[SERVICE] Google Ads

Google Ads management
in Denver, CO.

Search, Performance Max, and YouTube. We capture intent, kill wasted spend, and scale only what proves out — daily, not quarterly. Geofenced to Denver and the metro so you stop paying for clicks from Boulder.

[01] The problem

Why most Denver Google Ads accounts leak.

Walk into any underperforming Google Ads account in Denver and you'll usually find the same five things: broad-match keywords running unsupervised, no negative-keyword hygiene, conversion tracking that's either broken or measuring the wrong thing, geo-targeting set to "Colorado" instead of specific zip codes, and a Performance Max campaign eating 40% of the budget on placements no one can see. Most accounts leak 20–40% of their spend before a single qualified lead is generated.

The reason this is the norm in Denver isn't lack of expertise — it's lack of attention. Most agencies set up campaigns at the start of the engagement, then audit them quarterly. Google Ads is a daily-volatility platform: auction prices shift, competitors enter and exit, search intent evolves. An account that was perfectly tuned in January is leaking by April. The agencies that do well in Denver are the ones that look at the account daily.

Our model is simple: we run your Google Ads like it's our own money. Daily account checks, weekly optimization passes, monthly strategy reviews. You fund your own ad account directly (we never touch your media budget — no markup, no front-loading), and our fee covers strategy, build-out, and ongoing management. If we're not earning the bill, you cancel month-to-month.

[02] Our method

How we run Google Ads.

/01

Phase 1: Audit and kill the leaks (week 1)

We start with an audit of the existing account (if there is one) or a tight build-out (if there isn't). The audit identifies wasted spend, broken conversion tracking, mis-targeted keywords, and Performance Max placements that aren't producing. Most engagements free up 20–30% of the budget in the first two weeks just by stopping the leaks.

/02

Phase 2: Conversion tracking that actually works

Before we scale anything, we make sure conversions are tracked correctly. That means: server-side conversion tracking via the Google Ads API (not just gtag.js), enhanced conversions for offline data (calls, demos, deals), and primary vs. secondary conversion separation so the bidding algorithm optimizes for the actions that drive revenue, not just form fills.

/03

Phase 3: Tight campaign architecture

We rebuild the account around tight match types and clean campaign structure. Single-keyword ad groups (SKAGs) for high-value head terms, themed ad groups for mid-tail, and Performance Max with proper signal feeding for broad coverage. Negative keyword lists are built and updated weekly. Geo-targeting is set to actual Denver zip codes, not state or DMA.

/04

Phase 4: Creative and ad copy testing

Every account gets multiple ad variants per ad group, tested statistically (not eyeballed). Ad strength is one input but not the goal — conversion rate is. We test headlines and descriptions on a rolling 14-day cycle, killing underperformers and scaling winners.

/05

Phase 5: Scale what works (month 2 onward)

Once the account is profitable and stable, we scale spend on the campaigns that prove out and reinvest the savings from killed campaigns. Most accounts hit a stable, scalable equilibrium by month 3 — meaning you can confidently increase budget month over month without proportionally increasing CPA.

[03] Common mistakes

The five Google Ads mistakes Denver businesses make.

These are the recurring patterns we find when we audit existing accounts. Fixing any one of them usually frees up 10–20% of the budget.

/01

Running broad-match without negatives

Broad match is fine — if you're using it strategically with smart bidding and a maintained negative-keyword list. Most accounts have broad-match keywords with no negatives at all, which means you're paying for clicks on every loosely-related search Google can find. Negative-keyword hygiene is the single highest-ROI weekly task.

/02

Trusting Performance Max blindly

PMax can work brilliantly. It can also burn 40% of your budget on Display placements no one will ever see. The fix is feeding PMax with strong signals — first-party customer data, audience segments, asset groups themed by product/service category — and monitoring placements weekly. PMax with no oversight is just an expensive black box.

/03

Conversion tracking that measures the wrong thing

If your Google Ads conversion is "page view of /thank-you" you're likely missing 30%+ of conversions due to tracking blocks, and you're optimizing toward whatever fires the fastest, not whatever drives revenue. We set up server-side conversion tracking with offline data so the algorithm sees the actual sale, not just the form fill.

/04

Geo-targeting set to "Colorado" instead of zips

Default geo-targeting in Denver-area accounts is almost always too broad. You're paying for clicks from Boulder, Greeley, Colorado Springs — markets you don't serve. Tight geo-targeting by zip code (or a custom radius around your service area) usually drops your CPA 15–25% with zero other changes.

/05

Setting and forgetting

Google Ads is a daily-volatility platform. Auctions shift, competitors enter and exit, search behavior evolves. Accounts set up perfectly in January are leaking by April. Daily monitoring with weekly optimization is the floor — not optional.

[04] Pricing

Three tiers. Zero lock-in.

What's included monthly, by tier. Ad spend is always separate (you fund your own account directly).

[Pro]

Pro

$1,495/mo + $199 setup (one-time)
  • Campaign build-out (Search, Performance Max)
  • Pixel installation & conversion tracking
  • Audience targeting & geo-targeting setup
  • Weekly performance enhancements
  • Monthly progress report
  • Recommended ad spend: $0–$2,500/mo (paid to Google)
Book a free call →
[Plus]

Plus

$1,995/mo + $199 setup (one-time)
  • Everything in Pro, plus:
  • Multi-channel formats (Search + PMax + Display)
  • Advanced audience strategy
  • Weekly performance enhancements with insights
  • Bi-weekly strategy check-ins
  • Recommended ad spend: $2,500–$5,000/mo
Book a free call →
[Platinum]

Platinum

$2,495/mo + $199 setup (one-time)
  • Everything in Plus, plus:
  • Full multi-channel (Search + PMax + Display + YouTube)
  • Enhanced conversions & offline data integration
  • Priority optimization & daily account monitoring
  • Monthly 1:1 strategy calls
  • Recommended ad spend: $5,000+/mo
Book a free call →

Month-to-month. 30 days notice to cancel. See all services and bundles →

[05] Proof

What this looks like in the wild.

Results from the platforms and tools we use, sourced from verified case studies. As Axon's own client work matures, we'll publish more direct case studies here.

[01]Google Ads
+61% web traffic, +110% impressions
Cosmetic Treatment Clinic · United States

While this engagement included paid search, the dramatic lift came from a coordinated paid + organic approach. Search ad clicks combined with a 110% impression surge from improved local visibility doubled appointment bookings inside the engagement window.

[02]Google Ads
+59% traffic, +76% impressions
Fire Protection Company · United States

Comprehensive overhaul covering technical fixes, paid search optimization, and content production. The combined campaign produced compounding lift across both paid and organic channels.

[SERVICE AREA]

Denver-anchored. U.S.-wide capability.

We're based in Aurora and have a particular focus on Denver-area businesses. But this service runs identically whether the client is in our metro, on the Front Range, or in another state — most of the work happens over Google Meet, shared dashboards, and weekly async updates.

If you're outside Colorado and want this work done, we'd be happy to talk — book a free audit.

[FAQ] Google Ads

Common questions.

No. Ever. You fund your Google Ads account directly with your own credit card or bank account. We never touch the money. Our monthly fee covers strategy, build-out, and ongoing management — that's it. This is non-negotiable for us and we walk away from any prospect who wants us to manage their ad spend through our account.
Depends on margins and how competitive your category is. Rule of thumb: $0–$2,500/mo for early-stage testing or low-volume categories, $2,500–$5,000 for established businesses with clear unit economics, $5,000+ for businesses scaling aggressively. We'll tell you on the discovery call whether your numbers support paid ads or whether SEO/organic is a better near-term play.
Denver is one of the more competitive Google Ads markets in the western U.S., especially for legal, healthcare, home services, and SaaS. Average CPCs for those verticals run $15–$80 per click. The fix isn't lower CPCs (you can't usually negotiate Google's auction down); it's better conversion rates on the landing page, better quality scores from tighter ad-keyword-landing-page matching, and tighter match types so you're only paying for clicks from actual buyers.
Yes, and we have strong opinions about it. PMax is powerful for businesses with rich first-party data and clean conversion tracking; it's a budget-burner for businesses without those things. We'll audit whether PMax is right for your account before turning it on — if it isn't, we'll run plain Search until it is.
Yes, but usually as a secondary channel. Bing has 5–10% of Google's search volume in the U.S., but in some Denver-area verticals (especially professional services, B2B, and 50+ demographics), Bing's CPCs are 30–50% lower than Google's for similar conversion quality. We'll evaluate it as part of the strategy.
Faster than SEO. Most accounts hit a stable, optimized state within 30–60 days. You should see leads from week one (assuming the budget supports it), and the cost-per-conversion should drop progressively over the first 90 days as the algorithms learn from your conversion data and we tune the account.
[NEXT STEP]

Ready to make your google ads work?

Free 30-minute audit — we'll review your current setup, tell you what's working, what's broken, and what we'd fix first. No slide deck, no pitch.