Posts by techgrad

Google Analytics 4 Benchmarking now includes 20 unnormalized metrics (like New Users and Total Revenue) so you can compare raw counts to industry peers by percentile, not just ratios. Google scales peer normalized metrics to your active user count and shows where you fall (25th, median, 75th), refreshed daily and gated by sufficient peer data. For contractors, this enables practical planning and bidding decisions tied to revenue and calls, not vanity rates like engagement. Ensure your industry category and conversion/revenue tracking (including call and booked job values) are accurate before relying on the benchmarks, then use them to diagnose reach vs. monetization gaps and choose between tighter manual bidding or automated strategies.

The article argues that AI-written Google Ads should be engineered to drive qualified phone calls instead of vanity clicks by using strict, structured prompts. It outlines a four-part framework—persona, task, context, and format—to produce RSA-compliant copy that is urgent, clear, and relevant for trades like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Advanced techniques include laddered iteration, hypothesis-driven A/B variants, and example-based prompts, reinforced by negative constraints to avoid fluff, policy issues, and unqualified leads. It concludes with a step-by-step refinement workflow and urges measuring success by booked jobs rather than CTR, noting a quick consideration of manual vs. automated bidding for local contractors.

AI Max is a new Google Search feature (announced May 2025) that layers automation onto Search campaigns by expanding beyond keywords, generating ad copy from your site, and routing users to the most relevant landing pages. Early pilots report around a 14% lift in conversions at similar costs, but contractors should closely monitor lead quality and call outcomes rather than just clicks. It’s an add-on at the campaign level—not a new campaign type—that enables keywordless serving, creative generation, and smart URL selection. Before enabling, ensure conversion and call tracking are accurate, and use reporting on search terms, landing pages, and assets to optimize inputs and outcomes.

AI search and zero-click results require contractors to make their brands machine-readable and trustworthy across profiles, websites, and ads. Technical branding emphasizes consistent entity data (NAP), structured schema, strong proof signals like reviews, fast and stable UX with click-to-call, and clean conversion data that feeds automation. By optimizing GBP, schema, reviews, site performance, and call tracking tied to booked jobs, you increase the chances that AI overviews and ad platforms cite and surface your business. In this landscape, prioritize PPC and optimization strategies that drive qualified calls over vanity clicks or blue links.