--- title: Google Ads Optimization Demo — Cordwainer Account (2026-03-18) type: article created: '2026-03-18' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-03-18-weekly-call-inventory-performance-marketing-130927254.md tags: - google-ads - cordwainer - ai-tools - performance-marketing - remarketing - conversion-tracking - negative-keywords - bidding-strategy layer: 2 client_source: The Cordwainer industry_context: senior-living transferable: false --- # Google Ads Optimization Demo — Cordwainer Account (2026-03-18) ## Overview During the [[wiki/meetings/2026-03-18-weekly-call-inventory-performance-marketing|2026-03-18 weekly call]], Mark demoed a new AI agent that performed a live audit of the [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/_index|Cordwainer]] Google Ads account. The agent identified several critical structural errors and executed fixes in real time — work that would typically take hours of manual review. The session surfaced a pattern of misconfigured accounts that likely applies across multiple clients. --- ## Audit Findings ### 1. Bidding Strategy — Critical The account was running **Target ROAS** on a lead-generation account with **zero conversion values assigned**. This made the bidding algorithm effectively blind: Google had no signal to optimize toward and was unable to bid competitively. > "You can't have a $1 value per conversion and then optimize for conversions because Google's going to say, oh, these are only worth a dollar, so I'm only willing to pay 10 cents for them." — Mark **Fix applied:** Switched all campaigns to **Maximize Conversions**. --- ### 2. Conversion Tracking — Critical All **eight conversion actions** in the account were marked as **Primary**. Google's algorithm cannot determine what to optimize for when every action carries equal weight. **Recommended structure:** - **Primary (2–3 actions):** High-intent actions only — e.g., form submission, phone call, meeting booking - **Secondary (all others):** Page views, scroll depth, soft engagement signals **Remaining blocker:** Six legacy **Smart Campaign** conversions are locked as Primary by Google and cannot be changed via the API or UI. This is a known Google limitation with no current workaround. --- ### 3. Negative Keywords — High Priority No negative keywords were active on the main campaigns. This allowed budget to be consumed by irrelevant search terms. **Fix applied:** Added: - 16 competitor brand terms as negative keywords - 5 Cordwainer brand terms as negatives on non-brand campaigns (to prevent cannibalization) --- ### 4. Landing Pages — Medium Priority Quality scores were poor, attributed to sending all ad traffic to the **generic homepage** rather than intent-matched landing pages. **Fix applied (partial):** A dedicated landing page has been requested but not yet built. **Action:** [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/_index|Karly]] to task Sebastian with creating a dedicated landing page for Cordwainer. See [[#open-action-items]]. --- ### 5. Brand Campaign — Missing No dedicated brand campaign existed, meaning Cordwainer was not protecting its own branded search terms. **Fix applied:** Created a new **exact-match brand campaign**. --- ### 6. Remarketing — Not Configured No remarketing audiences were attached to any campaigns. **Fix applied:** Created remarketing audiences and attached them to all campaigns. **Current blocker:** Audiences are newly created and need time to populate before ads can serve. Display creative is also needed. **Action:** Design team to create display images for the remarketing campaign. --- ### 7. Conversion Values — Not Assigned No monetary values were assigned to conversion actions, preventing value-based bidding from functioning correctly. **Fix applied:** Assigned estimated values to key actions. Example: - Form Submit → **$100** **Note on methodology:** For lead-gen accounts, conversion value should reflect estimated lead value, not revenue. A rough formula: ``` Lead Value = (Average Deal Size × Close Rate) × Gross Margin ``` For Cordwainer specifically, a client relationship is estimated at ~$6,000–$7,000/month. At a 10% close rate, a lead is worth ~$7,200 annually — far above the $1 placeholder that was previously in the account. --- ### 8. Broken Sitelink One sitelink was pointing to a **404 page**. **Fix applied:** Corrected the broken URL. --- ## Budget Allocation The AI agent optimized the Google Ads budget to approximately **$1,490/month**, calibrated against Cordwainer's total digital ad spend of **$2,000/month** (Google + Meta combined). **Action:** Karly to confirm exact Meta spend with Sebastian to validate this split. --- ## Remaining Issues & Open Blockers | Issue | Status | Blocker | |---|---|---| | Smart Campaign conversions locked as Primary | ⚠️ Unresolved | Google API limitation — cannot be changed | | Remarketing audiences need to populate | ⏳ In progress | Needs ~2–4 weeks of traffic | | Display creative for remarketing | ⏳ Pending | Design team task | | Dedicated landing page | ⏳ Pending | Sebastian to build | | Call tracking | ⏳ Pending | Karly researching solutions | | Homepage campaign performance | 👀 Monitoring | Pause if no improvement in 2–3 weeks | --- ## Open Action Items - [ ] **Gilbert** — Monitor Cordwainer remarketing audience growth; launch remarketing ads when lists are large enough - [ ] **Gilbert** — Monitor Maximize Conversions performance for 2–3 weeks; pause homepage campaign if performance doesn't improve - [ ] **Karly** — Confirm exact Meta ad spend with Sebastian to validate the $1,490/month Google budget split - [ ] **Karly** — Task Sebastian with creating a dedicated landing page for Cordwainer - [ ] **Karly** — Task design team with creating display images for the remarketing campaign - [ ] **Karly** — Research and implement call tracking solution for Cordwainer - [ ] **Gilbert** — Schedule setup call with Mark to install and configure the Google Ads AI audit agent locally --- ## Broader Implications The issues found in the Cordwainer account — misconfigured bidding, over-assigned primary conversions, missing negative keywords — are consistent with patterns Mark identified across other client accounts during recent audits (e.g., Reynolds Transfer). These are systemic risks worth auditing across the full client portfolio. **Related:** Mark to run Q2 OKR audits for all clients, which will include a Google Ads structural review. See also: [[wiki/knowledge/google-ads/conversion-value-methodology|Conversion Value Methodology for Lead-Gen Accounts]] · [[wiki/knowledge/google-ads/bidding-strategy-guide|Bidding Strategy Guide]]