Google Ads Optimization Strategy — 2026-02-24

Overview

During the ^[1], Mark and Sebastian reviewed Cordwainer's Google Ads account and identified a core problem: a low Optimization Score (below 80) is causing Google to throttle ad traffic, suppressing impression share and limiting the impact of the $20/day budget. The fix is to implement a set of high-impact recommendations — primarily Site Links and Structured Snippets — to push the score above 80.

The Core Problem

"If your optimization score is not above 80, they sort of temper your traffic. So you'll find, like, when you see your impression share is low and it says you're [low] because of rank, a lot of times it's because they give you low rank because your optimization score is too low."
— Mark Hope

Paid Search was generating only 96 active users in the reporting period, well behind Direct (666), Organic (395), and Paid Social (266). The low budget ($20/day) is a factor, but the throttled impression share from a low Optimization Score compounds the problem significantly.

Recommended Actions

1. Site Links (~9% score impact)

• Add site links pointing to key pages: Suites, Services, and other primary destinations.
• Fix any disapproved site links (likely pointing to the old site URL).
• Enable Dynamic Site Link Extensions to allow Google's AI to generate additional site links automatically.

2. Structured Snippets (~2% score impact)

• Create a Service Catalog snippet listing Cordwainer's core offerings (e.g., memory care, respite care).
• Create an Amenities snippet listing key amenities.
• Do not rely on Google's auto-generated snippets — create these manually.

Site Links + Structured Snippets combined are projected to add ~11% to the Optimization Score.

3. Image Assets

• Upload all images from the Cordwainer website to Google Ads as image assets.
• Currently, all images in the account were added by Google AI; no manual uploads have been done.
• Having images improves ad display eligibility and contributes to the Optimization Score.

4. Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)

• Add more headline and description variations to existing RSAs.
• Google flags this as a recommended action in the account.

5. Search Partners

• Enable Google Search Partners to extend reach beyond Google.com.
• Low downside risk: click-through rates on Search Partners do not affect Quality Score.

6. Keyword Cleanup

• Remove redundant keywords flagged in the account recommendations.

Current Performance Snapshot

Owner

• Sebastian Gant — responsible for implementing all ad optimizations listed above.
• Mark Hope — to review GA4 goals and move any Group 1/Group 2 goals up to ensure conversions are tracked correctly.

Related

• ^[2]
• ^[3]
• ^[4]
• ^[5]