Starting his career in the trenches as an SMB rep, our guest quickly rose through the ranks at Google, pivoting across teams and strategies, eventually working with some of the most high-profile startups in the tech world. Today, he runs his own performance agency, helping businesses cut through the noise and get real results from their ad spend.
We dive into:
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What really happens behind the scenes at Google Ads
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How to know which reps to listen to — and which to ignore
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The smartest ways to spend $10K (or $500K) on Google Ads
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Why treating your ad account like your health could save your business
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And the one thing he wishes every advertiser would stop doing
This isn’t just another Google Ads tutorial — it’s the unfiltered, behind-the-curtain conversation you’ve been waiting for.
Brian: Welcome back to the show, everyone! Today, we’re diving into the world of Google Ads, agency life, and the hidden mechanics behind those infamous “Google rep” calls. My guest is someone who spent years at Google, managing multi-million-dollar ad budgets, working with different teams, and eventually transitioning to high-profile startups before launching their own agency. And today, they’re here to share their knowledge with us—without all the corporate fluff.
Anonymous: Hey Brian, thanks for having me. Excited to pull back the curtain on what really goes on behind the scenes.
Brian: Oh, we love that. There’s a lot of mystery around how Google Ads works and, honestly, a lot of frustration from advertisers. So let’s get into it.
Journey from Google to Running an Agency
Brian: So, let’s start with your background. You worked at Google, climbed the ranks, handled millions in ad spend—walk me through that journey.
Anonymous: Yeah, so I started as an SMB rep—essentially helping small businesses optimize their Google Ads. But I moved up fast, pivoted roles multiple times, and ended up managing huge budgets. Eventually, I left for some high-profile startups, but after seeing the agency world from the outside, I decided to launch my own.
Brian: What made you want to start your own agency?
Anonymous: A lot of reasons, but mainly, I wanted to do things right. At Google, we had reps pushing one-size-fits-all strategies. I wanted to take a more tailored approach—helping businesses optimize their ads without just blindly increasing budgets.
How to Handle Google Reps
Brian: Speaking of Google reps, let’s address the elephant in the room. A lot of advertisers complain that they get calls from Google reps pushing them to spend more money. Are those reps actually helpful?
Anonymous: It depends. Google has different tiers of reps. Some are fresh grads from the SPARK program who just follow a script to push broad match and increase budgets. Then there’s MMS (Midmarket Sales)—a mix of newer and more experienced reps. And then there’s the Accelerated Growth Team (AGT), which, when I was there, had the best reps—the kind who could build high-performance campaigns in their sleep.
Brian: So, if you get a call from a Google rep, how do you know if they’re actually giving good advice?
Anonymous: Easy. If they push broad match and tell you to “trust the algorithm” without any strategic insight—ignore them. If they’re offering real, data-backed recommendations via email and actually listening to your business goals, they might be worth hearing out.
Brian: And what if you don’t want to keep getting those calls?
Anonymous: Just tell them in writing that you’re opting out of all future contact. If they keep calling, email them and their manager—mention GDPR compliance and they’ll back off real quick.
Is Google Ads Losing Ground to AI?
Brian: With AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity growing, is Google losing its grip on search?
Anonymous: In some ways, yes. AI-generated answers are pulling traffic away, but for things like local lead generation, Google still dominates. AI tools are great, but they tend to hallucinate—they’ll confidently give you an answer that might not be correct. Google is still seen as more reliable, especially for service-based businesses.
Brian: So would you say Google Ads is still worth it?
Anonymous: 100%. But advertisers need to be smarter with how they run campaigns.
Best Google Ads Strategies in 2024
Brian: Alright, let’s talk about real strategies. What’s working right now?
Anonymous: A few key things:
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Search Terms Report – Most advertisers aren’t checking this often enough. You have to regularly clean out irrelevant keywords.
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Audience Targeting – AI is taking over keyword-based targeting, so setting up custom audiences is huge.
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A/B Testing Ad Copy – The #1 thing people ignore. Even a small tweak in copy can drive major performance gains.
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Leveraging Extensions – Google gives you these tools for free—use them! They boost Quality Score, which reduces CPC.
Brian: What about bid strategies? Max Clicks vs. Max Conversions—what’s your take?
Anonymous: It depends. If I’m launching a new campaign, I’ll start with Max Clicks to pull in as much search data as possible. Once I have enough conversion data, I’ll switch to Max Conversions or Target CPA to improve efficiency.
Performance Max – Worth It or Not?
Brian: Let’s talk Performance Max (PMax)—is it worth running?
Anonymous: Honestly? I avoid it unless the business is eCommerce. PMax is a black box—it’ll take your budget and run ads across YouTube, Search, Shopping, and Display with minimal control. For most businesses, I’d rather run Search + Shopping separately to maintain control.
Brian: If someone’s running PMax and performance drops, what should they do?
Anonymous:
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Check if branded searches are inflating results—PMax loves taking credit for those.
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Exclude irrelevant placements—especially if Display is bringing in junk leads.
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Consider switching to a Shopping/Search strategy instead.
What Advertisers Need to Know About Google’s Policies
Brian: A lot of businesses have had their Merchant Center accounts suspended for “Misrepresentation.” What does that actually mean?
Anonymous: It’s Google’s vague way of saying, “We think your site is sketchy.” It could be misleading claims, missing contact info, or aggressive sales tactics. Before appealing, make sure:
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Your product claims are fact-based
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Your return policy is clearly visible
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Your site has all required business details
Brian: And if someone is flagged for health-related ad violations?
Anonymous: Request a proactive policy review—Google will sometimes whitelist your ad copy if you can prove compliance.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Brian: This has been incredible. Before we wrap up, what’s the biggest mistake businesses make with Google Ads?
Anonymous: Not treating it like a long-term investment. Too many advertisers set it and forget it, but the best-performing accounts are constantly optimized.
Brian: Awesome. Thanks again for coming on!
Brian (to audience): If you found this episode valuable, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. Until next time, happy marketing!
