When managing Google Search campaigns, one of the most valuable (yet overlooked) tools is the Recommendations tab. It not only shows areas for improvement but also gives you a score — the Optimization Score — that reflects how well your campaigns are set up to perform.
But here’s a common question many marketers ask:
“If I apply a recommendation, how will it affect my optimization score?”
Great question — and in this post, I’ll explain how you can predict the impact before making any changes.
💡 What Is the Optimization Score?
Google’s Optimization Score ranges from 0% to 100%, showing how well your account follows Google Ads best practices.
It’s designed to:
- Highlight key opportunities
- Help you improve performance
- Make campaign optimization easier through suggested actions
The higher your score, the more optimized your campaign is considered to be.
🎯 Where to Find Impact Predictions
Inside the Recommendations tab of your Google Ads dashboard, you’ll notice each suggestion includes a percentage value — this tells you how much your optimization score will increase if you apply that specific recommendation.
For example:
- “Use Smart Bidding – +6%”
- “Add responsive search ads – +4%”
- “Remove redundant keywords – +2%”
These numbers help you predict the effect before applying.
✅ How This Helps You Prioritize
This feature allows you to:
- Focus on high-impact actions first
- Avoid wasting time on low-priority suggestions
- Plan your optimization tasks more efficiently
💡 Pro tip: Even if a recommendation seems minor, stacking several low-impact actions can collectively boost your score — and performance.
⚠️ Apply Strategically, Not Blindly
Not all recommendations are a perfect fit. You should:
- Review each one carefully
- Apply only those aligned with your campaign goals
- Dismiss irrelevant suggestions (this won’t hurt your score)
For example, if you don’t want to use broad match keywords, it’s okay to dismiss that recommendation — and your score will adjust accordingly.
📈 Final Thoughts
Google Ads makes it easy to predict the impact of optimizations by clearly showing the score boost next to each recommendation.
As a marketer or business owner, this means:
- Smarter decisions
- More efficient campaign management
- Better performance over time
Need help applying the right optimizations or analyzing your campaign’s health?
📞 Let’s talk — or check out my Google Ads Case Study where we used smart recommendations to achieve over 156% ROI.
Let your optimization score guide smarter growth — not guesswork.