Business owner

Own Your Google Ads Account

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Do you actually own your Google Ads account? Not just access but real ownership.

If you decided to part ways with your agency tomorrow, could you take the account with you and hand it to a new team, or bring it in-house?

If you’re not sure, that’s a problem.

When the Agency Owns the Account

Last January, we started working with a company spending about $1.5 million per year on Google Ads. At the time, they had 33 locations (and have grown since). They were frustrated with performance and ready for a change.

There was just one issue: Their agency owned the Google Ads account and refused to transfer it.

Despite paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in management fees over several years, the agency claimed the account was their intellectual property.

In my experience, that rarely has anything to do with protecting great work and everything to do with avoiding accountability.

The Hidden Cost of Not Owning Your Data

Because we couldn’t access the historical account, we had to rebuild everything from scratch. We couldn’t see what had worked, what hadn’t, or what lessons had already been learned.

That slows momentum and means the client ends up paying, again, to rediscover insights they already funded.

That’s not a partnership. That’s a lock-in strategy.

What You Should Check… Now

If you’re currently working with an agency:

  • Do you have your own login to the Google Ads account?
  • Is the account owned by your business, not the agency’s email address?

If you don’t own the account, you’re more tied to that agency than you may realize, especially if performance slips.

To be clear: a strong agency can still drive solid results within 30–90 days, even without historical data. But you shouldn’t have to give up your past learnings just to move on.

Set the Expectation Up Front

If you’re evaluating a new agency, ask this question early:

“Will we own the Google Ads account… unequivocally?”

If the answer isn’t a clear “yes,” keep looking.

Ownership gives you leverage, flexibility, and confidence that your agency is earning your business, not protecting theirs.

Transparency Changes Behavior

I believe agencies should earn trust every month. That doesn’t mean every month is perfect, but it should always be clear that your results come first.

And when agencies know you can log in, see the data, and ask real questions – they’re far less likely to hide behind dashboards or massage the numbers.

If you want more transparency, clearer accountability, and an agency that believes you should own what you pay to build, feel free to message us. I’m always happy to have a conversation and see if it makes sense to work together.

Looking Back at 2025

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How was 2025 for you? Personally, I’ve found that reflecting on a year is a valuable exercise. It’s a chance to slow down, notice progress that’s easy to overlook, and acknowledge how your thinking has changed along the way.

In December 2024, we closed our largest client ever. Until that point, I had assumed we couldn’t compete with the big agencies. Then we took over the Google Ads work from one of the largest agencies in the country – and the client is thrilled with the results. More than the revenue, that experience fundamentally changed how I see what we’re capable of.

To properly serve this new client, along with several others who started working with us, we added two full-time team members to Factor Four. These were our first full-time employees in 17 years in business.

Building a bigger team has been energizing… and humbling. It forced me to let go more than I was comfortable with and trust others with work I’ve always held closely. Delivering outstanding results is what gets me up in the morning, and I held onto the details tighter than I should have. With some helpful coaching, I’m learning how to stop being the master craftsman and start becoming the architect building systems that deliver excellent results repeatedly.

Despite the growth, we still measure success by one thing: how effectively we helped our clients.

This year brought some meaningful wins for organizations willing to rethink how they approach lead generation. A few highlights from new clients:

  • Cardiac Care landed their largest client ever through a Google Ads lead, revealing a new market opportunity they are now actively pursuing.
  • A home services company reduced the cost of branded search terms by 77%, freeing up budget to successfully expand into non-branded keywords and acquire new customers via Google Ads.
  • SMCU lowered overall ad spend by 39% while maintaining the same volume of qualified leads.
  • ScriptCert temporarily reduced advertising because demand outpaced their internal capacity. They are currently adding team members so they can scale further.

We also celebrated a milestone that means a lot to us: 16 years of helping Otay Ranch Eyeworks get new patients consistently.

2025 reinforced something I’ve always believed: when performance can be clearly measured, decisions get better, and growth follows.

We’re grateful for our great existing and new clients and look forward to building on our momentum in 2026.

Do Prospects Think You’re Different?

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Do you like competing on price?
Neither do I.

But when prospects can’t tell the difference between you and your competitors, price becomes the only thing left to compare. And in Google Ads, where every click costs real money, that’s a losing strategy.

When Everything Looks the Same, Prospects Act the Same

Clicks are expensive. If searchers click the top 3-4 ads before making a decision, you’re paying for every one of those comparisons.

The fix isn’t lowering your price. It’s standing out before they ever click.

When we started working with a home services company, their ads looked just like their competitors’. If you covered the company name, nobody could tell them apart.

So we began digging for a meaningful differentiator. Something that mattered to the people they wanted to attract.

Key person leader or speaker stands in the middle of a company or group of people

The Small Differentiator That Made a Big Impact

Their standout feature? A self-service scheduling system that:

  • Instantly confirmed if an address was in their service area
  • Provided a real-time estimate
  • Let prospects pick a day and time for the service

For busy customers who value convenience over hunting for the lowest price, this is gold.

So we built the ads and landing pages around that message.

Suddenly, they weren’t “just another home services company.” They were the easy, convenient option – the one that respected people’s time.

The result? A 30% drop in cost per conversion and more qualified leads from people who weren’t just price shopping.

Differentiation Works in Every Industry

We’re doing something similar for a client that helps nonprofits and developers secure New Market Tax Credits.

Most competitors only help with the NMTC portion of the funding. This client helps assemble the entire capital stack – all the financing needed to move a hospital, community center, or affordable housing project from plan to reality.

That’s a real point of difference. Once it’s reflected in their ads and landing pages, it won’t just attract more leads, it will attract better ones, already aligned with what they offer.

What About You?

If you want to improve your Google Ads performance, start with this question:

“What makes us meaningfully different… and does our advertising actually say so?”

When your uniqueness shows up in your ads and landing pages, you attract the right people, convert more of them, and waste far less money.

Want Help?

If you’re unsure what your differentiators are, or how to turn them into stronger, higher-converting campaigns, send us a message. We’re always happy to take a look and point you in the right direction.

Don’t Let Your Agency Hide Behind a Dashboard

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Do you hire a digital advertising agency to grow your business—or to grow their bottom line?

It sounds like a ridiculous question, but too many agencies act like you’re there to fund their retainers, not your results.

The Dashboard Dilemma

Dashboards can be a great tool… when used honestly. They can also be a convenient way to show you just enough to keep you from asking tough questions.

Too often, agencies use them to summarize performance without context. And without context, you can’t make informed decisions.

Simplicity Shouldn’t Mean Hiding the Truth

Dashboards often highlight one number: Average Cost Per Lead (CPL). Useful, sure. But it rarely tells the full story.

Here’s an example. Before we took over a client’s account, their agency showed them an average CPL of $37 – a great number for their industry. But 80% of those conversions were coming from branded searches – people already looking for the company by name.

Once we dug in, we found branded leads cost $26 each, but new customer leads (non-branded terms) were much higher. So, we restructured the account.

Within months, branded CPL dropped to $7, and non-branded leads – actual new business – came down to $75. That shift turned their ad spend from “maintenance mode” into a real growth engine.

Local Data, Informed Decisions

The same client has 37 locations across the East Coast. Their previous agency lumped everything into a handful of campaigns. It was easy… for them. But not so useful for the client.

We rebuilt it from the ground up: 147 campaigns by location and service line. That level of granularity gave them clarity they’d never had before.

Now they can see that leads in Charlotte, NC, cost twice as much as in Bow, NH, and make decisions accordingly. That’s what transparency looks like.

Demand the Data You Deserve

I hate seeing businesses spend good money on bad campaigns.

If your agency’s dashboard makes everything look “fine” but you don’t understand why it’s fine, or where your leads are really coming from, it’s time to ask for the full picture.

Simplicity should serve clarity, not hide it.

If your agency can’t (or won’t) give you that clarity, it may be time to find one that will.

Your Thoughts

What has been your experience with agency dashboards?

Daring to Care

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This morning, a client who provides CPR training emailed me and said:

“I just closed one of the big leads this morning. Huge one!”

That one new client covers all of his Google Ads spend for the year—and then some. (This is on top of the consistent flow of high-quality leads he has been getting since January.)

I was thrilled. First, because he closed the deal. Second, because he let me know. I love to hear about client successes!

At Factor Four, we deeply care about our clients’ results. That may sound obvious, but in the digital agency world, results often take a back seat to looking cool or chasing the latest trend.

Awards Don’t Pay the Bills

One egregious example has stuck with me for nearly 20 years.

In 1996-1997, Nissan ran a series of award-winning ads. They were widely seen, critically acclaimed… and Nissan’s sales dropped 6.9% from July 1996 to July 1997. Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda sales were rising.

At the time, Rob Siltanen, Nissan’s creative director at TBWA Chiat/Day, said:

“This is great advertising!”

Huh?

Personally, I would feel like I failed if a client’s sales went down 7% after launching millions of dollars worth of ads.

What “Daring to Care” Really Means

For us, caring about results isn’t a tagline, it’s a mindset. Here’s what it looks like in practice:

  • Clarity over Creativity – We focus on clear goals and conversions that actually matter.
  • ROI over Awards – Success is measured in revenue, not trophies.
  • Accountability over Vanity Metrics – “Visibility” doesn’t pay the bills. Clients need sales and leads they can track.

When you hold yourself to those standards, you don’t need to justify weak performance with vague claims about “building awareness.” You can point directly to revenue generated. Or, you let a client know that Google Ads will not work for their business… which does happen.

Why It Matters

Our CPR training client didn’t need a clever campaign or a viral ad. He needed qualified leads. We delivered the results that are helping him grow his company. 

That’s why we dare to care.

What is Your Experience?

Have you ever run a campaign that looked good on paper but didn’t move the needle? Or one where the results spoke louder than the creative?

I’d love to hear your experience.

The Right Pond

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Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with other entrepreneurs. Most were technology or engineering people. And they had created some very innovative new products and services.

The interesting thing was I was the only marketing person in the room. And many of them were dealing with marketing problems. For example, I was able to help one entrepreneur to reframe how he talked about his service to increase his credibility – what he offered initially sounded too good to be true.

For another, they were spending over $1000 per month on Google Adwords and had not generated any customers from it, even though they do extremely well selling their product at trade shows and conferences. So, we walked through their campaigns and identified what was missing. They have signed on to be a client.

And there were others who were happy to get the input of a marketing person. So, I initiated a monthly call with this group where we can share expertise. It certainly seemed like a great opportunity to be the marketing expert for these up-and-coming companies.

This experience reminded me how much easier it is to find people to help when you are fishing in the right pond. And it is even better when you are the only one who does what you do in the group.

Who could really use your help, but does not even know they need it? Where might you find a gathering of these people (in the real world or online)? These can be hard questions to answer, but when you do, you can start fishing in the right pond.

If you would like any help planning for and testing a new marketing initiative, let's talk. I can usually help you take the shorter route to success.

Planning or Testing?

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Last week, I had a call with my marketing mastermind group. They are all sharp marketers. However, there was a big contrast in how two members were figuring out how to reach new markets.

The first talked about his analysis of the market. He was looking at which particular niche would be the right one to pursue and how he could structure his offering to help him stand out from his competition. These are all good things to think about. Unfortunately, this was the third month in a row that he has talked about it with no action.

The other member has been pursuing a new market with his offering as well. While his initial attempt was imperfect, he learned a lot and has iterated on his marketing message and offering over the past four months. He is now making significant progress and has paying clients in the new niche he is pursuing.

While planning is important, nothing takes the place of action and testing. In the words of Steve Blank, an entrepreneur and professor at Stanford: “No Plan Survives First Contact With Customers.” This means that no matter how knowledgeable you are about a market, you need to test your idea. This is true for new products as well as new marketing initiatives.

So if you are considering a new marketing initiative, get out there and test it. Of course, expert guidance can help you test things that are more likely to work on the first try, but it is no guarantee. That is also a good reason to start small and prove your idea works before scaling it up.

If you would like any help planning for and testing a new marketing initiative, let’s talk. I can usually help you take the shorter route to success.

Being Heard

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Last Monday, my younger son told me that he did not want to go to ballet class. This was surprising to me, since he really loves ballet.

So, I started asking him questions about it. While the first answers were “I don’t know” and “I just don’t feel like going, today” (he is almost a teenager after all), I continued to keep asking for more details. That is when I discovered that he does not feel this particular class is challenging enough for him. That, combined with his friend not attending this class for the summer, made it less fun to attend.

Given my busy schedule, I have no desire to take the time to get him to ballet unless he wants to be there. So, we made a plan to talk with the school director to figure out which class is the right fit for him. At the end of our discussion, Will thanked me for taking the time to really listen to him and figure out a plan to make ballet more enjoyable.

He was happy to have been heard. And don’t we all appreciate being heard?

This goes far beyond satisfaction surveys. There is a lot to be learned from having an in-depth conversation with a client. You want to figure out the problem beneath the problem.

For example, when a prospect tells me they want to generate more leads, that is not what they really want. It is how they think they can get to their bigger goal, such as increased sales so they can afford to hire a new salesperson.

However, generating more leads may not be the most direct path to get to their goal. Maybe they can achieve their goal more quickly by offering an additional service to existing clients.

When you have conversations with prospects, be curious. Understand their bigger goals so that you can help them find a solution that gets them there faster, even if it is not using your services. That is something you can be sure will set you apart from your competition.

Hiding in Plain Site

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A couple of months ago, a prospect contacted me about his carpet cleaning business that he wanted to grow. We had initially met when he cleaned our carpets a couple of years ago.

He initially wanted a quote on using Google Adwords to find more clients. After looking at the cost per click and typical conversion rates, it was clear that Adwords was not a good fit.

Then we started talking about Facebook. While this is less expensive per click, it is also a lot less targeted, particularly for something like carpet cleaning. People are unlikely to want to learn more about carpet cleaning unless they are already thinking about it.

So, we started talking more about how he finds customers and how he gets repeat business. While he was using direct mail, which is expensive but works, he was not taking advantage of an email list of nearly 5,000 past customers. These were people who already knew him and presumably liked his work.

The lightbulb went on for me! This was a great opportunity to generate repeat business at a low cost. Here was a valuable asset hiding in plain site simply because it was not the way most carpet cleaners generate business.

So, we just sent out the first email. We made it informative and not just a sales pitch so people who received it want to open it. And while only about 3,500 of the email addresses were still in use (some of the email addresses were several years old), the first newsletter generated at least 20 jobs for a lot less than online advertising or direct mail.

Are you missing a valuable asset in your business? When we are too close to our business and the way the industry does business, it can be hard to see things differently. Getting an outside perspective can help you find assets that are hiding in plain site.

If you would like to review your business to find valuable marketing assets that you may be overlooking, let’s talk.