The Paid Search Podcast - Episode 493 Summary

Title: My 3 Favorite Google Ads POWER TOOLS
Host: Chris Schaeffer, Certified Google Ads Specialist
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

In this solo holiday episode, Chris Schaeffer shares his three favorite "power tools" for effective and efficient Google Ads management. He highlights free, native tools that he considers essential, details their practical advantages, and advises who should use them and how. Chris also provides candid takes about the pitfalls of the Google Ads interface and warns against over-reliance on automation. The episode is relaxed and conversational, with anecdotes and personal opinions peppered throughout.

Key Power Tools for Google Ads Management

1. Google Ads Editor

Timestamp: [06:34] – [18:50]

• Description:
  Google Ads Editor is a free downloadable tool by Google for making bulk changes, creating campaigns, and launching ads quickly.

• Major Advantages:

  • Copy-Paste Efficiency: Copy and paste entire campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, and more, saving massive amounts of time. Particularly valuable for replicating settings across accounts (e.g., expanding to new locations or launching seasonal variants).
  • Offline Editing: Edits are made locally; nothing goes live until uploaded, providing a safe space for experimentation.
  • Bulk Edits: Make sweeping changes like updating ad copy for seasonal promotions, adjusting prices, or changing dates (e.g., “2025” to “2026”) across all ads/keywords quickly.
  • Avoiding Interface "AI Slop": Chris criticizes the Google Ads UI for being bloated and overly reliant on AI that auto-fills ad copy, keywords, and bids.

• Quote:

  "They try and pre-fill your ad copy. They try and pre-fill your keywords. They try and choose your bidding strategy for you. They try and take over everything ... so that you’ll have an absolute trash campaign. ... You know how you can stop getting that AI slop showing up? Use Google Ads Editor."
  — Chris, [15:28]

• Cautions:

  • Not suitable for daily management or performance monitoring (metrics aren’t real-time and overview screens are "clunky" and "junk").
  • Best for campaign builds, bulk edits, and structural changes.

2. MCC (My Client Center) Account

Timestamp: [18:55] – [28:08]

• Description:
  An MCC (also called Manager Account) allows users to manage multiple Google Ads accounts from a unified dashboard.

• Major Advantages:

  • Instant Uniformity: Custom columns, dashboards, and settings are maintained across all managed accounts, dramatically speeding up workflow.
  • Optimized Monitoring: Critical metrics like clicks, impressions, conversion rates, ROAS, and search impression share can be set up for quick, at-a-glance management.
  • Professional Requirement: A must-have if managing campaigns for multiple clients, businesses, or locations.

• Quote:

  "If you’re changing accounts to look at each client’s account separately, you are not doing it right. You should always have an MCC if you have more than one account."
  — Chris, [22:48]

• Extra Note:

  • Google Partner Status:
    MCCs are essential if you want to become a certified Google Partner. Chris jokes about the "lamest reason"—the value of Partner status is questionable—but still mentions it for those chasing professional certifications.

    "Maybe that’s a goal ... just for clout, just for the ability to put something on your website. That is the first step."
    — Chris, [25:15]

3. Google Ads Scripts

Timestamp: [28:10] – [35:40]

• Description:
  Scripts are JavaScript-based automations that can perform repetitive, bulk, or custom tasks within Google Ads accounts.

• Use Cases:

  • Examples include scripts for regularly adding negative keywords, adjusting bids, changing budgets, or pausing keywords under certain criteria.
  • Chris references a negative keyword script by Artur McClellan featured in a previous episode.

• Balanced Opinion:

  • Chris uses scripts sparingly, is not a "shortcut guy," and warns against overuse:

    "I don’t talk about scripts a lot because I’m not a big shortcut guy. ... Some of the best management, some of the best results, ... is not done through AI slop, that’s for sure."
    — Chris, [32:00]

  • Scripts can be power tools but aren’t substitutes for skill, knowledge, and hands-on management.

• Caution:

  • Scripts can encourage neglect/outsourced responsibility if over-relied upon.
  • They should supplement, not replace, human judgment.

Memorable Quotes

• On UI Frustrations:

  "Anyone who’s going to be nerdy enough to listen to a paid search podcast about Google Ads is going to know the Google UI is bloated with AI crap. ... It’s absolute trash."
  — Chris, [14:37]

• On MCC Uniformity:

  "You shouldn’t waste time adding columns or moving columns, you know, scrolling left and right, up and down on your computer to try and see these metrics. They should be immediately visible and you should be able to hop through your campaigns quickly."
  — Chris, [21:13]

• On the Philosophical Approach:

  "Some of the best work that you can do is not done through AI slop, that’s for sure. It’s not done through bulk actions, it’s not done through shortcuts. It’s done through genuine Knowledge, Skills, application in your Google Ads accounts."
  — Chris, [33:02]

Bonus Mentions & Episode Extras

• Optio:
  Chris notes that although Optio is his overall "top" power tool for Google Ads (and a show sponsor), it’s intentionally excluded from this list as it’s a paid, non-Google-native tool.
  — [01:50]

• Personal Touches:
  Chris records the episode in festive, warm Texas weather—"I'm sweating, it's hot and my AC hasn't kicked on yet" ([00:34])—and previews a post-holiday ski trip where he'll try snowboarding for the first time.

• Calls to Action:

  • Listeners can submit questions or arrange one-on-one coaching via his website. Chris jokes, "never had a complaint" about his coaching.
  • Encourages listeners to take advantage of tools discussed, particularly during the quieter holiday season.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start | Summary | |-----------------------------------------------|---------|--------------------------------------------| | Introduction & festive mood | 00:00 | Host context and holiday setup | | Power Tools Overview | 04:30 | Chris lists the 3 tools to be discussed | | 1. Google Ads Editor | 06:34 | Deep dive into Editor’s strengths/uses | | Bulk Edits & AI “slop” critique | 13:55 | Rant on Google UI and Editor’s advantage | | 2. MCC (My Client Center) Account | 18:55 | Why every manager needs an MCC | | Partner Status note | 25:10 | MCC’s role in Google Partner path | | 3. Google Ads Scripts | 28:10 | Scripts pros, cons, and Chris’s philosophy | | Show close, coaching plug, holiday signoff | 35:42 | End-of-episode housekeeping |

Final Thoughts

Chris’s episode is a practical guide for anyone looking to supercharge their Google Ads workflow.
He champions free, underused tools that empower users to avoid clunky interfaces and unnecessary automation—staying in control of campaign builds and edits. His conversational, sometimes irreverent tone makes for engaging listening, and the episode is packed with actionable insights for both agency professionals and solo business owners.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Chris and The Paid Search Podcast!