October 2026 · Andrei Sheshenin

Why I built Ads Connector: lessons from managing ads for local businesses

What managing Google Ads, LSA and Meta for local service businesses taught me, and why I now run that work through an AI assistant connected to the ad accounts.

Count leads the same way everywhere

The first problem in almost every account is not bidding — it's that the ad platform, the CRM and the call tracker count leads differently. Agree on one definition (for example: a new service request with a name and a phone or email), make one system the source of truth, and judge campaigns only on that number.

Shorter forms win more often than not

Long quote calculators feel helpful, but they leak people at every step. Offering a short contact form next to the detailed quote, capturing partial submissions, and giving a clear call / callback / book-online choice usually lifts conversions without hurting lead quality.

Separate brand from everything else

Brand searches convert cheaply and make blended numbers look better than they are. Keeping brand in its own campaign shows what non-brand search really costs, and stops Performance Max from quietly taking credit for people who were already looking for you.

Local Services Ads are changing

Google is folding Local Services Ads into Performance Max. Track which LSA leads are actually charged and which are disputed, and watch cost per qualified lead rather than cost per lead.

Budget follows qualified leads, not clicks

When results drop, cut spend in the areas and keywords that don't produce qualified leads, keep what works, and look at the sales side before blaming the ads: missed calls and slow follow-up lose more customers than most keyword lists.

Where the AI assistant fits

I now start most audits by asking Claude to pull search terms with spend and no conversions, compare locations, check conversion tracking and draft negatives or new ads. It proposes; I approve. That's the workflow Ads Connector is built around.