When Smart Goals Aren’t Smart at All

by Pauline Jakober
February 25, 2016
AdWords

In December of last year, Google rolled out Smart Goals to AdWords users. The company promoted the feature as a way for businesses to forgo the painstaking process of setting up conversion tracking by using conversion data collected from other businesses instead.

But this “easy-to-use” solution begs a big question: Would the actual data (if conversion tracking was in place) bear any resemblance to this aggregated data?

Truth is, advertisers have no way of knowing. And that seems more than a little risky.

In her latest column in Search Engine Watch, Pauline Jakober takes a closer look at the issues surrounding Smart Goals and speculates at what might lie behind this latest Google offering.

TAGS: Smart Goals

Immediate and positive impact.
"Working with Group Twenty Seven has had an immediate and positive impact on our organization by helping us maximize our digital footprint and work towards our organization’s goals. Alyssa and team has brought new approaches to our Google Ads strategy that has amplified our exposure and brand awareness by significantly increasing our search traffic. Not only is she a rock star when it comes to getting results, she’s also quick to respond to any of our requests and brings novel approaches to presenting data which has helped improve our reporting and messaging. Previous partners did not bring the level of engagement, awareness, and expertise that we get from Alyssa and the team and we are incredibly happy with our partnership."
—Dave Skahan, Senior Director, Commercial Operations & Demand Generation Strategy, Emulate
Client since March 2024

Couldn’t be happier with the results.
“I’ve worked with a variety of PPC/search companies over the years, and Pauline and her team, continue to be outstanding. We are in a very difficult position bidding against some of the larger cancer organizations out there, and Pauline and co continually find great ways to compete without breaking the bank.

We’ve been working with Group Twenty Seven for about four years, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. We meet with their team on a weekly basis and review status and performance. They are very responsive to our needs and always think outside of the box, as you know it’s an ever-changing field.”
—Peter Anton, VP of Marketing, International Myeloma Foundation
Client since February 2017

A partner in every sense of the word.
“Pauline and her entire team at Group Twenty Seven have been amazing to work with. They’re smart, organized and always on top of new trends and platform updates. We initially contacted them to fill a void until we could make an internal hire, but given the value they’ve brought us, we’ve kept them on board for over three years. They are truly an extension of our team with a high level of collaboration and understanding of our unique business.

We are not a traditional e-commerce company with unique inventory rotating on and off our site daily and they have gotten creative, analytical, and thoughtful to test out new ways to drive results. They are always looking for new ways to optimize our campaigns and collaborate with us to ensure we are able to demonstrate ROI. Most importantly they will let us know when something isn't working so we can decide to iterate or take a different approach. They are thoughtful of our budgets and make sure we always get the most out of every click. Group Twenty Seven is a partner in every sense of the word asking the right questions and driving results through their work.”
—Jessica Polmanteer, Senior Director of Marketing, Proxibid
November 2022

Better ROI on Google Ads dollars.
“The Group Twenty Seven Team knows their stuff when it comes to Google Ads. They were able to overhaul my advertising account to provide a similar rate of conversions at substantially less cost. They are great communicators, friendly and pleasant to work with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Group Twenty Seven to anyone looking for better ROI on their Google Ads dollars.”
—Molly Owens, CEO, Truity Psychometrics
Client since June 2011

Group Twenty Seven delivers.
“Simply put, in the past ten years, Pauline and Group Twenty Seven have helped me grow a small start-up team building company into the largest corporate event company in America. Since then, I’ve enlisted Pauline to handle another one of my start-ups, with two more launching this year. Any company can say they can manage your PPC marketing, but Group Twenty Seven delivers.”
—Scott Flynn, CEO, Best Corporate Events
Client since January 2010

Steady increase in ROI year over year.
“The Group Twenty Seven team is at the core of our success with PPC management. They are a vital partner in our business and always exceed our expectations. We have been working with Pauline and her team for almost 5 years! We have enjoyed a steady increase in ROI year over year.”
—Bryan Burns, Founder, SmartHunts
Client since January 2015

Professional knowledge guiding our PPC campaigns.
“After managing our own AdWords account for several years with limited success and an ever increasing budget, we decided it was time to find someone to help us better manage and analyze our campaigns. We’ve been working with Pauline and her dedication of time and energy to our campaigns has been a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. Pauline keeps us well informed and truly cares about the quantity and quality of leads her team is driving to our site. We are thrilled with the services she offers our company and are thankful to have her honest opinion and professional knowledge guiding our PPC campaigns.”
—Alyson Arnold, Marketing Director, Conklin Office Furniture
Client since May 2012

The proof is in the numbers.
“Pauline and the team at Group Twenty Seven have reinvigorated our PPC program and helped guide us to whole new levels of success (clicks AND revenue!). Her expertise and management have helped us evaluate and restructure our program and we are thrilled with the results. Pauline has helped educate and guide us during this whole process and is an AdWords guru who is always on top of the ever-changing strategies and policies. If you are looking to improve your PPC program you want to talk to Group Twenty Seven. We’re so glad we did!”
—Karen Cirrito, Market Development Manager, Cognex Corporation
April 2019

View All Testimonials

Get Free Monthly PPC Insights

Stay on top of recent PPC developments with leadership insights. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get paid search tips, tactics and stories delivered to your inbox.

"*" indicates required fields