The Truth About My Relationship With Google Ads

The Post I Was Afraid to Publish (Until Now)

I wrote this while I was away on a trip with my daughter this summer. I didn’t have the courage to post it then. Today, August 27th, I do.

One thing I’ve learned as a business owner is that the longer I do this, the more comfortable I become with the truth — even the uncomfortable parts. So here’s the post I was too afraid to share.

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I’m sitting here in my rental in Southampton, Massachusetts this morning, writing in a reflective mindset. There’s something about being here, away from my usual rhythm, away from home that makes me look at my work and my relationship with Google Ads a little more honestly.

Obviously I’m a Google Ads expert. It’s the world I grew up in professionally and it’s the skill I have. I’ve spent the vast majority of my career mastering this skill, but I still find Google Ads to be something I would run from if I could.

• Yes, I write this Google Ads blog.

• Yes, I do all the things an expert does.

• Yes, I’m at the top the PPC industry.

But I still struggle with the direction the paid ads industry is heading.

Maybe it’s because I know Google Ads and PPC too closely. Or maybe it’s because when you build a business around a skill, you’re expected to have a level of obsession with it, and I don’t have that deep, deep obsession with Google Ads.

What I do have is a clear understanding that Google Ads is a necessary tool for businesses that want to grow and get in front of their customers.

And that’s enough for now.

Sometimes, I Hate Google Ads

I hate that I’m so good at Google Ads and it’s still hard to find my ideal customer.

I hate that I have to sit here and play head games with myself — imagining a table for two, picturing my ideal client across from me, asking myself what I would truly tell them.

And what I’d tell them is this: you don’t have to like it, but you do have to spend your money and play the ads game if you want business quickly.

I also hate that there is so much snake oil in the Google Ads industry that confuses businesses.

I opened an account today while on a coaching call and the owner told me that she was paying a $3,500 retainer and when I was looking at the account it was one of the most mismanaged accounts I have seen in a while.

• Brand running in Non-Brand

• Campaigns named after the agency instead of anything clear that indicted good decision making

• and the worst was that the account was counting conversions instead of conversion value so the owner had like a .02 ROAS

I hate that I know there are millions of businesses who are probably spending money I would love with an agency that is costing them rather than helping and doing things like I described above and I am glad that this owner found me!

I hate that deep down I know I’m selling consulting around something businesses don’t actually want to be running and paying for but they have to because there is no better way to reach customers as Google is breaking SEO as we speak.

No one wakes up excited to pay for ads and give Google money — they want business rolling in and ads are a necessary evil.

And that truth puts a layer on all of this that isn’t easy.

What I Really Love Is Marketing

If I’m being brutally honest, it’s this: it’s sitting here with my fingers on the keyboard, typing out a blog post. It is posting on my 2 YouTube channels!

• My Content Channel: Sarah In Practice

• My Google Ads Channel: Google Ads Strategy Hub

It’s knowing that the only reason I’ve had success this year is because I started writing again. Because I started telling the truth about this industry.

It’s the conversations that came from this blog. It is the fact that sitting here I can be almost a keyboard warrior of sorts on my own blog. Typing here on my own Google Ads blog brings out a feeling of being anonymous at some level so I feel like I can be more honest and open with my readers.

I am also seeing more clients who found me because I articulated the Google Ads industry in a way that made sense to them and in a time of desperation they poured their thoughts into AI and I came up and a result. And I know a lot of that is because I have had the courage to write and that my writing is what TRUE MARKETING is about.

Right now, I’m working with a local furniture store I am teaching them to run their own Google Ads. Their marketing team is thoughtful, open‑minded, and committed to doing right by their customers. They align with my worldview.

And that alignment is everything. These are the parts I love and enjoy.

Why This Matters to You as a Client

Here’s the part that connects directly to Google Ads — and directly to you if you are pouring your Google Ads issues into AI or happened to land on this blog or maybe you found my YouTube channel.

I am a living example of Google’s matching technology.

I write about Google Ads. I write about life. I write about the struggle. I write about travel. I make YouTube videos about content and Google Ads. I am a real human example of someone putting out content that I hope my ideal client finds.

And somehow, the right people still find me and because I do this regularly my ideal clients are finding me.

Not because I chase volume. Not because I pretend to be obsessed with Google Ads. Not because I regurgitate platform knowledge.

But because I show up as a human. I explain why you are confused by Google Ads, why the platform works or doesn’t work they way you want it to and much more.

Google’s algorithm doesn’t just match keywords anymore — it matches people. It matches worldview and thinking patterns. It matches depth. It matches intent.

And that’s why you’re here reading this post today where ever it lives.

Why My Resentment Actually Helps You

My resentment isn’t about hating Google Ads. At least not fully. It’s about hating what Google Ads become when they’re handled poorly. I get mad FOR the business owner on the other end.

I hate the the waste of your money that could have been prevented. The confusion that is there by design. The bad advice coming from everywhere on the internet. The agencies that don’t care. The reports that lie. The money that disappears in to a void if you don’t know where to look.

All that said, my resentment is actually protective. It’s the reason I fight for clean data. It’s the reason I push for clarity. It’s the reason I refuse to let clients get buried by bad setups or bad strategy in Google Ads accounts.

I’m not just a Google Ads consultant. I’m a mom of three who grew up in this industry, who knows the platform deeply, and who cares about the business owner sitting across from me — the one who’s tired of seeing businesses losing money and tired of the businesses I serve not knowing why.

AI can’t always give you the real answer to why your ads aren’t working. But I can.

And that’s the only match that matters.

I guess this post was kind of a rant. I wish I could help more businesses but I am only going to reach as many as the algo gods will send my way and for now that is enough!