Before You Turn On Smart Bidding, Fix This First

Smart Bidding has a reputation problem, and most of it is earned the wrong way. A team flips it on, performance dips, and the conclusion writes itself: automation doesn't work, Google got worse, and costs are out of control.

That reaction is understandable, but it usually points to the wrong thing.

Smart Bidding isn't a shortcut. It takes the foundation you've already built and amplifies it, meaning strong inputs scale and weak ones are quickly exposed. For teams running paid search across multiple locations with real budget behind it, that distinction matters more than most people realize.

Susan Yen breaks down what actually drives Smart Bidding performance and what needs to be in place before you trust it to scale in this episode of PPC Real Talk:

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Stop Treating Dallas Like Chicago: The Cure for Location Decay

There's a fantasy that lives rent-free in the head of every PPC marketer: flip on Smart Bidding, lean back, and watch the algorithm quietly print money while you work on other things.

Unfortunately, it is just that, a fantasy.

Before blaming Google's algorithm, take an honest look at the four foundations below. They won't make for a flashy agency presentation, but they're usually what separates an ad account that grows from one that slowly drains budget while everyone points fingers and nobody finds answers.

Susan Yen shares the foundations and exactly how to manage your ads for every location in this episode of PPC Real Talk:

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When to Scale vs Rebuild Your PPC Campaigns And Why Most Businesses Get It Wrong

Throwing more budget at a struggling campaign feels like the obvious move. The pressure to show results is real, the logic seems sound, and raising spend at least feels like doing something.

However, if the structure underneath isn't working, more money doesn't turn things around. It just makes the problem more expensive to ignore.

Knowing the difference between a campaign that's ready to grow and one that needs to be rebuilt first is one of the most valuable calls you can make in paid search. 

In this episode of PPC Real Talk, Susan Yen details exactly why you need to know the differences in campaigns when it comes to scaling. 

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Stop Copy-Pasting Your PPC Strategy Across Platforms: It’s Not Going to Work

Let’s have an honest conversation about something I’ve seen over and over again in this industry — and if you manage PPC accounts across multiple platforms, you’ve probably seen it too:

“Just because it works on Google doesn’t mean it’ll work on Bing. Or Meta. Or anywhere else.”

It sounds obvious, but it happens all the time. We get excited about a working campaign and assume we can rinse and repeat across platforms or industries like a one-size-fits-all solution.
Spoiler alert: it’s not.

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“Failing” in PPC? Good. That Means You’re Playing the Game.

Picture this: You’re a football coach.

It’s game day—first quarter. Your quarterback throws one bad pass — slightly off, maybe too much juice. And you’re like, “Welp, that’s it. Bench him. Let’s forfeit. Football doesn’t work.”

Sounds ridiculous. Welcome to how some people treat PPC testing.

What We Call “Failure” Is Usually Just… First Quarter Stats

I’ve had clients panic 48 hours into a brand-new campaign because the leads didn’t come flooding in like the ad was giving away Beyoncé tickets. But here’s the truth:

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When the Data Hits Just Right: Google Marketing Live 2025 Recap

When the Data Hits Just Right: Google Marketing Live 2024 Recap

Let’s be honest — in marketing, we live and die by data. We tweak, optimize, pull back, push harder... all based on what the data tells us. When the data is right. Because we’ve all been there: a campaign looks like it’s poppin' off, clicks galore — but conversions? Crickets. Cue the spiral.

But at this year’s Google Marketing Live, the message was loud, clear, and a little sexy: Data isn’t just important — it’s the main character. And Google brought receipts, AI magic, and some seriously cool tools to make sure we can trust what we’re looking at.

Here’s what I loved (and what you need to know).

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AI Max for Search vs Performance Max: The Real Deal from Google Marketing Live 2025

If you’ve been in PPC long enough, you know Performance Max (PMax) wasn’t the dream campaign for everyone, especially if you’re in lead gen. It promised all-channel reach (Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps), but it came with zero data transparency and minimal control. The kind of setup that made some of us hate our lives trying to figure out what’s actually working.

Then Google drops a bombshell at Marketing Live 2025, saying: "AI is giving search super power." Enter AI Max for Search — a smarter, faster, and more transparent evolution built right inside Search campaigns, designed to fix PMax’s biggest pain points.

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Google Marketing Live 2025: AI, Creators, and the Small Biz Glow-Up

Google Marketing Live 2025: AI, Creators, and the Small Biz Glow-Up

If you’re a marketer who’s been side-eyeing Google lately, wondering what the AI hype is really going to mean for you, especially if you're working with local or small businesses, buckle up. Google Marketing Live 2025 just served up an AI-heavy spread—and for once, there’s something on the table for the rest of us, not just the enterprise big shots with endless budgets and internal teams named things like “growth lab.”

Yes, Google is going full throttle into AI. Again. But this time, we’re seeing tools that—if you know how to use them—could actually save you time, unlock better creativity, and give smaller businesses the ability to punch way above their weight.

Let’s break it down.

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Maximizing ROI in PPC: Strategies That Work (Even When the Algorithm Doesn’t)

Running a successful PPC campaign isn’t just about setting things up and hoping for the best (spoiler: that’s a terrible strategy). If you want real results, you need a solid foundation built on clear goals, a deep understanding of your audience, and—most importantly—a willingness to actually do the work.

Because here’s the truth: algorithms are great, but they are not mind readers. They don’t know your business goals unless you define them. And they certainly won’t do all the heavy lifting while you sit back and sip your coffee.

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Making PMax Work for Lead Gen: How to Take Back Control

I get it—PMax for lead generation has been a struggle for a lot of marketers. It feels like we’ve lost control, and the automation doesn’t always work in our favor. But here’s the thing: PMax isn’t going anywhere, so instead of resisting, let’s figure out how to make it work for us, not against us.

If you’ve been burned by PMax, I hear you. But with the right structure, audience signals, and a firm grip on Google’s automation, you can actually make it work and generate high-quality leads. Let’s get into it.

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