In this episode of Digital Marketing Masters, host Matt Rouse welcomes Dan Wood to discuss the intricacies and common pitfalls of Google Ads for small and medium-sized business owners. They dive into the challenges many businesses face with Google Ads, often finding themselves spending money without seeing returns. Dan shares his expertise in troubleshooting and optimizing ad accounts, starting with the crucial step of setting up conversion tracking correctly. He explains how conversion tracking helps Google Ads understand valuable actions taken by visitors, which is essential for optimizing ad performance.

Matt and Dan also explore the importance of proper location targeting in Google Ads. They discuss how businesses can waste money by targeting the wrong geographical areas and provide insights on how to set up location targeting effectively. The conversation highlights the significance of understanding the difference between targeting people "in or interested in" a location versus those "recently in" a location.

Furthermore, they emphasize the importance of having a robust follow-up process once leads are generated. Dan shares real-life examples of businesses losing potential customers due to poor lead management and the lack of a systematic approach to handling inquiries. They discuss the decay of lead value over time and the necessity of quick responses to maximize conversion rates.

The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of AI in lead management and customer interaction, highlighting the potential for AI agents to streamline processes and improve customer service. Matt and Dan agree on the importance of having a well-defined process for managing leads and continuously optimizing it to enhance business performance.