Google Ads Scripts: Automate Reports and Optimisations

Scripts automate repetitive tasks in Google Ads: reports, bid adjustments, alerts and more. If you spend hours weekly on manual tasks with predictable rules, scripts save time and reduce human error. This guide covers what scripts can do, how to start, and practical examples.

What Can Scripts Do?

Scripts run JavaScript in your Google Ads account. They read/modify account data, send emails, write to Sheets, and fetch from external APIs.

• Automated performance reports to email/Sheets
• Real-time alerts for KPI drops
• Automated bid adjustments by rules
• Pause underperforming keywords automatically
• Link checker for broken URLs
• Budget pacing alerts

5 Essential Scripts

These five scripts should run in every Google Ads account:

Daily performance summary + CPC alert

The daily summary emails key metrics compared to prior periods. The CPC alert monitors for 20%+ spikes vs. 7-day average. Together these catch problems before they burn budget.

Broken URL checker + QS tracker

URL checker verifies all final URLs weekly, alerting on 404s. QS tracker logs Quality Score to Sheets daily for trend analysis the interface doesn't provide.

Getting Started

Go to Tools > Bulk Actions > Scripts. You can create, paste, preview, and schedule scripts. No coding expertise needed — many pre-built scripts are available online.

1. Copy a pre-built script from Google or write one with a script generator
2. Paste into the script editor
3. Configure variables (email, thresholds, Sheet URL)
4. Preview to verify it works correctly
5. Authorize and schedule to run daily/weekly

Advanced Use Cases

Once comfortable with basics, scripts can handle sophisticated automation:

• Weather-based bid adjustments
• Inventory-based ad pausing
• Competitor monitoring via Auction Insights
• Automated negative keyword mining
• Cross-account reporting for agencies

Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to avoid script-related issues:

• Always preview before running
• Start with read-only scripts before write scripts
• Set up email notifications for errors
• Document scripts: purpose, schedule, maintainer
• Save backups before modifying working scripts
• Schedule at off-peak hours for rate limits

Key Takeaways

• Scripts save hours weekly on repetitive tasks
• Start with pre-built scripts and customize
• Essential: daily reports, CPC alerts, URL checker, budget pacing, QS tracker
• Always preview and document
• For complex automation, consider the Google Ads API