send us a screenshot or message our team at ask@adverank.ai —we’re here to guide you through it.