Inside Google Ads with Jyll Saskin Gales

Competitor targeting in Google Ads is widely misunderstood. After seeing so much misinformation online, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales sets the record straight in episode 137. She breaks down common competitor targeting myths, explains what Google’s policies actually say, and shares how to run competitor campaigns that drive great results - while staying fully compliant.

You will learn how automation features like text customization and broad matching can accidentally trigger ads that impersonate other businesses, putting your account at risk. Jyll walks through practical settings to protect your brand, including negative keywords, brand exclusions, and unbranded ta...

AI is not taking your job, but sticking to outdated manual tactics just might. In episode 136 of Inside Google Ads, Jyll Saskin Gales shares an excerpt from an interview she recently did with Erum Shaheen about the evolving role of the Google Ads media buyer. As Jyll says, AI is not new to Google Ads, but the shift from manual execution to strategic direction changes how accounts must be managed.

Instead of fighting automation, Jyll says that media buyers who thrive will be the ones who master the strategic levers needed to guide AI. Success no longer...

Are you tired of the same old recycled Google ads tips, tricks and "hacks"? Get ready for something new! In episode 135, host Jyll Saskin Gales shares a fresh perspective on a Google Ads strategy that works well for sensitive interest categories, highly competitive industries, tiny B2B niches, and more. It's called non-linear targeting, and it may be just what you need if your Google Ads have "stopped working" and you're not sure what to try next. 

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2016 may be trending on social media, but it has no place in your Google Ads strategy! In special episode 134, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales sits down with conversion optimization expert and Heart Before Cart podcast host Talia Wolf to discuss how Google Ads has shifted, and what it really takes to succeed today. We break down how to give AI algorithms the right signals, starting with a rock-solid conversion tracking foundation, why so many ads sound identical, and how you can "TikTokify" your headlines to grab attention in search results. Plus, we discuss why your landing page, offer...

If PMax is just a black box, doesn't that mean you can't optimize it? Wrong on so many levels! In Episode 133 of Inside Google Ads, host Jyll Saskin Gales breaks down five common Performance Max mistakes that even experienced digital marketers and agencies make. While PMax can be a powerful tool for scaling performance, misinterpreting its mechanics can waste your money and limit your success. In this in-depth episode, Jyll outlines practical, data-backed adjustments to help you align your strategy with how Google's AI actually works.

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Quality Score is one of those foundational Google Ads components that every practitioner knows is important, but figuring out how to improve it can be surprisingly difficult. In episode 132, host Jyll Saskin Gales shares her practical, step-by-step framework for increasing your Quality Score. Jyll breaks down what the three diagnostic columns actually mean: ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected click-through rate. You will learn how to audit your auction competitors using the Google Ads Transparency Center and how to borrow the best aspects of their ad text to boost your own click-through rates. Finally, Jyll examines a real-world...

How can you navigate the sheer volume of changes coming to Google Ads every week?

In this special episode, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales is joined by agency owner Duane Brown in a conversation hosted by Lunio's James Deeney. They dissect the latest announcements from Google Marketing Live (GML) and separate the genuine opportunities from the pure marketing hype. Together, they share their hands-on experiences with Google’s evolving ecosystem, offering a reality check on the tools you should actually be using—and the ones you should avoid for now.  They dive deep into the limitations of th...

Google announced a change to how budget-limited campaigns on target-based bid strategies will work... is it time to freak out? Hardly! In episode 130 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales cuts through the hyperbole to tell you what's changing, what you need to know, and what it ACTUALLY means for your campaigns. While social media is filled with "hot takes," the reality of this update is much more straightforward than the rumors suggest.

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How do you actually manage your Google Ads on a day-to-day, week-to-week, or month-to-month basis? In episode 129 of Inside Google Ads, host Jyll Saskin Gales breaks down exactly how to approach campaign management across three distinct scenarios: launching a brand new campaign, maintaining a campaign that is already performing well, and diagnosing a campaign that is struggling. Whether you are dealing with skyrocketing CPCs or trying to figure out when to let machine learning do its job, this episode offers a practical framework for confident account management.

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What should you do when your search campaigns are maxed out? In episode 128 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales shares a story about a Google Ads coaching client who runs an agency, and achieved incredible results for a local service business... until he hit a wall when trying to scale the budget. She discovers that his client has a non-brand search impression share of 91% (!), and discusses what this means, and what to do next.

If you feel stuck with a budget that will not spend, or CPCs that keep rising, this episode provides...

We were promised that AI would save us so much time, we could lie on the beach while automation handled our business. The reality so far? Quite different! In this conversation between Fred Vallaeys, CEO of Optmyzr, and Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach & host of the Inside Google Ads podcast, we discuss how AI isn't actually making our jobs shorter, it's pushing us to work harder, think deeper, and become better marketers.

Join us for special episode 127 to find out what it truly means to be an AI-powered marketer. We talk about why human creativity and...

Is it still worth learning Google Ads, or is AI making us obsolete? In episode 126 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales addresses the growing apprehension and fear surrounding the future of Google Ads and the PPC industry. While the shift away from traditional keyword control and the rise of AI-driven search experiences feels different, these changes actually present the most significant opportunity yet for strategic marketers.

By breaking down the platform into its three core components - bidding, targeting, and creative - Jyll illustrates how artificial intelligence acts as an efficiency multiplier rather...

Customer Match is the holy grail of modern marketing, yet many Google Ads practitioners still aren't using it. In episode 125 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales explains why uploading your first-party customer data to Google is one of the single greatest competitive advantages you have left in the AI era. As third-party tracking declines, Customer Match serves as a critical bridge to campaign stability, allowing you to reactivate dormant clients, cross-sell new offers, and feed invaluable signals to smart bidding algorithms.

Jyll breaks down the requirements for using Customer Match, including the $50,000 lifetime...

If you're used to the way search ads work, switching to Demand Gen can feel like an insurmountable challenge. In episode 124 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales shares a real world example of two agency marketers who were struggling with ad fatigue. When your audience sees the same image too many times, they can stop noticing your ads entirely. Jyll walks through the exact steps she took with her clients during a live account audit for a flooring company to refresh their Demand Gen performance.

You will learn why benefit rich...

Yes, keyword research still matters in Google Ads. And no, AI can't do it for you! The most successful Google Ads advertisers are the ones who provide campaigns with the foundation they need to learn from, and that includes properly selected and themed keywords. In episode 123 of Inside Google Ads, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales explains why keyword research is still your steering wheel for Google's most powerful AI features like Smart Bidding, Broad Match and AI Max for Search campaigns. She shares her 10-step process for effective keyword research, moving from initial customer data and keyword selection...

Should you wait to gather data before using Maximize Conversions bidding? In episode 122 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales provides a definitive answer: you can start your campaigns with Maximize Conversions bidding, even in brand new accounts. While many believe manual bidding is safer for new setups, Jyll explains how manual CPC and Maximize Clicks often result in low-quality traffic that only converts by accident. This episode explores how Google's AI uses millions of real-time signals to find the right users. even without a long history of data. Jyll also addresses the fear of high...

Should you wait to gather data before using Maximize Conversions bidding? In episode 122 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales provides a definitive answer: you can start your campaigns with Maximize Conversions bidding, even in brand new accounts. While many believe manual bidding is safer for new setups, Jyll explains how manual CPC and Maximize Clicks often result in low-quality traffic that only converts by accident. This episode explores how Google's AI uses millions of real-time signals to find the right users. even without a long history of data. Jyll also addresses the fear of high...

It's hours after #GML2026, and Inside Google Ads host Jyll Saskin Gales is reporting live from Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California with special guest Ginny Marvin, Ads Product Liaison at Google and host of the Ads Decoded podcast. In this special episode, Jyll and Ginny share the biggest news from Google Marketing Live 2026: what's changing in Google Ads, and what it means for your campaigns in 2026 and beyond.

Be sure to tune in to the Marketing O'Clock podcast on Monday, May 25, 2026 as I'll be sitting down with the hosts of my favourite marketing podcast to get...

Google Ads is no longer just about search. While search ads are a marketer's dream, they rely on users actively typing queries. If you are already dominating your core keywords, adding more budget often just leads to higher costs rather than more growth. To break through this ceiling, you need a strategy that includes visual campaigns like Video and Demand Gen to reach potential customers who are not searching for you at this exact moment, but are still a potential fit for your business.

In episode 120 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Jyll Saskin Gales explains the...

Most people panic when they see a red warning in Google Ads, but it might actually be the best news you get today. In episode 119 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales explores a scenario that most advertisers dread: seeing the red "Limited by Budget" warning in their account. Using a real client case study as an example, she dives into why this status appears, how to distinguish between a helpful suggestion and a critical performance bottleneck, and the specific metrics you need to check before touching your daily spend. This episode provides a clear framework...

If you're still running search ads with basic headlines and descriptions, you are firmly average. And in 2026, average just doesn't cut it anymore! In episode 118 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales walks you through all 15 types of Google Ads assets (formerly known as Google Ads extensions) to help you increase your click-through rate and drive better results from Google Ads. From essential tools like sitelinks and callouts to little-known assets that can significantly boost performance, she provides a technical roadmap for both universal and industry-specific assets. She also addresses the critical "automated" side...

Are the official Google Ads certifications actually worth anything in 2026? In episode 117 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales tackles this question that every digital marketer has asked themselves at least once. After recently renewing her own certifications to maintain Google Partner status, Jyll reveals the frustrating reality of Skillshop’s current state. From out-of-date questions featuring retired campaign types to assessments that favor rote memorization over actual tactical skill, she pulls back the curtain on why these "official" badges often fall short of proving real-world expertise. She then introduces an unconventional initiative that real Google Ad...

Stop fighting for the same tiny audience as your competitors. If you've been running Google Ads for a while, you might notice that the old-school tactics of hyper-specific targeting are not performing like they used to. In episode 116 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales shares a story from one of her Google Ads coaching clients. She took her client's "upside down" strategy and flipped it for better results. Find out how you can, too, in this short & sweet but action-packed episode.

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Smart Bidding is only as smart as the data you provide. If you feed Google Ads low-quality conversions, you will get low-quality results. In episode 115 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales steps back from the technical "how-to" and focuses on the strategic foundation of conversion tracking. Whether you are managing a high-volume e-commerce store or a niche lead-generation business, understanding how to lay the foundation your true business goals is the difference between a campaign that prints money vs. one that lights money on fire.

Jyll breaks down the seven critical nuances of...

The "learning period" is often treated like a ghost story in the world of Google Ads - something to be feared, to avoid at all costs. In episode 114 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales aims to calm your anxiety, and bring some much needed TRUTH to all the learning myths out there. By diving into the technical reality of how Google's machine learning models actually process your data, Jyll explains why your campaigns are in a constant state of evolution rather than a fixed "on or off" learning switch.

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Should you be paying for ads when people are already searching for your business by name? This "brand tax" is one of the most debated topics in the Google Ads community, but the decision should be based on data, not a gut feeling. In episode 113 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, #1 Most Influential PPC Expert Jyll Saskin Gales dives into the branded search debate to help you determine if those clicks are actually incremental or if you are simply paying for traffic you would have received anyway.

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If you work in a so-called "Sensitive Interest Category" like healthcare, finance, legal, or real estate, you’ve likely stared at that "Eligible (Limited)" status in Google Ads with frustration. Operating in a sensitive interest category means that standard Google Ads tactics like retargeting or basic demographics are often off the table. But "limited" doesn't mean "impossible." In episode 112 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales breaks down why being in a restricted category isn't a dead end, but rather a call to get more strategic with the tools you still have at your disposal.

It's frustrating to watch those Google Ads bills roll in while your campaigns have zero conversions! Whether you're an experienced agency pro or a business owner managing your own account, this is one of the most common Google Ads challenges you'll experience. In episode 111 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales walks you through the exact process she uses with her Google Ads coaching clients to diagnose and solve conversion issues. In this real life example, Jyll figures out why a client's search campaign hadn't seen a single conversion in six weeks. Then, Jyll uncovers the...

Running Google Ads for B2B is notoriously more complex than any other vertical. With longer sales cycles and higher stakes, the usual "best practices" and "ALWAYS do this" don't apply. In episode 110 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales maps out the essential frameworks she's developed specifically for B2B advertisers to attract high-value business customers while repelling low-value consumer leads.

She starts with the non-negotiable foundation: full-funnel conversion tracking. Jyll explains why optimizing for simple form fills is a recipe for failure and why you must connect your CRM to...

Performance Max is no longer the "black box" it used to be; it's now a "clear box" offering full transparency. So how do you USE that transparency to optimize your Performance Max campaign? In special episode 109, Inside Google Ads host Jyll Saskin Gales shares an exclusive excerpt from her SMX Master Class, "Google Ads Beyond Search." You'll learn how to interpret the latest reporting features - including search term reports, channel performance, and asset-level data - to understand exactly where your budget is going and how to steer it.

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Imagine waking up to find your entire agency’s Google Ads Manager account has been compromised. In just minutes, hackers can remove your employees, lock out your clients, and rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent spend. In this urgent episode of Inside Google Ads, host Jyll Saskin Gales pulls back the curtain on the sophisticated phishing tactics currently targeting agencies and high-level practitioners.

We move beyond the basic advice of "use a strong password" to break down how hackers are bypassing two-factor authentication and using "shell" login pages to steal access in real-time. Jyll sh...

There are naysayers who claim Google Ads Quality Score is just a diagnostic tool and doesn't matter. They're wrong. In episode 107 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales walks you through exactly how to find your Quality Score, how to interpret the data, and most importantly, how to improve the three core components that define it. Plus, she's briefly joined by a very special guest, Fred Vallaeys, CEO of Optmyzr one of the original Google employees who built AdWords, to settle the debate on whether Quality Score is just a vanity metric or a crucial performance...

Is your Google Ads performance actually plummeting, or is it just an unlucky Tuesday? We all know that sinking feeling when you log into your account and see red arrows pointing down next to your conversions or ROAS. It is easy to panic, but reacting too quickly can often do more harm than good.

In episode 106 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales helps you distinguish between a genuine campaign crisis and standard performance fluctuations. She answers three listener questions that cover the spectrum of performance anxiety, from how often beginners should...

Are your Performance Max audience signals and search themes actually doing anything, or are they just a placebo designed to make you feel like you have control? In episode 105 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales uncovers the mechanics of Performance Max audience signals and search themes. She explains whether these inputs influence your campaign at all, the difference between true targeting and "optimized targeting," how to know if your "suggestions" are actually being used by AI, and what the REAL levers are to control who sees your ads.

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Are you ready to outsmart your competitors in 2026? In episode 104, host Jyll Saskin Gales shares a recent presentation she did for ProductHero, discussing Google Ads Ecommerce tips for 2026. While the bells and whistles of PPC are always evolving, the path to ecommerce success in Google Ads fundamentally comes down to three things: maintaining a strong foundation, optimizing your inputs, and growing through new channels.

From the "Three Cs" of data integrity to the specific attributes in your product feed that matter most, this episode is packed with actionable advice for store owners and marketers.

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We often feel like Google Ads is trying to fight us. Whether it is limiting our budget, reach, or impressions, it can feel like the platform is holding back your performance. However, these constraints are actually the system telling you exactly what the trade-offs are to achieve the results you need.

In episode 103, host Jyll Saskin Gales breaks down five of the big limitations you might see in your Google Ads account. She'll teach you how to identify if a warning is actually a problem for your specific strategy, or if it is something you can safely...

Is remarketing dead? Not exactly, but the old way of chasing users around the internet with low-quality banner ads certainly is. Relying on standard display campaigns for retargeting is way less effective than it used to be. In episode 102 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales explains why (and how) you need to pivot toward in-platform remarketing and first-party data to get better results.

She answers three listener questions that cover the essentials of your modern remarketing strategy. We discuss why you should likely ditch Display for Demand Gen, how Google actually prioritizes who...

Google Ads released over 100 new features in the last year, but do you know which ones actually matter for your business? In episode 101 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales reveals the most impactful changes from the past year so you can build a winning Google Ads strategy for 2026 and beyond.

While Google loves to promote its shiny new AI tools, the reality is that Search remains the bread and butter for most advertisers. Jyll will discuss why you need to nail your foundation in Search and Shopping before expanding into other formats. She'll...

Can you actually get high-quality leads on Google Ads with just $20 a day? The answer is yes, but only if you set it up the right way. In this special 100th episode of the Inside Google Ads podcast, Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales walks you through a real case study from one of her coaching clients who is driving their entire business using just $20 per day on Google Ads.

We are going to look at the "before" numbers, where they were getting a lot of clicks but zero actual business, and compare them to the "after"...

Performance Max, Standard Shopping, or Search? If you're running an ecommerce business, you have likely stared at your screen wondering which Google Ads campaign type will actually drive sales without wasting your budget. In episode 99 of the Inside Google Ads podcast, host Jyll Saskin Gales answers your most common questions about how to choose the right campaign for your products.

She discusses why the newest AI features aren't always the best place to start, especially if you are working with a limited daily budget or a new Merchant Center feed. Jyll breaks down exactly when it makes...