Andy Black
Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
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Yeah, I saw that too.
Local lead gen seems to be as strong as ever. Although I do think Google Ads can work really well with eCommerce.
We picked up an eCommerce client last week, even though I wasn't looking for one, and I then found this channel and sucked all the videos into NotebookLM to help me get up to speed with all the other types of Google Ads campaigns:
As for AI, I have soooo many techie and non-techie friends using Claude Code that I had to sign up this week. I'll see how I get on with it compared to Gemini (which probably isn't a true comparison).
Google's DNA is engineering. It was founded by engineers and their interface is so confusing you know it was designed by engineers (no offence to engineers).
It's just unfortunate they seem hell bent on killing the golden goose that is paid search. They make it harder and harder for advertisers to control their campaigns. Their argument is their algorithms know better, when everyone else thinks their goal is maximising revenue from advertisers.
I think I'll have a job for a good while yet, trying to maintain the style of campaigns that have been running successfully for two decades, while Google tries to make it harder and harder to make that style work.
Guess what that style is? Someone searches for XYZ, you put XYZ in the ad headline, and you put XYZ in the landing page. Fecking simple, and paid search 101. You'd think.
Maybe one day enough search volume will move to another platform but I swear the same principles will apply:
If they're looking for information about XYZ then give them information about XYZ.
If they're looking to buy XYZ then help them buy XYZ.
Basically, give people what they want, at the moment they want it.
It fecking annoys me when I bid on EXACT MATCH keyword [chimney repairs stilorgan] and our ads show for "chimney cleaning stilorgan". That's Google squeezing money out of unsuspecting advertisers who don't know to look at search terms, or who assume Google's trying to help and/or exact match is exact enough.
I love what I do because I can help business owners and tradesmen keep a roof over their heads, but as the years drag on my dislike for Google just grows.
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