---
title: Google Ads Optimization — Skaalen (2026-03-11)
type: article
created: '2026-03-11'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-03-11-weekly-call-inventory-performance-marketing-129037013.md
tags:
- google-ads
- skaalen
- conversion-tracking
- agentic-ai
- claude-code
- performance-marketing
layer: 2
client_source: Skaalen Retirement Services
industry_context: senior-living
transferable: false
---

# Google Ads Optimization — Skaalen (2026-03-11)

## Overview

During the weekly performance call on 2026-03-11, Gilbert flagged a significant conversion drop in the Skaalen Google Ads account. Mark ran a live demo of the agentic AI tool (Claude Code) to diagnose and fix the issues in real time. The session surfaced multiple structural problems and resolved them within a single session, producing a PDF report posted to the Skaalen Slack channel.

**Meeting context:** [[wiki/meetings/2026-03-11-weekly-call-inventory-performance-marketing]]

---

## Problem

Skaalen conversions dropped from approximately **70/month to 23/month** in the most recent period. Impressions had also declined sharply. No deliberate keyword or campaign changes had been made by the team.

---

## Diagnosis

The AI audit identified the following root causes:

| Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| Competitor campaign wasteful | $98 CPA on a single conversion; CPC had risen from ~$2–3 to ~$7 as competitors increased their own bids on their branded terms |
| Wrong bidding strategy | Both primary campaigns on `Maximize Clicks` despite having sufficient conversion history to use smart bidding |
| Too many primary conversion actions | 6 actions marked primary, diluting the bidding signal sent to Google |
| Impression share lost to rank | Budget was not the constraint — bids were too low; a budget increase would not have helped |
| Independent Living ad group | Zero impressions despite having an active RSA |
| Duplicate conversion action | "Calls — Scallon" and a misspelled variant both active; $19 spent with no conversions |

The competitor campaign decline was partly external: competing facilities had begun bidding more aggressively on their own branded terms, crowding out Skaalen's competitor targeting.

---

## Changes Made

All changes were executed directly via the Google Ads API by the AI tool.

### Campaign Structure
- **Paused** the competitor ad group (was $98 CPA / 1 conversion)
- **Reallocated** competitor budget to the Brand and Retirement campaigns proportionally based on performance
  - Brand: $35 → $47/day
  - Retirement: $20 → $28/day

### Conversion Actions
- **Consolidated** primary conversion actions from 6 → 2
  - Primary (biddable): Submit lead form, Phone call
  - Demoted to secondary: all others

### Keywords
- **Added 74 negative keywords** across campaigns
  - Categories: competitor names, out-of-area locations, wrong-intent terms (nursing home, adult family home, disability, visually impaired)
  - Note: "Heights" was briefly added as a negative but reversed after review — Skaalen Heights is a legitimate location modifier
- **Added 27 location-specific keywords** to the Retirement campaign
  - Driven by search term report showing local city searches converting well but lacking dedicated keywords
  - Some health-policy-restricted terms (e.g., "memory care near me," "dementia care") were flagged and excluded automatically

### Bidding Strategy
- **Switched** both active campaigns from `Maximize Clicks` → `Maximize Conversions`
- Rationale: account has sufficient conversion data; smart bidding should now optimize against actual goals
- Target CPA of ~$40 recommended for addition after 2–3 weeks of data under new strategy

---

## Outstanding Items

- **Landing pages:** Quality scores are a concern. The AI flagged that landing page experience is below average for several ad groups. Mark noted this is likely a bigger driver of long-term performance than any bidding change.
  - Action: Mark to email Melissa re: landing page improvements → see [[wiki/clients/current/skaalen/_index]]

---

## Output

The AI generated a summary of all changes and posted it as a **PDF report to the Skaalen Slack channel** automatically at session end.

---

## Action Items

- [ ] Monitor Skaalen campaign over next 2–3 weeks to assess impact of bidding strategy change (@Gilbert)
- [ ] Email Melissa re: landing page improvements for Skaalen ad groups (@Mark)
- [ ] After 2–3 weeks of `Maximize Conversions` data, evaluate adding Target CPA of ~$40 (@Gilbert)

---

## Related

- [[wiki/clients/current/skaalen/_index]]
- [[wiki/knowledge/google-ads/maximize-conversions-vs-maximize-clicks]]
- [[wiki/knowledge/ai-tooling/claude-code-agentic-audits]]
- [[wiki/clients/current/ahs/2026-03-11-google-ads-audit]] — parallel AI audit session from same call