Google Ads: An Inside Look Into Best Strategies For Success with Glenneth Reed

Glenneth Reed is the founder and owner of The Visibility Method, and for the past 13 years, she has immersed herself in the world of digital marketing — with the last eight years running her own business. She specializes in helping businesses grow online by leveraging the power of SEO and Google Ads.

Her journey into this space started somewhat accidentally. Thirteen years ago, while searching for a new job opportunity, Glenneth found herself working at an internet marketing agency. Five years in, she purchased the agency, rebranded it, and made it entirely her own. What drew her to SEO and Google Ads was the variety and customization required for each client. Every day looked different, every client had unique needs, and it kept the work dynamic and interesting.

Staying Sharp in a Rapidly Evolving Industry

Over more than a decade in the field, Glenneth has seen countless changes in the digital marketing landscape. So how does she stay up to date? As a certified Google Ads Partner, Glenneth is required to take multiple exams each year to maintain her status, covering everything from best practices to ad spend qualifications. It’s no small feat: the exams are timed, you can’t revisit questions, and some even ask for multiple correct answers.

She also makes a point of reading constantly and immersing herself in online communities and industry updates. That dedication ensures she remains sharp and can continue delivering results for her clients.

Why Google Ads Aren’t Ideal for Realtors or Short-Term Rentals

During our prep for this episode, I sent Glenneth a list of questions focused on realtors and short-term rental owners, two groups I frequently work with. And I learned something surprising: Glenneth doesn’t recommend Google Ads for these professionals.

Why?

Because the competition is stacked heavily against them. In real estate and short-term rentals, big players like Realtor.com, Zillow, Airbnb, and Vrbo dominate both organic search and paid ad space; thanks to massive ad budgets and content-rich websites. Even larger real estate firms like Coldwell Banker outperform solo agents simply because of their expansive digital presence.

For independent agents or property owners, it’s often cost-prohibitive to compete. Many don’t have access to a full website or are limited to a single page, which just doesn’t hold up against the competition. The result? Too much money spent with very little return. Glenneth’s advice: don’t put your marketing dollars into Google Ads or SEO if you’re a solo real estate pro or STR owner. Instead, invest in personal branding or other marketing efforts that offer a better ROI.

I loved this perspective. It made me trust Glenneth even more. She’s not here to sell services; she’s here to give honest, strategic advice.

A Look at Local Service Providers and Google Ads

While Google Ads may not be ideal for real estate agents, they can be highly effective for other locally based businesses — think contractors like HVAC, electrical, or plumbing companies. These are the types of businesses that realtors and STR owners interact with regularly, so this insight still holds a lot of value for anyone adjacent to those industries.

What Are Google Ads, Really?

To lay the groundwork: Google Ads is Google’s “pay to play” advertising platform. Businesses bid on specific keywords. For example, “plumber Knoxville”, and when someone searches that term, their ad may appear at the top of the results as a sponsored listing.

Unlike organic search, maps listings, or video results, Google Ads lets businesses fast-track their way to the top of the page, depending on budget and keyword choice. Glenneth describes it as active advertising– you’re reaching people who are already looking for your service.

That’s a key distinction between Google Ads and platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Social platforms rely on interrupting someone’s scroll and hoping your ad resonates. With Google, the potential client is actively seeking you out. The result? Warmer leads and often faster conversions.

Getting Started with Google Ads: Keywords & Campaigns

To get started, you’ll set up a campaign using very specific keywords. Glenneth shared a great example: if you’re a roofer in Knoxville, the keywords might be “roofer Knoxville” or “roofing Knoxville.” You don’t need hundreds of keywords. In fact, most conversions come from just five to ten highly targeted ones.

You pay per click, not per keyword. When someone searches for your keyword and sees your ad, you only pay if they actually click on it. That’s known as PPC (Pay-Per-Click) or CPC (Cost-Per-Click). If they see the ad but don’t click, that’s called an impression, and you don’t pay for those.

This brings us to click-through rate (CTR), which is the ratio of clicks to impressions. And here’s the kicker: Google considers anything over 1% a solid CTR. That may sound low, but it’s actually a good benchmark in this space. Not everyone who sees your ad will be the right fit and that’s okay.

Why You Need a 90-Day Mindset

If you’re thinking about diving into Google Ads, Glenneth recommends committing to at least 90 days. This isn’t a quick fix. It typically takes four to six weeks just to collect enough data to make meaningful optimizations. With the right setup, this timeframe allows you to identify which keywords are converting, refine your ad copy, and build a solid foundation for better results.

How Much Should You Budget?

Budget-wise, Glenneth suggests most businesses start at around $10/day, which comes out to roughly $300/month. Depending on your industry or location, it might need to be closer to $15–$20/day. That said, starting with a smaller daily spend allows you to test and optimize your campaigns before scaling up.

Even a lower budget can generate results; especially when paired with expert optimization, ongoing refinement, and realistic expectations.

What Are Negative Keywords — And Why They Matter

A game-changer that many DIYers overlook? Negative keywords.

While most advertisers obsess over the keywords they want to show up for, Glenneth always checks what phrases a campaign is being matched with that it shouldn’t be. For example, if you’re a roofer bidding on “roofing Knoxville,” you wouldn’t want to show up for “free roofing”, unless you’re truly working for free! So “free” becomes a negative keyword.

Similarly, someone searching “how much do roofers make” or “roofing classes” isn’t looking for services. Glenneth recommends adding those types of queries as negatives to avoid wasting budget. In fact, she provides her clients with a list of nearly 200 common negative keywords to help them get started right.

Adding negative keywords doesn’t impact your budget directly. Instead, it saves money by preventing your ad from showing to the wrong audience. Glenneth recalled working with a trucking company that hadn’t used any negative keywords. Their ads were showing up for irrelevant terms like “cruise director” and “limo driver for elderly.” In the first month, she added 140 negative keywords, cut their spend in half, and maintained the same number of conversions. Only now, those leads were actually relevant.

Her general rule of thumb: if you’re offering just a few services, you might have a short list of keywords, but your negative keyword list could easily reach into the hundreds over time.

Why DIY Isn’t Always the Answer for Google Ads

This naturally brought us to a question I often get from listeners: Is it worth DIYing your Google Ads?

Glenneth’s advice? Not really.

Unless you’re deeply familiar with the platform or working with a very limited budget, you’re likely better off hiring an experienced Google Ads strategist. Google Ads isn’t magic. It can’t fix a broken offer, an unclear message, or a low-converting landing page.

She shared a common situation: businesses come to her with low or no conversions and expect Google Ads to solve everything. But if your website or sales page isn’t already converting, Google Ads will only amplify the problem. Ads can bring traffic faster, but they can’t fix what’s not working.

That’s why Glenneth often refers clients out for copywriting or conversion optimization help if they need it. Ideally, her clients are already generating leads and sales. They just need more of them, more efficiently.

Don’t DIY Your Roof — Or Your Google Ads

As we joked during the interview, you wouldn’t climb up on your own roof to do repairs if you weren’t a roofer. So why try to DIY Google Ads when there’s a steep learning curve and experienced professionals like Glenneth who can get you faster results?

Especially because Google Ads offers powerful targeting tools most business owners don’t fully utilize. You can target by:

• Age
• Gender
• Household income
• Audience behaviors
• Geography (down to miles)

One of Glenneth’s clients is a karate studio in Knoxville. His Google Ads campaign targets a five-mile radius around his location with just one keyword. That strategy has been working efficiently for ten years. When he needs more leads, Glenneth turns the ads on. When demand is steady, she turns them off. It’s that simple and that powerful. But it took time and expertise to get there.

Even if you’re already ranking well organically, it can still make sense to invest in ads. Showing up multiple times on the first page (paid ad, map listing, organic search) only adds to your credibility. People are more likely to click on a business they see multiple times.

Some Niches Have Higher Costs. Here’s What to Expect

Glenneth also walked us through how cost per click varies widely across industries.

Here are some high-cost niches:

• Plastic surgery
• Chiropractic
• Legal/law firms

For these industries, you’ll likely need a higher daily budget. But for most local service providers, painters, electricians, plumbers, contractors, $10/day is usually enough to begin seeing meaningful results.

And while referrals and word-of-mouth are fantastic, Glenneth reminds us that not everyone has access to those networks. Especially people moving into new areas. With 8.3 billion searches per day happening on Google, your potential client is almost certainly among them. The question is: Are you showing up when they search?

If you’re not ranking organically and still want visibility, Google Ads is your answer.

Why You Need to Be on Page One (Especially on Mobile)

Most people never go beyond the first page of Google. As Glenneth put it:

“The only people going to page 2, 3, or 4 are business owners trying to find themselves; and SEO people checking on their clients.”

With recent changes to Google’s layout, some users see infinite scroll, while others still see paginated search results. Either way, being above the fold (especially on mobile) is crucial. On mobile, ads often take up the entire screen, meaning that paid visibility may be your only shot at being seen.

And let’s be honest, we’re all Googling from our phones at our kid’s soccer game or waiting in line at Target. Ads that show up first are winning that attention.

Where Should Your Ads Lead?

Once your Google Ads campaign is live, your next priority is ensuring that clicks go to the right place. According to Glenneth, the ideal destination is a dedicated page on your website that matches the service being advertised.

For example:

• If you’re a general contractor advertising plumbing services, direct the ad to your plumbing service page.
• If you’re promoting roofing, send visitors to the roofing service page.
• For general searches like “general contractor Knoxville,” directing to your homepage might make more sense.

This strategy improves the user experience and keeps your ads relevant, both of which help drive conversions.

And yes, you can run multiple ad groups for different services within one campaign, all under a shared $10/day budget. This allows you to monitor which services are performing best and scale them accordingly.

Glenneth also emphasized that each individual service should have its own page, not just for ad performance but also for SEO optimization. Whether you’re running Google Ads or other paid campaigns like Facebook Ads, these focused landing pages are essential.

Tools to Support Google Ads Success

If you’re still considering the DIY route, there are a few key tools you’ll want to get comfortable with:

• Google Ads: This is your ad campaign command center.
• Google Analytics: Provides insights into how visitors behave once they land on your site.
• Google Search Console: A powerful tool for identifying SEO performance, keyword visibility, and any technical issues Google might have with your website.

Glenneth stressed the usefulness of Google Search Console, especially for identifying which keywords your site is already ranking for and which ones Google is trying to show you for; sometimes on page 6 or beyond. That’s a great signal for which keywords to potentially bid on.

That said, the Google Ads interface isn’t the most beginner-friendly, and it changes frequently. Sometimes daily. Glenneth joked that even she struggles to create tutorials because what worked yesterday might not apply today.

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If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your brand or unsure where to focus your marketing efforts, a Power Hour session is exactly what you need. This focused 60-minute strategy call is designed to cut through the noise and give you clear, actionable steps tailored to your business.

Whether you’re:

• A realtor trying to stand out in a crowded market
• A short-term rental owner creating a five-star guest experience
• Or a local service provider ready to attract the right clients consistently

You don’t have to figure it all out alone.