Insight
Google Ads tips, guides and news from the team behind Bavian.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:14 CEST
Starting Google Shopping from scratch: Shopify, Merchant Center and Google Ads
To run Shopping ads, your products have to reach Google through Merchant Center, and Merchant Center has to be linked to Google Ads. Here's the order to do it in for a Shopify store, and what to have ready.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:14 CEST
Brand vs. non-brand campaigns: why you should judge them separately
Brand campaigns look brilliant and non-brand campaigns look expensive, and neither number tells you what your ads add. Here's why to keep them apart, and how to judge each one.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:14 CEST
How to test non-brand search on a small budget without wasting money
Non-brand search is where new customers come from, and where small budgets disappear fastest. Here's how to set up a test with a hard ceiling, a stop rule and a clear answer at the end.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:14 CEST
Broad, phrase or exact match in 2026: when does broad match pay off?
Broad match can find searches you'd never think of, but only Smart Bidding with trustworthy conversion data can tell good ones from bad. Here's when each match type fits, and how to add broad without losing control.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:13 CEST
Primary vs. secondary conversions: which one should Google Ads optimise for?
Only primary conversion actions steer Google's bidding and fill the Conversions column. Secondary ones are recorded, but only watched. Here's how to choose, and how to make one purchase action the only one that counts.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:13 CEST
Why does Google Ads count more conversions than GA4 and Shopify?
Google Ads, Google Analytics and Shopify count conversions differently: on different dates, with different attribution and different counting rules, and sometimes twice. Here's why the numbers differ, and which one to steer by.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 20 October 2026, 14:13 CEST
"Your campaign could be getting more conversions": should you follow Google's budget emails?
Google's "limited by budget" emails estimate what a bigger budget could buy, but they say nothing about what those extra conversions would cost. Check the extra cost per conversion before you click Apply.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 18 October 2026, 02:06 CEST
What is a good Google Ads ROAS for my business?
The typical webshop gets about 3x from Google Ads, and 4x is a common target. Whether either is good for you depends on your margin, so work out the ROAS at which your ads break even and set your target above it.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 16 October 2026, 15:45 CEST
Google Ads total budgets: how to use them for Black Friday
Since January, Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can run on one budget for a fixed period instead of a daily budget. It's the most useful new setting for a sale, but it only works on new campaigns, and a few rules decide whether it helps.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 16 October 2026, 15:14 CEST
We counted every Google Ads change in a year. There were 280
Between October 2025 and October 2026, Google made 280 changes to Google Ads and Merchant Center that affect advertisers, more than five a week. About half were new options you could take or leave, but most of the biggest changes were Google's own decisions: things it switched on, changed for everyone or removed.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 16 October 2026, 15:05 CEST
Google's AI vs. an Independent AI Ad Manager: What's the Difference?
Google's AI is excellent at bidding in Google's auctions, but it works inside Google's business and knows your business only through what you tell it. An independent AI ad manager decides what Google is told, guards your budget and chooses which of Google's defaults to accept.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 16 October 2026, 11:22 CEST
What is CSS for Google Shopping ads?
In the EEA, the company that places your Shopping ads decides how much of each bid reaches the auction. Here's what a comparison shopping service is, how an EU antitrust case led Google to offer the choice, and how switching works.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 16 October 2026, 10:18 CEST
Google Ads for Black Friday 2026: what's changed since last year
Last year's Black Friday plan still works as a starting point. But since then Google has changed how budgets, bidding and product feeds behave, and a few old habits now work differently.
Daniel Højris Bæk · 15 October 2026, 18:25 CEST
What changed in Google Ads, September to mid-October 2026
This autumn Google moved some Search campaigns into AI Max, switched on automated promotions and announced caps for Search partners and Display. Here's what that means for your account, and what practitioners make of it.