20/05/2026
You have to be an expert who knows the rules before you can consciously break them.
A lot of "rule-breaking" in Google Ads is just poor account management by business owners who don’t really know what they’re doing.
There is a real difference between breaking a rule because you understand it, and ignoring a rule because you never knew it in the first place.
That difference is everything.
Most Google Ads rules exist to stop you from making expensive mistakes before you have enough context to know better.
"Don't use broad match."
"Don't touch campaigns too often."
"Don't use PMax for lead gen."
"Don't optimise for soft conversions."
"Don't make decisions too early."
Are these rules always right? No. But they exist for a reason. Before you decide they do not apply, first understand what they were built to prevent.
👉 Broad match is not automatically bad. But if you do not understand search intent, negatives, and conversion quality, it will burn through budget fast. That is not Google being broken. That is Google being handed too much freedom by someone who has not earned the right to give it.
👉 PMax is not automatically bad for lead gen. But if you optimise for every phone click like it is a qualified opportunity, do not be surprised when Google brings you more rubbish. It's just doing what you told it to.
Best practice is not the final answer, but it is usually the right starting point. It does not know your margins, sales cycle, lead quality or close rate. That is where real judgment comes in. Gained by decades of experience seeing exactly what works in a variety of accounts.
The best Google Ads decisions are not made by blindly following rules. Especially not ones told to you by Google reps.
You need to understand what the rule is meant to prevent, what risk you take by breaking it, and what would prove you wrong.
Because breaking the rules without first understanding them is not an advanced strategy.
It is expensive confidence.
You have to be a subject matter expert who knows the rules before you can consciously break them. Anything else is just guessing.
Do you have the confidence to break a Google Ads “rule” aiming for a better outcome?
