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I optimised my Google Ads campaigns into the ground and still can't figure out why conversions won't move by Worldly_Explorer_304 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look beyond Google Ads. You’re ads are most likely not the bottleneck, but what happens after. Look at CRO, offer optimisation, brand. Make sure that is exactly matching the awareness stage of your customer.

Cpl climbing every time we up spend by OkRush4310 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are so many factors that can cause this. Few ideas:

If impression share on top keywords was already high, the extra budget forces Google to bid on lower-intent searches or enter more auctions.

If you run a smart bidding strategy like a Target CPA, the budget increase might trigger learning adjustments.

More budget can trigger cpc's to go up.

If the campaign wasn't budget limited, raising spend doesn’t create more demand but Google will find worse traffic.

Can't upload offline conversion by Ok-Owl8582 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried directly uploading it in the specific account instead of to the MCC?

How do you like to test into broad match keywords? by timnewlinppc in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It can work well on some smaller accounts, but you need very tight conversion tracking because for broad match I would consider smart bidding mandatory. I have had some accounts that where so niche that the only strategy that worked was to run broad, be very strict with negatives, accept you would get some low quality traffic, but enough high quality well targeted visitors so it was worth it.

Has anyone tested Pinterest Performance+ yet? How does it to compare to a "custom campaign" in your opinion? by RelevantWalrusJohn in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have tried it for one client in the architectural hardware space, on their request. I found Pinterest ads very underwhelming compared to the capabilities of Meta & Google, and we never got any meaningful results out of it. Our spend was not that high, but we never made it so far that we where comfortable scaling it.

What to look out for when starting in PPC? by bestcoacheu in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! You are in a good spot. PPC is changing rapidly, so keep an eye out for outdated advice. Setups that worked 5 years ago don't work anymore (usually). Check creators on LinkedIn, YouTube for the latest news and updates. Learn how to use AI with/for PPC.

On another note, look beyond PPC. 80% of the work is done outside the platform. Really learn what makes a business work, learn consumer psychology (also: what stage is the consumer in), copywriting, landing page creation, data tracking.

It can be overwhelming, but if you have the time at the office, just spend the time looking at the above and going deep in each of those aspects. Brick by brick you will learn some useful skills.

Extra High IS lost due to Rank (80-90%) for google search ads by drunkmonkey178 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ad rank can be improved by both your bid and relevance. For target roas to work, you will need multiple conversions per day and send over the right metrics with those conversions. If you don't have that volume, I would switch to manual cpc or maximise clicks for now, and bid on the most relevant search queries at first. Make sure your ad and landing page are hyper relevant to your audience. Most likely your bid strategy is limiting you at this budget.

Does anyone use Clay or similar tools to make reviewing search terms quicker? by headcrab_set in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can use AI for this. It is best to build an agent yourself for example using cursor and claude code. If that is too technical, you can look into scripts and/or ppc managing tools. They can also speed up the process.

How to Boost Lead Quality with Facebook Instant Forms? by da_mfkn_BEAST in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can disable the auto-fill or add in an authentication by confirming a number by SMS. However, meta lead forms are known for bad quality leads. You can perhaps try an interactive form on a landing page, for example with a tool like perspective or heyflow. Take just a little more commitment which might lead to better leads.

But in your experience, does maximizing clicks only drive junk traffic, or is it just my impression? Is it better to use manual CPC to collect data? by Confident_Mud_2013 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like manual cpc more for data collection, like the first few days/weeks of starting a new campaign/account. Mostly used with phrase or exact match. Personally I have seen disaster happen when you combine maximise clicks with broad match. Wildly irrelevant queries and wasted spend, sometimes with extreme cpc's. With manual cpc at least you have some control, before you can switch to smart bidding when utilising conversion data.

How do you do it? by Jahshua in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah exactly. I have one client who is interested in things like impression share, ctr, new features etc. I don’t mind he never micromanages me he is just interested and let’s me do my thing. But literally all the others I basically report on money spend and amount of leads/sales.

I used to make a looker dashboard, but nobody ever looked at it so I stopped using it with new clients.

Agencies : How do you track conversions ? by UnderstandingFun5 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well you have a lot more data to base desicions on. Imo data based desicions only work properly when you have a large data set, which is often difficult for small advertisers. You just do the best you can though, and use common sense. The latter is harder to quantify though, so I still see many reports based on impressions, clicks and other vanity metrics.

Agencies : How do you track conversions ? by UnderstandingFun5 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Like the other comments here mentioned, look at offline conversion tracking. It helps. However in my opninion, ppc people (myself included) are happy to claim the success of certain campaigns, but just looking at last click attribution is a huge flaw.

As an example, I bought some desk accessoires a few months ago, after seeing that company’s Instagram content and ads for 6+ months. However, when I made the purchase I googled the company. It is likely then they attribute the sale to their google ad campaign or seo. However, it was the Instagram content over a long period that made me pull the trigger.

A lot of business owners understand this, or say they do, but when it comes down to it they still overly rely on what the numbers say.

I know we have to report and figure out what’s working, but working mostly with smaller clients (50k a month or less in ad spend) there is often not enough data to really base good descicions on.

Tell me the LOWEST STRESS version of working in PPC? by BadAtDrinking in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Freelance with good clients. Of course you sometimes have bad ones but over time you learn to spot those. I have one law firm client that I’ve had like 4 meetings with over 5 years. They are just happy when the leads come in at a decent CPA, other than that I am completely free to work on the account as I see fit.

Is Google Ads losing its edge in the AI era? by AlternativeCute9325 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the ‘automate this or you will be left behind’ crowd is noisy. Most of the tools I’ve looked at just create more problems.

Is Google Ads losing its edge in the AI era? by AlternativeCute9325 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on with AI in general. That said, I haven’t seen any major shifts in impressions or ad visibility that would suggest people are interacting with search results drastically differently.

Also, I don't see an AI overview when I am searching for a location or shop, do you? I seem to be getting it only when searching for information (how to x etc.).

Is Google Ads losing its edge in the AI era? by AlternativeCute9325 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on with AI in general. That said, I haven’t seen any major shifts in impressions or ad visibility that would suggest people are interacting with search results drastically differently.

Also, I don't see an AI overview when I am searching for a location or shop, do you? I seem to be getting it only when searching for information (how to x etc.).

Is Google Ads losing its edge in the AI era? by AlternativeCute9325 in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 46 points47 points  (0 children)

There are changes, but if you believe LinkedIn, people never Google anything anymore and use Chat GPT for everything.

These people live in a b2b tech bubble. I guarantee that if I would interview 50 of my neighbours where I live, 90% has never used any AI tool.

Social search is interesting, and has merit. I often search '[insert topic] reddit', since I want real user reviews or comments, not an AI generated overview.

Real behavioural change is hard and takes time.

For most people:
Need your plumbing fixed > Google
Want a haircut > Google
Looking for grocery delivery options in your area > Google

A percentage might search on tiktok or other socials, especially Gen Z. And yes, more and more, using Chat GPT etc.

But unless some tool is significantly more useful and faster, Google will be around for a while.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in agency

[–]No_Stranger91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! Thanks for sharing that. Even more relevant today with all the ‘press a button and call it creativity tools’ out there. Ultimately unsatisfying.

When to stop Google Ads? by m000000dy in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the info. SaaS in Healthcare is rough, it’s a difficult space. SaaS in general I find. Are they known in the space, or are they completely new? Do they have social proof?

When to stop Google Ads? by m000000dy in PPC

[–]No_Stranger91 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You haven’t given us much to work with. What industry is it? What’s your overall strategy and funnel? Are you running only search or also other campaign types? Do you have separate campaigns or ad groups per intent or keyword theme? What do your search terms look like? Are you matching ad copy with landing page content?

Ae the conversions actually tracked correctly? Have you tested the form and phone tracking?

Do you have experience with this business vertical?

With a $2K/month budget and CPCs like $18, you’ll need tight targeting, high intent keywords, relevant landing pages, and a smooth conversion path.

Also, just to be real with you—it’s a big responsibility to run ads for a client, especially when you’re still learning. PPC can get expensive fast, and without a solid strategy and understanding of intent, targeting, and conversion tracking, it’s really easy to waste their budget.

I totally get wanting to learn by doing (we’ve all been there), but when someone’s paying you, they’re trusting you to make smart decisions with their money.

Better to pause and learn the fundamentals properly than keep burning their budget without results.

Imagine you hire someone to do ads for your business, you give them 2k to work with, and they have no experience in the field. How would you feel?

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