AdVenture Media

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Director of Client Services

Senior Digital Strategist

Guggenheim Partners

Marketing Analyst

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Marketing Coordinator, Four Diamonds

Kohl's Department Stores

Campus Recruiter

Management/Operations Internship

Penn State University

Teaching Assistant - Marketing Department

Jay's Appliances

Customer Service/Sales

Author: "Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation." Find it on Amazon, and learn more at www.joinordiebook.com.

Recognition:
 - The #3 most influential PPC expert in the world by PPC Hero
 - Top 10 expert on machine learning in marketing by Goodfirms.co
 - "Join or Die" listed as one of the top 14 advertising books of all time by teambuilding.org
 - International Keynote Speaker: Google Partner Conferences (NYC, London, Dublin), Affiliate World (Dubai), Friends of Search (Amsterdam, Brussels), SMX Create.

My primary role is serving as CEO at AdVenture Media, an award-winning digital advertising agency with a 5-star employee rating on Glassdoor.com.

In addition to authoring Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation, I've delivered keynote talks on topics including machine learning and the future of digital advertising at Google Partner Summits, Global Google Partner Awards Ceremonies, and other marketing conferences worldwide. I'm a featured instructor in Google's official advertising certification program under the "AI-Powered Performance Advertising" modules. 

One day, the Buffalo Bills will win the Super Bowl. When that happens, I hope you think of me and say, "Good for him. He never gave up on that terrible franchise."​

Patrick Gilbert

Sarah Stemen, LLC

Agency Clients:
I am currently collaborating with multiple marketing agencies, providing customized services based on their specific needs.  My services range from assisting with overflow work, contributing to the sales process, conducting account audits and providing oversight and strategic direction on PPC accounts.

Agency Training: 
I have gained 7 years of valuable experience working in-house before venturing into consultancy for agencies. Following my departure from corporate marketing, I had the opportunity to collaborate with prominent agencies on projects for enterprise clients. This unique perspective and strategic expertise paved the way for me to develop tailored training programs for agencies. Currently, I offer a comprehensive course to agencies and brands seeking to elevate their strategic and consultative approach in both internal operations and client engagements. My custom training program has a wait list and my next opening isn't until fall of 2024.

Paid Search Campaigns For Brands:
I am currently responsible for overseeing paid search campaigns for multiple brands. My approach to managing paid search for these brands is distinct and effective. I prioritize leveraging strategic partnerships to deliver fully integrated marketing solutions. This allows the brands I work with to have a team of world class experts executing as one team.

Business Owner

Paid Search Association

Vice President

Marcus Thomas LLC

Responsible for full ownership of client accounts from strategy to execution. Success of assigned accounts is determined by ensuring all KPIs are met or exceeded. Other responsibilities are: campaign management, serving as a subject matter expert, continuous testing, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to align to overall marketing goals of each client.
As a leader in the organization, other responsibilities include working with other departments, including account management, analytics, and creative. Leading and developing junior staff is a key part of this role.

Senior Paid Search Manager

PCG Digital

PCG Digital is a full service digital agency specializing in the automotive vertical.  Managed a full suite of automotive clients in Google Ads and Bing.  Used Search, Display and Video ads to drive conversions. Started the Vehicle Listing Ads service offering and program for the agency.
Responsible for full ownership of client accounts from Google Tag manager, building Google Analytics goals and in platform optimizations.

Paid Search Specialist

LuLaRoe

I was independent fashion consultant and business owner with Lularoe.  Sales are run primarily online thru my VIP shopping group as well as in my home and in customer's homes.  Ran my business in Facebook Groups and using live video selling on Periscope.

Fashion Consultant

Hanapin Marketing | PPCHero Blog

As a Digital Account Manager for Hanapin Marketing, I manage paid search and display advertising campaigns using a blend of open source and proprietary technology as well as old-school manual tools to optimize complex ad campaigns, create useful reports and perform insightful analysis.

Clients range from small and mid-size businesses to enterprise level spend accounts.

Hanapin Marketing after 10 years, continues to shape the future of the digital advertising industry with their world-leading blog (PPCHero.com) and PPC conference.

PPC Hero Blog Posts: http://www.ppchero.com/author/sarah-stemen/

Digital Account Manager

TeamBuilder Search

Worked as a consultant to marketing agencies and clients for PPC and SEO.  Responsibilities varied by client, and included assisting agencies building out SEO and PPC as a service, to augmenting staff when client load was heavy.

Undisclosed Client:
Augmented search staff for a small agency.  Performed SEO site audits and recommendations, built Google Adwords, and Bing Ad campaigns.  Provided insights on new initiatives, provided basic campaign ongoing support for both SEO and PPC clients.  Kept activities logged as part of a virtual team.  Provided high-level recommendations and presentations for the team.  Used Google Analytics to support any major campaign changes and updates. Worked on large and small websites with various content management systems including wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, and other custom solutions.

Undisclosed Client:
Performed the built out of a campaign for end client, including providing the keyword research, initial strategy, and search coverage recommendations.  Delivered the keyword list, initial bids, campaign set up, and ad copy.  The campaign included 2 DMAs with approximately 1M keywords, and coverage for long and short tail in both DMAs.  The campaign was broken down into 5 separate campaigns, with the largest campaign including over 2000 ad groups.  Each ad group included at least 3 ad copy variations.

Undisclosed Client:
Consulted with an agency on building out a more sophisticated SEO program.  Provided advice and crafted proposals for specific clients with unique technical needs.  Advised agency about what should be included in a phased SEO project.  Documented How-To’s around SEO tactics so the client can duplicate suggestions. Consulted on a SEO process in order to implement my suggestions.

Director of Search Marketing

Nationwide Insurance

•	Responsible for managing SEO and Paid Search for Nationwide Bank, Nationwide Insurance and Nationwide Brand campaigns; Achieved 80% visibility for Insurance keyword portfolios and 50% for the bank keyword portfolio.

•	Provided guidance and strategy for SEO and Paid Search national campaign and sponsorship support, which delivered over 600k online completed auto quotes. Developed and executed brand defense strategy for Nationwide Corporate saving over 300k for the year

•	Defined and planned roadmap for the Nationwide You Tube Strategy, worked with Google and agency to execute within the corporate guidelines. Managed the continual education of business lines to encourage SEO support, and expansion.

•	Managed ongoing keyword testing, multivariate testing, and purchase path optimization.

•	Leveraged paid search and SEO learning to drive change in the organization. Responsible for implementing DART/Doubleclick, Optimost, clearsaleing, and webtrends tags

•	Developed and Maintained database driven click-through rate report using Webtrends and Webtrends Smartview

•	Responsible for Foresee Results survey implementation, and analysis for 4 business units, provided insights and analytics and worked with the vendor on reporting to facilitate organizational improvements and projects.

Specialist, Internet Marketing

•	Analyzed Data Center metrics, developed frameworks, communicated and reported findings
•	Identified and analyzed trends in reported metrics and reported to executive council
•	Responsible for all department monthly reporting, including technical productivity measures and budget comparison report
•	Maintained business continuity plans for four data centers

Business Analyst

Nationwide

Sr. Analyst, SEM, SEO

StylishBabyBedding.com

I now own a upscale online baby boutique that sells crib bedding, bassinets, moses baskets, and more.

Former Owner - Sold

Senior Paid Search Manager, Marcus Thomas LLC

With over 15 years of experience as a Paid Search Manager, I am passionate about creating and executing effective online marketing campaigns that deliver results for clients. I have a strong background in Google Ads, Google Analytics, and SEO, and I am certified in Google Ads Search and Display.

As a leader at Marcus Thomas LLC, I manage the full ownership of client accounts from strategy to execution, ensuring all KPIs are met or exceeded. I also collaborate with cross-functional teams to align to the overall marketing goals of each client. Additionally, I mentor and develop junior staff and serve as a subject matter expert in paid search. One of my proudest achievements was starting the Vehicle Listing Ads service offering and program for PCG Digital, a previous employer, where I managed a full suite of automotive clients in Google Ads and Bing.

Sarah Stemen, MBA

My client had a record-breaking Black Friday. They were popping champagne. I was looking at the search terms crying a little inside...

My client was ecstatic. Sales were up, ROAS was high, and they were ready to declare victory on Q4. They looked at the bottom line and said, "We crushed it."

But I looked inside the "Black Box" of Performance Max...

Even though we had requested Brand Exclusions, PMax is a creature of least resistance. 

It found a way to sneak Brand traffic back in. It was claiming credit for sales from people who were already searching for the company name.

On top of that, I found about 5% of their Non-Brand budget burning on completely irrelevant terms.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: "𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦."

𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞...

It matters because 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞.

If you think PMax is driving new customers at a 10x ROAS, you will pour more money into it next month. But once PMax runs out of "Brand" traffic to harvest, that performance will fall off a cliff.

We weren't seeing "Growth." We were seeing "Efficiency" on traffic we already owned...

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧: Google 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 you to look at the blended ROAS and feel happy. But if you don't audit your PMax Insights tab, you don't know if you are acquiring customers or just taxing your own brand.

𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫. Check your search term insights today. If PMax is taking credit for your brand name, your "growth" might be an illusion.

𝐏.𝐒. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐨? I check for PMax Cannibalization in every 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭. Let’s see what’s actually driving your sales. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 (under the headline).

💰 Google Ads Strategy (without the retainer) 🧑‍🏫 ✏️🧠

No alternative text description for this image

While lots of my PPC friends were having a chill weekend, I had the opportunity to go though the full Google Ads 2025 Roadmap...and do a lookback...

I analyzed the and picked out the 6 biggest shifts that fundamentally change how we strategize, create, and measure in Google Ads. 

These are not minor tweaks and updates, but seismic shifts for every PPC professional who works in the platform today...

I wrote about it ( 👀 comments) and created a 📹  about it...on my channel...

The LinkedIn algo and I are not best friends RN so I will 😉  put the l - ks where LinkedIn won't hate me...

So you can actually see this stuff...

Thanks Google Ads (Google Partner) Google and Ginny Marvin cheers to an amazing you and we thank you for all you do for us.

💰 Google Ads ‘In-Housing’ Consultant (without the retainer)

I am so happy to share that I made the TOP 100 PPC list this year.  I never take these lists for granted and it is such an honor to be beside people I respect so very much.

There is a link in the comments for voting.  Thanks again for following and being by my side for this crazy journey.

Link for voting and taking the survey in the comments :)

My predictions for 2026:

1. AI and PPC tasks will be indistinguishable
2. Entry level marketing jobs will be much harder to find
3. Those that are lucky enough to have entry level marketing jobs will struggle to build deep understanding because they grew up not having to understand key steps
4. LinkedIn AI comments will make me want to poke my eyes out 10x than 2025
5. More PPC experts will drag their feet over to YouTube as LinkedIn reach continues to plummet
6. Agencies will get more shady than ever
7. The rise of call center sales teams to get agency clients will skyrocket
8. SEO will be cool again
9. People will find a way to game AI SEO and wear the t-shirt proudly
10. The news will still suck
11. I will read more books
12. My kids will still beg for Starbucks and another overpriced trendy sweatshirt
13. Google will still shake the couch cushions
14. Businesses will still struggle with the AI of everything and wonder why they aren't breaking though with consumers
15. We will become a more distracted society as a whole
16. AI will become better and faster but people will look the other way when being faced with the societal existential threats because it's way easier to respond to a mean coworker with the help of a ChatBot

What did I miss?

Two years ago, around this exact time, I ghosted my brother.

He was texting me about coming over for Thanksgiving, and I just couldn't bring myself to answer him.

I was depressed. I was terrified.

I remember looking at my kids and knowing I couldn't take them to a bounce house because I didn't want to spend the money. I just didn't have it.

I had quit my job in September. By November at Thanksgiving, the silence was deafening. 0 clients. Just a draining bank account.  And I felt no one cared about PPC...

I didn't get my first freelance paycheck until December 27th. And when it rained, it poured. After 90 days of absolute silence, I signed 4 clients in one week.

I realized later that the "Silence" wasn't failure. It was potential energy. I was building a snowball, I just couldn't see it rolling yet.

If you are a freelancer or paid search agency feeling that alarm right now...if you are dreading the "How's work going?" question at Thanksgiving dinner...I recorded a video for you.

I break down exactly what I did during those 3 months of silence to trigger the avalanche that finally came in December 2 years ago...

Quiet does not mean Dead. Keep building...

[Link to video in comments ⬇️]

What does this recognition actually mean? To be a TOP 100 Most Influentiial PPCer?

I made a video where I talked about it on my personal YouTube channel. I talk openly journey to get on the list, and why these types of acknowledgments matter for our PPC industry (and maybe why they sometimes feel like accepting an Oscar when you're just doing your job and being a nice human and trying to...IDK just watch what I have to say...)

Also if you watch to the end I have something I am trying out and piloting...

https://lnkd.in/eeCyY4RT

Open video: The PPC Influencer List My Unscripted & Unpaid Journey on youtu.be

The PPC Influencer List My Unscripted & Unpaid Journey

Imagine paying a mortgage for 5 years and never owning the house...

That is exactly what most B2B companies do with Google Ads.

You pay a monthly "management fee" to an agency. You do this for years. You spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in agency fees, you get boring reports you barely read. But the day you stop paying is the day the strategy stops working.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬.

I saw this trap constantly in my agency days. The model is designed to keep you dependent. If the client understands the system, the agency loses the fee. So they keep it complicated. They keep it opaque.  They explain things to justify the ongoing fee...

But Google is making it easier which is why...

𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥.
I don't want to be your landlord. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭.

My goal is to build a 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 that belongs to 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 90-𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧-𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝: I tear down the "agency bloat" and rebuild your account based on profit, not vanity metrics.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟: We validate the new system live. We prove it makes money.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫: I train your team (or you) to run it in an hour a week.

Then I leave. You stop paying fees. You own the asset.

This isn't a theory. Earlier this year, I launched this as a pilot to see if complex B2B companies could actually manage their own ads. The answer was a resounding yes.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭: Your marketing becomes a machine you own, not a service you rent.
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐏.𝐒. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦? I am currently accepting applications for the next round of 90-Day Transformations. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 (𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞).

I hope that everyone saw Ginny Marvin and her official announcement about Google's Nano Banana AI image editor...

Yes...Google really named it "Nano Banana Pro" 🍌

I was part of the 10% of accounts that got early access before the official launch on December 11th. I’ve been secretly testing it and I am sharing it with YOU.

But of course I decided to stress-test it with the "un-sexiest" images I could possibly find: messy warehouses, complex machinery, and bad lighting...

My thoughts are here: https://lnkd.in/erfKSiTw

Open video: Testing Googles New Nano Banana Pro EXCLUSIVE on youtu.be

Testing Googles New Nano Banana Pro EXCLUSIVE

Most of the time when I am taking coaching calls from clients THEY have the big moment of clarity but today I had a huge moment...

My job isn't to be a "paid search genius." It's to help my clients see the objective reality by changing the story they tell themselves about what is going on inside the ad campaigns...

Instead of asking: “Why is this campaign failing?”

We ask: “What if things are actually working out for us, and we haven't found the evidence yet?”

When we do this, the focus shifts:

❌ 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦: "We're wasting money."
✅ 𝐓𝐨: "Which 20% of keywords are driving 80% of our profit, and how can we learn and grow from there?"

The data doesn't change, but the perception does shift. 

My client moves from being emotionally attached to the problem to strategically attached to the solution which most of the time is right there in the platform.

Why can't they see it...they have been Googling and trying to figure it out for so long that they didn't see what was there in the data...

Here is a brutal reality that I don't think any of us marketers are prepared for. We see the LinkedIn algorithm as total trash rn, so many of us are flocking to YouTube and podcasts because "long-form content builds trust." Right?

Wrong.

People are literally taking our YouTube videos, plugging the link into AI, and they don't have to listen to the full video to extract the core information.

We're waxing poetic about building trust while the audience is circumventing the viewing process entirely.

AI summarization tools are rapidly devaluing the information contained in long-form video, transforming it from a scarce resource into a commodity.

All that says they’re little things that we can do like 

become better storytellers
integrate our personal solutions and personal experiences

so that when it is copied, it’s not necessarily as duplicative, 

but it’s something that we all need to think about as marketers who have built our business making content…

Actual picture of what I look like filming my content with a double chin 😬

Oh actually, I think there are some positives too for people like me but this LinkedIn post that probably won’t get seen is getting too long on, so maybe I’ll just save my additional thoughts for the comments.

I had to tell a client their 10x ROAS wasn't real.

It started with a celebration. A new client was thrilled with their Google Ads account, because of the 10x ROAS. 

On the surface, it looked performance looked incredible. But one look at account audit told a different story.

Then I opened the account...

I discovered their Dynamic Search campaign, intended to find new customers, and search terms was almost exclusively capturing branded searches.

It was cannibalizing traffic that their brand campaign would have won anyway, which severely inflated their ROAS.

They were paying for customers who were already typing in their name. The campaign was cannibalizing traffic that SEO (free) would have won anyway. It wasn't bringing in new money.

Yikes!

Delivering this news was difficult. Their 10x ROAS wasn't real, and we needed a new plan.

I told them: "We can keep this number high and lie to ourselves, or we can fix it and actually grow."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱: We rebuilt the DSA campaign with a 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 around their brand terms. We launched tightly-themed non-brand campaigns focused on acquiring 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 new customers.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭? The overall ROAS is lower now. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫.

We traded "Fake ROAS" for "Incremental Growth." Every dollar is now fighting for a new customer, not just claiming credit for an existing one.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧: If your agency is reporting sky-high ROAS but your bottom line isn't moving, check your Brand vs. Non-Brand split.

𝐏.𝐒. 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 "𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝" 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬? I look for "Brand Cannibalization" in every 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 I do. It’s the fastest way to stop wasting budget on traffic you already own. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 (under the headline).

Simple A/B testing is early 2000s PPC thinking... ‼️ 

We need to move the conversation from the outdated: 

"Which ad works better?" to the strategic: "Under what conditions does this ad drive the highest-value customer?"

We’ve seen tests that are deemed "losing" by surface-level ROAS criteria, but which strategically connect brands with their highest-value new customer segments. 

That’s the nuance that leads to sustainable growth...

I broke down what modern PPC testing looks like in my latest article for Search Engine Land

I talked about how we need to evolve in our ideas of testing:

Open article: Why PPC tests in 2026 call for nuance, not winners by searchengineland.com

Why PPC tests in 2026 call for nuance, not winners

I can’t wait please join us Paid Search Association (PSA)

Paid Media + CRM = perfCRMance | Agency Specializing in PPC, Paid Social, SEO, HubSpot, AI | P.S. I also am a Adj. Prof, Podcast Host. and run an Online Marketing Academy.

This Wednesday, I’m joining my friend Sarah Stemen, MBA and the Paid Search Association (PSA) on a live stream to dive into one of the most important (and overlooked) parts of PPC for lead gen: 

What happens after the lead comes in.

Many PPCers stop at the form fill.

But the real performance story starts when you connect Google Ads to your CRM and track the full journey from click → lead → qualified → customer.

During the session, I’ll break down practical frameworks and workflows you can use immediately:

👉 Connect the Dots: Build a Reliable Google Ads + HubSpot Integration

Ensure campaign, ad group, and keyword data flow cleanly into HubSpot for real attribution accuracy.

👉 Capture & Qualify: Design Forms That Power Lead Intelligence

HubSpot forms, Gravity Forms, Zapier - how to structure fields and hidden parameters for cleaner segmentation and automation.

👉 Close the Loop : Sync Real Results Back to Google Ads

How to push qualified lead and deal data back into Google Ads so you’re optimizing for actual customers, not just conversions.

-----

If you're a media buyer, marketing ops pro, or agency owner looking to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, this one’s for you.

Excited to share and even more excited to collaborate with Sarah.

Link to join us is in the comments below.

#PaidSearch #GoogleAdsTips #HubSpotCRM #MarketingOps #DigitalMarketingStrategy

I deleted 90% of a client’s keywords. Sales went up immediately.

A client (let's call him Bob) recently booked a diagnostic session.

When I opened his Google Ads account, it looked like a 2012 ads account...

He had HUNDREDS of ad groups. He was targeting every specific variation imaginable, like "green sign for brick facade commercial building."

He thought this was smart because everything was in the account.

I call this DATA STARVATION

The Problem: Bob was so obsessed with "every keyword" that he fragmented his budget.

His data was SO insanely thin that Google’s machine learning couldn't learn anything.

He had THOUSANDS of keywords with 2 clicks each...

The Fix: I didn't tweak adjust bid strategies. I took a big big big account and made it uncomfortably small for the client. We cut 90% of the keywords and consolidated everything into "High-Intent Themes" (e.g., "Camo Signs").

The Result: Weeks later, I got an email: "Wait, is this real?" Sales increased before I was seeing results in the platform. By feeding the algorithm consistent data (Data Density), the ads platforms finally knew what to do...

The Lesson: Complexity feels productive, and like you have everything but...if you go too far in this you starve the machine.

𝐏.𝐒. 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? I spot-check for "Data Starvation" in my 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬. It’s a one-time checkup to see if your architecture is blocking your growth. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 (under the headline).

I am live with Danny Gavin here on LinkedIn and on YouTube:

https://lnkd.in/eFtu_k9r

Open video: Connect. Capture. Close. How HubSpot + Google Ads Reveal the Full Lead Journey on youtube.com

Connect. Capture. Close. How HubSpot + Google Ads Reveal the Full Lead Journey

I had a call this morning with a potential client, and they were super stressed.

Their Google Ads performance had been slowly eroding for months, and they couldn't figure out why. "I'm doing everything Google tells me to do!" they exclaimed.

"Who? Google the rep??" I asked. "No, the platform..."

This client was accepting the recommendations without thought. Their thinking was: "If Google says it will help, it must be true... they built the platform!”

Wrong... ❌

The "logic" here is flawed. Google's algorithm is optimized for one thing: maximizing their revenue, which usually means encouraging you to spend more, not necessarily helping you earn more profit.

My advice wasn't complex or secret. It was simple:

You do not work for the Google Ads algorithm. It works for you.

We spent the next hour going through every single suggestion in the interface and undoing what we could. We were deleting "improvements" that were quietly funneling their budget in the wrong direction.

If your Google Ads Optimization Score is 90% or higher (and it isn't because you constantly dismiss everything), and you're still not making money, you're probably falling for the same trap. You're giving the keys to your budget away.

Running paid ads looks simple.


Until you are staring at a search terms report.

Looking at terms that are 100% perfect for a brand.

And you still have ZERO conversions. Zero.

Paid Search blends data analysis, years of knowledge, and strategy into a whole plan.

All the automation, the perfect keywords, the best copy, these things are wonderful

But there is invisible work behind the scenes.

This is the work ChatGPT can't do.

And it is figuring out why things are broken for a client like this.

311 LinkedIn posts
65 YouTube videos
20 Blog posts on my website
12 Posts on Search Engine Land
1 Post on Search Engine Journal

And I still think I could get better at making content, telling stories and being real.
I still try to improve.
I still don't feel like an expert.

But I do show up and I will continue to show up.

Here I am sharing PPC advice with anyone who will listen. I hope you join me.

CAN we all agree to...STOP LOOKING FOR THE "EASY BUTTON" IN PPC???

That prescriptive, black-and-white answer you're chasing in ad testing or campaign structures?

It really doesn't exist anymore.

I know that sucks. I used to love those simple formulas...it was the dopamine hit we all craved. But in 2025, your strategy desperately needs to evolve.

Here’s the reality:

We don't get the answer; we get a microcosm of signals from a small audience segment.

You can't automate the next step. You need a human expert to extract the meaning from those signals and connect the dots.

The future of PPC success isn't in automation, it's in human context. Are you building a strategy or just running tests and trying campaigns you read about on the internet?

I had a lead come to me a few weeks ago and their account was being held hostage by their agency.

They stayed with the agency.  Agencies hold accounts hostage because it works.

- your truly
Sarah

taplio

The Battle

Patrick Gilbert

Sarah Stemen, MBA

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreSarah Stemen, MBA's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Patrick Gilbert

Sarah Stemen, MBA

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sarah Stemen, MBA's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSarah Stemen, MBA's LinkedIn Performance