Automation is everywhere: the coffee machine, the dishwasher, the sat nav. It saves time and nerves and opens up new possibilities. Google Ads scripts bring the same to your ad account. Routine work runs automatically, mistakes surface earlier and you have more time for what really makes a difference.
At OMT 2025 in Germany, I gave a short talk for beginners on this topic: for everyone who hasn't worked with scripts yet or has only taken first steps. This article sums up the content. The slides are available as a handout (PDF, German).
What are Google Ads scripts?
Google Ads scripts are small JavaScript-based code snippets that run directly inside your Google Ads account. They handle anything from simple checks to complex workflows: creating reports, monitoring budgets, checking keywords, making changes and notifying you by email.
What's in it for you:
- Time savings: reports and alerts run automatically, no more manual checking.
- Safety: problems like broken links or overspent budgets surface earlier.
- Performance: you optimize faster and more consistently, for example with keywords that only cost money.
You don't need to know how to code to get started. There are three levels that build on each other.
Path 1: Built-in solutions in Google Ads
Google offers ready-made solutions right in your account that run as scripts in the background. You'll find them under Tools › Bulk actions › Solutions. Instead of code, you see a form.
A good example is the link checker. It regularly checks whether the final URLs of your ads and keywords are reachable. All you need to set up:
- a name
- optionally a label to limit the check to certain campaigns
- which URLs to check
- which errors to report
- who receives the email
- how often the check runs
Done. No code, no room for errors. For many standard tasks, this is the fastest route to your first automation.
Path 2: Script templates from Google
One step further are the templates in the scripts section (Tools › Bulk actions › Scripts). When you create a new script, you can pick from a list of ready-made templates. This is where you see real code for the first time, but you don't need to understand it to use it.
Many templates work with a configuration sheet: you copy a Google Sheet, enter your settings there and add the sheet URL to the script. Then you authorize the script so it can access your account, the sheet and email. Before the first real run, start it via Preview: the code runs in full, but changes are only simulated.
The Google Ads Scripts developer site also has many examples for individual tasks: common methods for campaigns, ad groups and keywords, bulk uploads and reports, special methods for manager accounts (MCC) as well as for extensions and targeting.
Path 3: Scripts from third parties and communities
If neither solutions nor templates fit, chances are someone has already written a script for your problem. Good places to look:
- ads-scripts.com by Holger Schulz: German-language shop with scripts for many use cases
- adsscripts.com: collection of scripts with explanations
- Brainlabs repository on GitHub: freely available, well-commented scripts, though no longer updated since 2023
- freeadwordsscripts.com: a classic from the AdWords era, quiet since 2018 but still useful for ideas
- GitHub in general: search for "Google Ads Scripts"
A word of caution: a script you paste in can make changes to your account. Only use sources you trust, and always test third-party scripts in preview first. Older scripts sometimes use syntax that no longer works in the current scripts environment.
Your first own script
Some requirements can't be covered by any template. That's when your own script pays off. It gives you full control: you can build custom alerts and workflows, calculate individual metrics and reflect your own business logic.
What you should bring
- A basic understanding of JavaScript: variables, loops, conditions
- The Google Ads data structure: account, campaign, ad group, keyword and how they relate
- Logging and debugging:
Logger.log()writes interim results to the log,SpreadsheetAppwrites to a Google Sheet
Reliable sources
- the official Google Ads Scripts documentation, especially the reference, which is organized by entity
- Stack Overflow for common questions
- the GitHub repositories mentioned above, especially the well-commented ones, to learn by example
Ideas to start with
- regularly export performance data to a Google Sheet
- an alert email when CPC rises above a threshold
- automatically pause keywords without conversions
Mini example: pausing keywords without conversions
The last idea shows the basic logic of almost every script in just a few lines:
function main() {
const keywords = AdsApp.keywords()
.withCondition('ad_group_criterion.status = ENABLED')
.withCondition('metrics.clicks > 100')
.withCondition('metrics.conversions = 0')
.forDateRange('LAST_30_DAYS')
.get();
while (keywords.hasNext()) {
const keyword = keywords.next();
if (keyword.getText().includes('brandname')) {
continue; // never pause brand keywords
}
keyword.pause();
Logger.log('Paused: ' + keyword.getText());
}
}It contains three building blocks:
- Selection:
AdsApp.keywords()withwithCondition()andforDateRange()fetches exactly the elements you care about, here enabled keywords with more than 100 clicks and no conversions in the last 30 days. - Loop:
while (keywords.hasNext())goes through the results one by one. - Condition:
iflets you add simple logic, such as exceptions for brand keywords.
Adjust the threshold of 100 clicks to your account. Be sure to run the script in preview before the first real run and check the log to see which keywords it would pause.
How you work with scripts
Scripts run only inside Google Ads. There's no local development environment, you can't run them on your computer and you can't debug them in a terminal. You write and test in the online editor in Google Ads. Longer code can be prepared in an editor with syntax highlighting and then copied over.
The article Your first Google Ads script shows step by step how a complete script comes together, using automatic placement exclusions as an example.
AI as co-pilot, not autopilot
AI assistants are a real help when you're getting started. They can generate, explain and optimize code. Typical uses:
- getting into the syntax quickly
- example scripts as a starting point
- explanations and comments for existing code
- help with debugging
But: AI also hallucinates. It invents methods or objects, makes wrong assumptions about your account and mixes up the scripts environment with the Google Ads API, which works differently. So here are a few rules for using it safely:
- Check against the official documentation: AI can invent methods or get names wrong.
- Test step by step: errors are often in the details, and preview is your best friend.
- Build a basic understanding: without your own understanding, there's no quality control.
- Add comments and logs: they help with understanding and debugging.
- Work through minimal examples: have code explained to you and try to rebuild it yourself.
My takeaway: AI is a real productivity booster and speeds up the learning phase considerably. But it doesn't replace understanding, and it occasionally gives wrong answers. Use it as a co-pilot, not as an autopilot.
Conclusion
Getting started with Google Ads scripts is easier than many people think. Start with the built-in solutions, then try templates and community scripts, and then take on your first own script. With the official documentation, a small concrete problem and AI as a sparring partner, you'll be up and running sooner than you think.
This article was first published in German by adtraffic in 2025 as a summary of the talk at OMT and has been substantially revised and expanded for rsc24.
First published at www.adtraffic.de