Why Small Businesses Should Be Wary of Google’s Push for Automated Campaigns

Hand pushing a button

If you’re a small business owner running your own Google Ads, you’ve probably noticed a change in how Google “helps” you manage your advertising. Maybe you’ve received messages in your Google Ads Account or received calls from a “Google rep” offering to optimize your campaigns, or you’ve been encouraged to switch to automated campaign types like Performance Max or Smart Campaigns.

Here’s what most small business owners don’t realize:

Those “Google Reps” Often Aren’t Actually Google

In many cases, the people calling small businesses are outsourced third-party contractors hired to promote Google’s advertising products. Their job isn’t to deeply understand your business — it’s to get you spending more on ads through automation.

While they may introduce themselves as “Google Ads experts,” they typically follow a script and push the same recommendations to thousands of businesses, regardless of industry or goals.

They’re Heavily Pushing Automated Campaigns

Google has been rolling out more and more automation features — Smart Campaigns, Responsive Ads, Performance Max. These campaign types rely heavily on Google’s algorithm to:

  • Choose your targeting
  • Decide where your ads run
  • Adjust your bidding

While automation can sound appealing, it often means you lose control over important settings like:

  • Which search terms trigger your ads
  • Where your display ads appear
  • How your budget is allocated across products and audiences

For small businesses, this lack of control can lead to wasted ad spend and ads being shown in places that don’t drive meaningful leads.

They Push Automation for Their Profit, Not Yours

The more campaigns run on autopilot, the easier it is for Google to:

  1. Get more advertisers spending money quickly.
  2. Reduce the need for manual campaign oversight.
  3. Maximize Google’s own ad revenue, even if it doesn’t maximize your ROI.

Automation isn’t inherently bad — but when it’s implemented without strategy, it usually benefits Google more than the small business.

Small Businesses Need Professional Hands

Running effective Google Ads campaigns requires more than turning on an automated setting. It requires:

  • Understanding your customers and what they search for.
  • Crafting ad copy and landing pages that actually convert.
  • Ongoing optimization (negative keywords, adjusting bids, testing audiences).
  • Reporting that measures ROI, not just clicks.