The $100,000 Mistake: Why Your Current Google Ads Agency Is Trapped in Activity Theatre
That knot in your stomach? It’s the one that tells you your paid search agency isn’t cutting it anymore. You know you should fire them and find a better partner.
But then you look at the change log they sent over—27 bid adjustments, three new ad groups, a new campaign paused—and you think, "Well, at least they're busy." You settle back down, paralyzed by the fear of switching to something worse.
This post will show you exactly how that flurry of activity is keeping your account stuck. I’m going to dismantle the lie that movement equals progress and give you the concrete proof you need to make a strategic move based on a system, not just guesswork.
What We’ll Cover
Your biggest fear: switching to an agency that’s somehow worse.
What "Activity Theatre" actually looks like in your change history.
Why your human business sense is more valuable than Google’s algorithm during peak sales.
The transparent, systematic way I prevent Activity Theatre (My disciplined system).
🎭 Activity Theatre: The Agency Comfort Blanket
The biggest mistake is staying put. You tolerate disappointment because the thought of onboarding a new partners feels too exhausting.
That comfort, that "better the devil you know" feeling, is costing you money. I call it the $100,000 Mistake because that’s often the real-world cost of a year of wasted spend and lost revenue opportunity.
Agencies often make changes just so you see something in the change history. This isn't strategy; it’s an emotional insurance policy designed for their job security, not your profit.
The truth is, true Google Ads optimization is about making the right changes, not constant changes. A strategic partner has the discipline to let the data mature and resist the urge to tweak just to look busy.
The Financial Guardrail: Your Brain Trumps the Algorithm
In this age of "smart bidding," it's easy to think our job is just to oversee the machine. This is a crucial $100,000 mistake that disciplined consultants avoid.
The algorithm relies on historical data. It cannot grasp the real-time, surging momentum of a major, one-time sale like Black Friday or your company's biggest seasonal promo.
If your agency is "following Google's recommendation" during peak sales, they're reacting too late. They’re leaving cash on the table.
As a human strategist, I can manually and aggressively adjust ROAS targets throughout the day. I respond to sales velocity faster than the slow-learning machine can catch up.
This ability to override the automation with real-time business context is the ultimate financial guardrail. It's the moment when premium human expertise pays for itself.
Where Strategy Stops and Guesswork Begins
The agency stuck in Activity Theatre is usually guessing because they're focused on the wrong things.
1. The Volume Addiction (Traffic without Context)
People still believe "more clicks = more conversions." In paid search, traffic without context is an expensive, dangerous pitfall.
If your campaigns are designed solely to inflate visitor numbers, you're paying for clicks that will never align with your core business goals. You're driving an empty bus.
2. The Growth-Stunting Move (Over-Funding Defense)
They're likely funneling most of the budget to your Brand campaigns, the ones with the best ROAS. It seems logical, but it stunts growth.
Brand campaigns are defensive—they protect market share you already earned. Non-Brand campaigns are offensive—they are the primary engine for acquiring future customers.
If they don't strategically fund non-brand, they are choosing to lose out on future business. Your campaigns need to be treated as a strategic portfolio, balancing today's defense with tomorrow's growth.
Here is a post covering business growth in general: How Can Google Ads Help You Advance Your Business?
Practical Takeaway: Stop the Theatre, Start the System
Your agency's job is not to be a button-pusher following a generic checklist. It's to be a systematic, transparent partner that connects every ad dollar to a business outcome.
You have the right to demand two things from your partner:
Year-Over-Year Conversion Value: Is the total value of business the account drives actually growing, or is high ROAS just covering flat revenue?
A Strategy-to-Action Report: Ask them to provide the simple why behind the last five significant changes. If the explanation lacks a business reason, it's theatre.
In my system, I prevent Activity Theatre with disciplined, transparent communication. Every decision is anchored in my Weekly Brief, a mechanism that transitions from challenging an agency to expecting a transparent system.
The Weekly Brief clearly details: What We Saw, What It Means, and What We Are Going to Do Next (and Why). I eliminate the guesswork for you.
✅ Ready for Real Clarity?
If you feel trapped by an agency and you need an unbiased, strategic answer, I can help.
The $750 Google Ads Audit is a low-friction entry point to cut through the Activity Theatre. It’s an unemotional, third-party assessment that uses the structure of my disciplined approach to give you a clear verdict.
It's not just "proof"; it's the blueprint for the systematic, accountable approach that will actually grow your business. Stop wasting money on guesses and get the blueprint.
