The trend of account consolidation in Google Ads refers to Google’s encouragement to move away from highly granular account structures. Instead of having multiple ad groups with a few or even one keywords in each, Google suggests grouping these into broader themes. The idea behind this approach is that by consolidating campaigns and ad groups, Google’s AI can access more data to improve targeting and performance. While this theoretically leads to better results, it can also make it harder for advertisers to target niche audiences and pinpoint specific insights about what’s driving performance in the account.
This shift is part of a larger trend in recent years, where more control has been transferred from advertisers to Google’s automated systems. Many agencies and PPC professionals are concerned about the loss of manual control, especially as traditional methods still work better in certain cases. For example, niche industries or cases where search intent is ambiguous may benefit more from the older, granular approach. In these situations, advertisers can better manage specific keywords and audiences, whereas Google’s AI might struggle to interpret complex search terms.
Google provides case studies to support consolidation, but these often feature large B2C brands with big budgets, making it difficult for smaller businesses to relate. Smaller businesses may have different priorities, such as focusing on bottom-of-the-funnel searches, where they need more immediate results. However, the key isn’t necessarily business size or budget. It’s about setting up the account in a way that best reaches the target audience. The level of control needed often depends on the expertise of the person managing the account. Even a small business can benefit from a more consolidated approach if the account manager is able to effectively manage it, but more traditional setups may still be worth considering, depending on the circumstances.
Ultimately, the right approach—whether it’s account consolidation or a more granular setup—depends on how well the strategy aligns with the target audience, rather than a generalised transition towards a new or better setup. We advise being open and agile, let the results guide ongoing strategies and don’t be afraid to change or experiment with different approaches, old or new.
If you’d like to learn more about different strategies in Google Ads or learn more about our PPC services, please get in touch.