The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo: Search Ads, Display, and PPC Campaign Strategy

Lucas and Luna dive into Google Ads data exclusions, a feature that lets advertisers tell Smart Bidding to ignore anomalous periods like Black Friday or site outages. Using a real-world example of a home goods retailer that saw a 22% lower cost per acquisition after excluding a holiday weekend, they explain when to use data exclusions versus seasonality adjustments, how the feature works under the hood, and why most advertisers underutilize it. Perfect for PPC managers tired of bidding algorithms overreacting to one-off events.

#GoogleAds #SmartBidding #DataExclusions #PPC #PaidSearch #Marketing #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LucasAndLuna #BidStrategy #Seasonality #CostPerAcquisition #AdWords #DigitalMarketing...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into conversion value rules, an underused feature in Google Ads that lets advertisers adjust conversion values based on audience, device, or location to optimize for profit rather than just volume. Lucas explains how a mid-size e-commerce brand used value rules to boost ROAS by 24% over three months by weighting mobile conversions from returning customers higher. They break down the setup, common mistakes like double-counting, and why this feature matters more in 2026 as Smart Bidding relies on accurate value signals. If you're running Google Ads with purchase-based conversions...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Google Ads dynamic keyword insertion (DKI) — a feature that automatically updates ad headlines to match a user's search query. They examine a case study from a mid-sized e-commerce brand, Outdoor Elements, which saw a 22% increase in click-through rate and a 14% drop in cost per conversion after implementing DKI in their search campaigns. The hosts discuss the mechanics of DKI, best practices for crafting fallback text, and common pitfalls like irrelevant insertions that can hurt Quality Score. They also contrast DKI with Responsive Search Ads and explain when to use each. Finally, they to...

Episode 60 of The Google Ads Podcast explores Custom Intent audiences—a targeting option that lets you define your own signals instead of relying on Google's preset segments. Lucas and Luna break down how it works, when it outperforms In-Market and Affinity audiences, and a real example from a mid-market SaaS company that cut cost-per-lead by 40 percent using keyword-and-URL-based intent signals. They discuss the trade-offs: scale versus precision, the importance of exclusion lists, and why Custom Intent can cannibalize your own remarketing if you're not careful. If you're running Google Ads in 2026 and want to reach people actively researching your sp...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into Google Ads call extensions and how they can drive measurable phone call conversions. They break down when to use the call button versus the call extension, how to set up call reporting with a Google forwarding number, and the importance of call-only campaigns for mobile-first industries like plumbing and emergency services. Using a real-world example from a mid-size HVAC company that saw a 22 percent increase in qualified leads by switching to a call-extension-first strategy, they explain the key metrics to track — call length, scheduled call conversions, and missed-call rate. They also co...

Episode 58 of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna dive into cross-sell campaign strategies using Google Ads. They break down a real case study from a mid-sized apparel retailer that used customer match lists and smart bidding to boost average order value by 22 percent in Q2 2026. Learn how to build layered audience segments, adjust bid multipliers for high-lifetime-value customers, and avoid the common mistake of cannibalizing existing sales. Lucas explains the exact ad copy structure and landing page flow that turned one-time buyers into repeat purchasers, while Luna questions the attribution challenges of cross-sell versus upsell. By...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna explain how Google Ads budget pacing works in 2026. They break down the difference between standard delivery and accelerated delivery, how Smart Bidding interacts with daily budgets, and why overspend is actually a feature, not a bug. Lucas walks through the mechanics of the 'spend cap' and how Google's algorithm smooths spend across the month. Luna shares a real-world example of a retail client who saw a 20% lift in conversions simply by switching from accelerated to standard delivery. They also discuss how shared budgets and portfolio bid strategies can...

Episode 56 of The Google Ads Podcast digs into Shopping campaign optimization with a focus on product feed quality. Lucas and Luna dissect how Google's Merchant Center evaluates structured data, why a single missing GTIN can tank your ad rank, and the surprising impact of image white-space ratios on click-through rates. They walk through a real-world case: a mid-size home goods retailer that improved ROAS by 22% simply by cleaning up their feed attributes — no bid changes, no new creatives. The episode covers feed specification compliance, custom labels for seasonality, and how to structure product titles so Google surfaces the right va...

Lucas and Luna dig into Google Ads location targeting in 2026 — specifically how location assets like store codes and radius targeting can reduce wasted spend by up to 30 percent. They walk through a real campaign for a Denver-based coffee chain that used location extensions and proximity bidding to cut cost-per-acquisition by 22 percent. The episode covers the difference between physical location targeting and audience location, how to layer location reports with conversion data, and why many advertisers still miss the option to exclude people who are just passing through. If you run local or regional campaigns, this episode gives you a sp...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into Google Ads' shift from traditional audience targeting to asset-based audience signals. They explore how advertisers can use images, videos, and text from their campaigns to let Google's machine learning find the right users, rather than manually defining audiences. Using a concrete example from a mid-size e-commerce brand selling ergonomic office chairs, they walk through the setup process, the impact on cost per acquisition, and why this approach reduces audience fragmentation. Lucas explains the key difference between audience signals and old-school targeting, while Luna questions whether this hands-off approach works for niche...

In episode 53 of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna tackle the often-misunderstood pairing of broad match keywords and Smart Bidding. They break down Google's latest machine learning signals—including seasonality, device affinity, and real-time auction context—that make broad match click paths more efficient than ever. Using a concrete example from a mid-market e-commerce account, Lucas explains how the system weights historical conversion data against fresh user intent, and why advertisers who test broad match with Target CPA see 20% lower cost-per-acquisition on average. Luna challenges the notion that broad match is just a 'lazy' setting, and they...

Lucas and Luna dig into brand bidding strategy in 2026. Lucas explains why bidding on your own brand terms is still essential, even when you already rank organically. They cover the concept of 'brand defense' when competitors target your branded keywords, how Google's broad match has changed the game for brand queries, and why some advertisers are shifting budget away from brand campaigns. Luna shares a real example of a mid-sized e-commerce client who saw a 12% conversion drop after pausing brand ads. They also discuss impression share benchmarks and when it makes sense to let organic results do the work...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most underused yet powerful tools in PPC: Google Ads Experiments. They walk through a real scenario where a brand manager at a mid-size e-commerce company wanted to switch from target CPA to maximize conversion value. Instead of risking the entire budget, they set up an experiment with a 50/50 split, running for two full conversion cycles. The result? The new strategy actually lowered ROAS by 12%, and the brand dodged a costly mistake. Lucas explains the mechanics of experiments—how to set them up, how lo...

In episode 50 of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore Google Ads Demand Gen campaigns—the 2026 evolution of Discovery ads. They break down how Demand Gen uses YouTube Shorts, Gmail, and Discover feeds to target high-intent users before they search. Lucas shares a specific case: a DTC home goods brand that reduced cost-per-new-customer by 22% by shifting 30% of their budget from Performance Max to Demand Gen with a lookback window of 14 days. They discuss audience signals (custom intent vs. in-market) and creative best practices: 3:4 aspect ratio vertical video, 15-second cuts, and clear brand intro in the first 2 seconds. Listeners le...

Lucas and Luna tackle a critical but often-overlooked Google Ads tactic — audience exclusions. They break down how excluding irrelevant segments (like converters, competitors, or past churners) can dramatically reduce wasted spend and improve campaign efficiency. Using a real-world example from a DTC brand spending $80,000 per month, they walk through three specific exclusion strategies: excluding recent converters from awareness campaigns, excluding competitor-site visitors from broad-match targeting, and layering exclusion lists across Performance Max campaigns. They also discuss the Google Ads custom intent audience limitation of 1,000 members and how to work around it. By the end, listeners understand exactly where to fi...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive deep into ad customizers—a powerful but underused feature in Google Ads that lets advertisers dynamically insert text, counts, and prices into their ads based on audience, device, location, or schedule. They walk through a real-world example: a regional home services company using ad customizers to show different city names and service prices across 50 metro areas, boosting click-through rate by 22% while cutting management time. Lucas explains the setup: create a business data feed with columns for city, service, price, and customizer attributes, then reference them in the ad...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive deep into one of the most underutilized assets in Google Ads: sitelink extensions. Lucas explains how a single sitelink can lift click-through rate by 10-15% when optimized correctly, and breaks down the difference between standard sitelinks and the new 'promotion' sitelinks rolling out in 2026. The hosts walk through a real case study from a mid-market e-commerce brand that saw a 22% increase in conversion rate after restructuring their sitelinks based on search query intent. They also discuss the impact of sitelinks on Ad Rank, Quality Score, and the recently expanded character limits for...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) versus the legacy Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) in 2026. They break down why Google is pushing RSAs, how machine learning mixes headlines and descriptions to improve click-through rates, and the real-world impact on quality score and cost-per-click. Using a case study from a mid-size e-commerce client, they show how moving from ETAs to RSAs boosted conversion rates by 18 percent while lowering CPA by 12 percent. They also cover best practices for pinning headlines, testing combinations, and using assets to maximize ad rank. If you're...

Lucas and Luna dive into the underrated art of negative keywords in Google Ads. Lucas explains how a single negative keyword saved a client $12,000 in wasted spend over one quarter. They break down the difference between negative keyword match types, how to build a negative keyword list from search term reports, and why broad match negatives can sometimes block valuable traffic. Luna shares a cautionary tale about a clothing retailer that accidentally blocked 'silk' and killed their best-selling dress campaign. The episode includes practical tips for using negative keyword lists at the campaign and account level, and how to...

Episode 44 of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo dives into Google Ads shared budgets — a feature that pools daily spend across multiple campaigns to prevent budget cannibalization and smooth delivery. Lucas and Luna break down how shared budgets work under the hood, why the average account wastes up to 15% of daily budget due to pacing inefficiencies, and how a shared budget can redistribute unspent dollars from low-traffic campaigns to high-opportunity ones automatically. They walk through a concrete example: a retailer running Brand, Generic, and Remarketing campaigns with a $500 total daily budget — and how shared budgeting eliminated the 'overdelivery panic' on F...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Performance Max campaigns can inadvertently appear on brand search terms — and why that matters for your ad spend. Using the example of a mid-market e-commerce retailer running PMax alongside Exact Match brand campaigns, they dissect the auction dynamics, the role of conversion attribution, and the data clean-room workaround that prevents self-competition. Lucas explains the actual cost-per-click difference between brand-term clicks driven by PMax versus traditional campaigns, and why Google's own recommendation to 'let PMax handle brand' isn't always in the advertiser's interest. Luna pushes back with a...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the world of Google Ads scripts — a powerful but underused tool for automating repetitive PPC tasks. Lucas breaks down the anatomy of a simple script that pauses underperforming keywords when they exceed a cost-per-conversion threshold, using real numbers from a mid-market e-commerce account running on a $50,000 monthly budget. He explains how scripts differ from automated rules, when to use JavaScript over the Ads Editor, and a concrete example: a script that saved 12% of spend in the first week by catching keyword drift. Luna pushes ba...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into brand lift studies — a tool that measures whether your ads actually change how people perceive your brand. They walk through a real example from a mid-size DTC furniture company that ran a brand lift study on a YouTube ad campaign in Q1 2026. The study revealed a 12% lift in ad recall and an 8% lift in brand consideration, but a surprising drop in brand favorability among one demographic. Lucas explains how the study works: the randomized control group, the survey design, and the statistical significance thresholds. Lu...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into Google Ads' Final URL expansion feature, explaining how it automatically appends subpage URLs to your ad destination. They break down why this can either boost your Quality Score or waste your budget—depending on your account structure. Using a real example from a mid-market SaaS client, they show how a single misconfigured campaign saw cost-per-lead jump 40% in June 2026. Lucas offers a clear check: disable the feature unless you have a tightly themed ad group. Luna asks the sharp questions about landing page relevance and conversion tracking. If you're running search ads wi...

In episode 39, Lucas and Luna drill into the specifics of dayparting—adjusting Google Ads bids by time of day and day of week. They break down how a mid-size e-commerce retailer, Nature's Pantry, reallocated 70% of their budget to just 5 hours each weekday, cutting cost-per-acquisition by 30% while maintaining volume. Lucas explains how to read your own hour-of-day report, why the 'midnight dip' is often a trap, and the one adjustment window you need to set to avoid ghost spend. Luna pushes back on the assumption that weekends are dead zones, sharing data from a B2B campaign that disproves it. Th...

Lucas and Luna dig into Google Ads conversion lag — the delay between a click and a conversion that silently wrecks bid strategies. Lucas explains why a 7-day click window can hide up to 30% of true ROAS for long-consideration products like enterprise software or luxury goods. They walk through how to measure lag using the 'Time to Conversion' report in Google Ads, and how to adjust Target CPA and ROAS bidding by setting a longer conversion window (90 days vs 30). Luna shares a case study from a B2B SaaS client whose reported CPA dropped 22% after extending the attribution lookback from 30 to...

Episode 37 of The Google Ads Podcast tackles Google's 2026 keyword match type consolidation. Lucas and Luna break down why broad match now behaves more like phrase match, how advertisers lose control when exact match broadens automatically, and what this means for account structure. They walk through a concrete example: a mid-market SaaS company that shifted from 85% exact match to a hybrid broad-plus-negative strategy, and how their cost per acquisition changed. They also discuss the impact on Quality Score, impression share, and the role of audience signals in the new match-type landscape. If you're running Google Ads in 2026 and wondering why...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into a specific 2026 case study: a mid-market DTC brand that boosted its ROAS by 40 percent by switching from Google's default audience segments to fully custom, data-driven audiences. They walk through the technical setup—how to build custom segments from first-party CRM data, pixel events, and on-site behavioral signals—and explain why off-the-shelf in-market and affinity audiences often miss the mark. The hosts dissect the campaign structure, bidding adjustments, and creative alignment that made the custom strategy work, and they warn about the pitfalls of audience overlap and data...

Lucas and Luna dive deep into one of the most misunderstood components of Google Ads Quality Score: landing page experience. They break down what Google actually measures—not just 'relevance' but load time, mobile usability, navigation, and content match. Using real examples from a mid-market SaaS case study, they show how improving landing page experience from 'below average' to 'average' cut cost per conversion by 22% in Q1 2026. They also discuss the recent September 2025 update that made page experience signals more granular, and why many advertisers still ignore this lever. If you're running Google Ads in 2026 and your Quality Score is...

Episode 34 of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo dives into Google Ads Enhanced Conversions — a first-party data tool that became essential after 2024's cookie deprecation. Lucas and Luna explain how a simple hashing layer on purchase and lead data can recover up to 18% of lost conversions, improve Smart Bidding accuracy, and protect advertisers from signal decay. They walk through a real example from a mid-size e-commerce brand that saw a 12% ROAS lift after implementation. The hosts also cover common setup mistakes — like missing the global site tag or incorrect parameter mapping — that can break the feature. If you're running conver...

Lucas and Luna explain how Google Ads uses real-time auction-time signals — device, location, time of day, browser, and more — to adjust bids dynamically. They dig into a case study: a mid-sized ecommerce brand that improved ROAS by 32 percent simply by enabling auction-time bidding signals in Smart Bidding, without changing keywords or creatives. The hosts walk through exactly which signals matter, how to set up custom bid adjustments that don't conflict, and why most advertisers leave money on the table by ignoring these signals. They also caution against common mistakes like double-adjusting for device and location. By the end, listeners will...

Episode 32 of The Google Ads Podcast dives into a hidden flaw in Smart Bidding — it needs conversion data to optimize, and without it, your bids can go haywire. Lucas and Luna break down the real numbers: why Google's automated bidding can increase cost per acquisition by 30-50% in the first week of a new campaign, and how to protect your budget. They cover the minimum conversion threshold (15 conversions in 30 days), the 'cold start' problem, and a practical workaround using seasonality adjustments and target CPA early-ramp strategies. Lucas shares a case study from a retail client who lost 40% of their da...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive deep into why broad match keywords are silently draining your Google Ads budget in 2026. Lucas explains how Google's automated bidding and broad match have evolved to prioritize ad spend over relevance, citing a specific case where a home services company saw 40% of clicks from irrelevant searches like 'how to fix a leaky faucet' and 'plumber near me' for a keyword intended for emergency services. They break down the shift from exact and phrase match to broad match as the default, the impact on cost per acquisition, and practical strategies to reclaim control...

In Episode 30 of The Google Ads Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into custom intent audiences—a targeting option that lets you reach people based on their recent search behavior rather than keywords alone. Lucas explains how one ecommerce brand selling ergonomic office chairs used custom intent audiences to increase conversion rates by 112% while reducing cost per acquisition by 35%. They break down the difference between custom intent and in-market audiences, how to set up custom intent segments using keyword seeds and URL seeds, and why this approach often outperforms standard keyword targeting for bottom-of-funnel campaigns. Luna challenges whether custom intent ca...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into why audience-first targeting is outperforming keyword-first strategies in 2026. They discuss a real-world case: a mid-sized B2B SaaS company that shifted 60% of its Search budget from keyword-heavy campaigns to audience-targeted campaigns, driving a 34% lower cost per lead and 22% higher close rate. Lucas explains how Google's privacy changes have weakened keyword signals while strengthening audience signals through first-party data and Google's AI modeling. Luna challenges whether audience targeting works for all verticals, and they explore the trade-offs for B2B vs. B2C. The episode...

In Episode 28 of the Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the hidden danger of broad match keywords. They unpack Google's 2021 shift to broad match as the default, how machine learning expands queries far beyond intent, and why a single broad match term like 'yoga mat' can trigger searches for 'yoga pants' and 'yoga classes.' Using a concrete example of a $10,000 monthly spend on broad match, they reveal how 60% of clicks can come from irrelevant queries, inflating costs and diluting ROI. Lucas explains why exact match and phrase match are safer starting points, the role...

Lucas and Luna dig into a problem many PPC managers are facing in mid-2026: Performance Max campaigns that silently steal traffic and budget from your well-optimized search campaigns. Using a detailed case study of a mid-market e-commerce brand that saw a 22% drop in search conversion rates after launching PMax, they explain how Google's algorithm prioritizes its own 'portfolio' over your existing campaigns. Topics include asset group structure, audience signals vs. audience exclusions, and the critical fix — setting up campaign-level negative keywords and seasonality adjustments. Perfect for anyone running Google Ads who suspects PMax is stepping on their search toes.

Lucas and Luna dive into the power of audience segmentation in Google Ads, using a case study of a mid-market e-commerce brand that boosted ROAS by 34% by moving from keyword-focused campaigns to audience-first targeting. They break down in-market vs. affinity audiences, how to layer custom intent segments, and why smart bidding alone isn't enough without the right audience data. Plus, a quick look at how Google's Privacy Sandbox changes the game for remarketing. If you're running PPC in 2026, this episode will change how you think about audiences.

#GoogleAds #PPC #AudienceSegmentation #ROAS #Marketing #PaidSearch #DigitalMarketing #InMarketAudiences #AffinityAudiences #CustomIntent...

In this episode of The Google Ads Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the most underutilized tool in PPC management: experiment splits. They break down how to set up a valid A/B test in Google Ads, why most advertisers get the split wrong, and how one ecommerce brand used a campaign experiment to shift budget from generic to branded terms and see a 34% improvement in ROAS over six weeks. Lucas shares the specific mechanics of drafts and experiments, the importance of statistical significance, and the common trap of ending a test too early. Luna challenges the...

Lucas and Luna dive into the art and science of negative keywords in Google Ads, revealing how a small e-commerce retailer cut their cost per acquisition by 22 percent in just two weeks by aggressively pruning irrelevant search terms. They walk through real examples like 'free' modifiers and job-seeker queries that drain budgets, explain match type behavior for negatives, and share practical tips for building a negative keyword list that evolves with your campaigns. This episode is packed with actionable insights for any advertiser tired of paying for clicks that never convert.

#GoogleAds #NegativeKeywords #PPC #SearchAds #Marketing #PaidSearch...