Rick Hecker - Google Ads Optimization & PPC Strategy Blog

Two separate paper timelines: shrinking stacks of blue form slips above and fewer amber search-light circles below, with a magnifying glass between them.

Cascader Answers

I made SQL Primary after form leads fell. Why did Search impressions and clicks drop?

The SQL-only switch may have changed Search bidding, but a first-week reach drop has other possible causes. Check the selected goal, HubSpot imports, lag and auction losses before deciding whether to wait, repair or reverse.

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What counts as a new customer in Google Ads?

First-ever buyer, returning after a long gap, or a new contact at an old account? Agree on the customer you mean before choosing an acquisition goal.

A sliding-door track and repair tools sit beside an unusually long blank receipt curling across a workbench.

Cascader Answers

One Google Ads click cost $335 after I fixed conversion tracking. What should I do now?

Pause the Search campaign if more spend today is intolerable. Check whether the $335 click was billed on today's account-calendar date, then test whether a bounded future trial can afford enough relevant traffic before choosing bids or seeking a credit.

A short row of metal letterpress type rests in a composing stick, with unused blocks scattered on the workbench.

Make room for the useful word

A small writing workshop for search-ad headlines: one real offer, thirty characters, and a few words worth arguing over.

An empty teal shopping basket beside gold jewellery and a small closed coin purse on a jeweller's workbench.

Cascader Answers

My new Shopping campaign has clicks but no carts—would switching to Performance Max help?

Before switching a new Shopping campaign to Performance Max, check what the missing carts mean, what each basket can contribute, and whether the next observation is worth paying for.

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Cascader Answers

Can a new Google Ads campaign learn from offline conversions uploaded before their action became Primary?

Keep valid offline conversions, but do not assume their Secondary-era history will train a new campaign after promotion. Weigh the conflicting evidence, verify the campaign's goal and preserve truthful records.

A parcel and a front door stand at opposite ends of a paper calendar strip; two folded cells form a deep valley between them.

Where the days go in “two-day shipping”

Two orders, two minutes apart, can arrive on different days. Follow the parcels through cutoff, handling, weekends and a holiday before checking the promise in Merchant Center.

Two small parcels fit beneath an adjustable brass bar, while a larger parcel stands above its height beside it.

Cascader Answers

What can I do about unwanted or expensive clicks in Performance Max?

Separate irrelevant traffic from price objections, see why CPA and ROAS targets cannot cap a click, and configure a narrower Shopping alternative when the limit is firm.

Blue discs follow a wooden track that divides into two ceramic bowls, with a magnifying glass beside the fork.

Cascader Answers

Google Ads conversions have dropped but clicks continue—how do I find out what changed?

Separate real business outcomes, measurement receipts and Google Ads credit, then compare mature traffic to see whether volume, mix or performance within a group changed.

An imagined museum drawer preserves six office relics: an index card, brass plate, sale ticket, warning note, paper stack and blue file tab.

The Museum of Old Campaign Names

Six invented campaign names, preserved with their small embarrassments, departed colleagues and unfinished promises.

A large blue funnel releases teal discs into a smaller glass vessel beside a magnifying glass and sand timer, illustrating a budget transfer that needs measurement and time.

Cascader Answers

Can Google Search deliver medical-opinion leads at Meta’s CPL and the volume I need?

Test a proposed Search budget against affordable clicks, the conversion rate needed to match Meta’s CPL, and mature lead quality—without assuming medical purchase data can be sent back to Google.

Paper models of two cities receive inquiry envelopes from one spending dial; envelopes pile up at one recipient while nearby mail slots remain empty.

Cascader Answers

Can smaller Google Ads budgets keep some leads flowing to nonpremium marketplace users in each city?

Smaller budgets can reduce spending, but city lead totals can conceal users receiving nothing. Learn when separate budgets, shared budgets, pausing or marketplace allocation can serve the intended nonpremium benefit.