Search, Performance Max or YouTube: which do I need?

Most businesses start with Search because it catches people already looking. We add Performance Max or YouTube when there's budget and a clear reason, like retargeting or local awareness.

I already run Google Ads. Where do you start?

With an audit of your account: search terms, wasted spend, tracking and landing pages. We fix what's leaking before we add budget.

How do you track which ads turn into jobs?

We set up call tracking and conversion tracking, and every lead flows into StrideOps. That lets us report on booked calls, not just clicks.

What if a call comes in after hours?

A StrideOps voice agent picks up in under 2 seconds, qualifies the caller and books them on your calendar or flags them for your team.

Do I keep my Google Ads account?

Yes. We work inside your account with manager access, so the history, the data and the account stay yours.

What about competitors clicking my ads?

Google filters invalid clicks automatically and credits many of them back. We also watch for unusual patterns and exclude sources that look wrong.

Paid advertising

Show up when buyers are already searching for you.

Search ads catch people with intent. We build tight campaigns around the searches that turn into revenue and make sure every call and form is answered on the first ring.

Book a Stride Scaling Call How it works

clients served: 400+; clients served
average rating: 4.8; average rating
to go live, for most clients: 2-3 wks; to go live, for most clients

SearchExample

emergency plumber near me

AllMapsImagesNews

Search, Maps and YouTube, measured down to the booked call.

Google spreads one budget across several surfaces. We pick the ones that fit your market and track every call and form back to the search that started it.

Where your ads show

Search first, then Maps, YouTube and Gmail where there's a clear reason.

Google
Google Maps
YouTube
Gmail
Google Ads

How we measure

Every conversion is tracked, then matched to what happened on the call.

Google Analytics
Google Tag Manager
CallRail
Google Business Profile

Where the leads go

GoHighLevel
HubSpot
Salesforce
Pipedrive
Close

How it works

How we run your Google Ads.

Most clients are live in 2 to 3 weeks. Full optimization takes 30 to 60 days as we learn from real leads.

1
Step 01
Search research
We map the searches that turn into revenue in your area and the competitors bidding on them, and cut the ones that only burn budget.
2
Step 02
Campaign build
Tight Search campaigns, plus Performance Max and YouTube where they fit, with ads written for each group of searches.
3
Step 03
Pages and tracking
Landing pages built to convert and call tracking in place, so we know which searches turn into booked jobs.
4
Step 04
Answer and optimize
Calls ring through to your team, with a StrideOps voice agent picking up when nobody can. Bids and budgets are tuned every week.

What's included

Done for you, end to end.

You bring the offer and the calendar. We handle strategy, build, launch and the weekly tuning.

Keyword and competitor research
Search, Performance Max and YouTube campaigns
Landing pages built to convert
Call tracking and conversion setup
Ongoing bid and budget management

Google Ads accountExample

This week

What you get each week

MonSearch terms reviewed and wasted spend blockedDone
TueBids and budgets shifted toward booked callsDone
WedNew ad copy testsIn progress
ThuCall outcomes reviewedScheduled
FriReport on calls, bookings and cost per booked callScheduled

What we report on

The numbers you'll see every week.

Every Google Ads report leads with booked calls, then shows the numbers that explain them.

Impression share on money searches: How often you show up for the searches that turn into jobs. Low share means you're losing buyers to competitors.
Search terms blocked: The irrelevant searches we exclude every week, so budget only goes to people who can buy.
Call answer rate: Paid calls answered by your team or the voice agent. A missed paid call is wasted spend.
Cost per call and form: Spend per conversion, split by campaign and search.
Cost per booked call: The number every bid and budget change is judged against.
Revenue per ad dollar: Closed jobs imported back from your CRM against spend.

Calls from your ads ring through to a StrideOps voice agent when your team is busy, so paid clicks never hit voicemail.

How StrideOps works

Lead source
Google Ads
A lead raises their hand
StrideOps agent
Under 2s to respond
Calls or texts, qualifies
Outcome
Booked call
On your calendar

Local Services Ads vs Search ads

Local Services Ads sit at the very top of the results for many service searches, show a Google Guaranteed or Google Screened badge, and charge per lead rather than per click. They're only available in certain categories and areas, and Google runs background and license checks before you can appear.

Search ads give you control over keywords, ad copy and landing pages, and they work in every category. Where a business qualifies, we often run both: LSAs for the badge and the top slot, Search for coverage and control. Either way every call is answered, because the lead goes to whoever picks up first.

Teaching Google what a booked call looks like

By default Google optimizes for whatever you count as a conversion, which is usually a form fill or a call that lasted a minute. That rewards cheap, low-quality leads.

With offline conversion import, the outcome from your CRM goes back to Google: this lead booked, this one bought, this one was spam. Smart Bidding then pushes budget toward the searches and audiences that turn into booked calls, which is the number you actually care about.

Your first 90 days

What happens, and when.

Most clients are live in 2 to 3 weeks. This is the usual order of work after the strategy call.

Week 1
Audit and tracking
We review search terms, wasted spend and landing pages, then set up Google Analytics 4, conversion actions and call tracking so every lead is counted once.
Weeks 2 to 3
Build and launch
Tight Search campaigns around the searches that pay, ads written for each group, and landing pages built to convert. Calls ring through to your team and the voice agent.
Weeks 3 to 6
Mine the search terms
Real search data shows what people typed. We block the waste, add the winners as keywords and rewrite ads around what converts.
Days 30 to 60
Smarter bidding
Once there are enough conversions, bidding shifts toward booked calls, with outcomes from your CRM imported back so Google learns what a good lead looks like.
Days 60 to 90
Expand with a reason
Performance Max, YouTube remarketing or Local Services Ads get added only where the numbers support it.

How it compares

Google Ads, side by side.

The usual alternatives, compared on the things that decide whether a lead turns into a booked call.

Topic	Executive Stride	Running it yourself	Typical PPC agency
Search terms	Executive StrideReviewed every week, waste blocked	Running it yourselfChecked when there's time	Typical PPC agencyMonthly, if at all
Missed calls	Executive StrideA voice agent answers in under 2 seconds	Running it yourselfVoicemail	Typical PPC agencyNot their problem
Conversion tracking	Executive StrideCalls, forms and CRM outcomes	Running it yourselfForm fills, sometimes calls	Typical PPC agencyForm fills and clicks
Reporting	Executive StrideCost per booked call and revenue	Running it yourselfClicks and spend	Typical PPC agencyClicks, CTR and conversions
Landing pages	Executive StrideBuilt and tested with the campaigns	Running it yourselfYour homepage	Typical PPC agencyExtra fee, or none

Who it's for

Built for businesses like these.

Businesses people search for when they need help now: trades, clinics, legal and home services

Teams that miss calls during jobs, evenings or weekends

Owners spending on Google without knowing what it books

Not sure it fits? Book a call and we'll tell you straight.

Client results

Hear it from our clients.

Executive Stride clients on camera and in their own words.

All client results

clients served: 400+; clients served
in client results: $10M+; in client results
industries: 20+; industries
average rating: 4.8; average rating

$220K profit in 2 monthsFranky Shaw, FutrGroupClient

10+ calls a week for 6 monthsJacob Snitman, Burke FinancialClient

37 calls, 13 clients in 3 weeksKas Ghorb, Content RocketClient

15 calls, 3 deals in 2 weeksBharat, Bison MarketersClient

They've consistently been able to help me achieve at least 10 booked appointments on my calendar for both of my businesses separately every week for the last six months.

Jacob SnitmanBurke Financial

I don't usually do testimonials for people but we've been able to generate a tremendous amount of additional monthly income with Executive Stride. Their team is super supportive and basically hand you results on a silver platter.

Franky ShawFutrGroup

I can personally attribute over $20k/mo of additional monthly income to Josh and the team at Executive Stride with their LinkedIn strategies alone. If you're not working with them I don't know what you're doing.

Stephen GomesRealtor Media Leads

Getting leads is fantastic, we have a small team and actually had too much coming in and I had to reel it back a little bit, which is a good problem to have.

Jacob SherrardElvt Marketing Solutions

Since working with Josh and his team at Executive Stride for three weeks, we have been able to book 35 qualified leads and closed 11 leads by using their LinkedIn system

Harshal DewanganDewa Direction

Josh and his team basically helped me generate over 37 booked appointments and 13 new clients, which is mind-blowing!

Kas GhorbContent Rocket

FAQ

Google Ads questions, answered.

Anything else, ask us on the call.

Search, Performance Max or YouTube: which do I need?: Most businesses start with Search because it catches people already looking. We add Performance Max or YouTube when there's budget and a clear reason, like retargeting or local awareness.
I already run Google Ads. Where do you start?: With an audit of your account: search terms, wasted spend, tracking and landing pages. We fix what's leaking before we add budget.
How do you track which ads turn into jobs?: We set up call tracking and conversion tracking, and every lead flows into StrideOps. That lets us report on booked calls, not just clicks.
What if a call comes in after hours?: A StrideOps voice agent picks up in under 2 seconds, qualifies the caller and books them on your calendar or flags them for your team.
Do I keep my Google Ads account?: Yes. We work inside your account with manager access, so the history, the data and the account stay yours.
What about competitors clicking my ads?: Google filters invalid clicks automatically and credits many of them back. We also watch for unusual patterns and exclude sources that look wrong.

Pairs well with

Paid advertisingMeta AdsFacebook and Instagram campaigns

Paid advertisingTikTok AdsShort video ads that sell

AIAI Appointment SettersVoice and SMS agents that book calls 24/7

Google Ads for your industry

Let's map out your Google Ads plan.

Book a call and we'll look at where your leads come from, where they leak and what we'd build first.

Book a Stride Scaling Call

Show up when buyers are already searching for you.

Search, Maps and YouTube, measured down to the booked call.

How we run your Google Ads.

Search research

Campaign build

Pages and tracking

Answer and optimize