Google Ads & Paid Advertising for California Businesses
$2.5M ARR generated for a SaaS startup through paid acquisition strategy. Every dollar tracked, every campaign accountable to revenue.
Machina manages Google Ads and Meta Ads for California businesses. We handle campaign strategy, creative, landing pages, conversion tracking, and optimization — not just bid management.
Proof
$2.5M ARR — from paid acquisition strategy
A SaaS startup needed to go from zero to ARR fast. We built a paid acquisition strategy across Google Search and LinkedIn — targeting specific job titles at companies in their ICP, with landing pages tested and refined weekly. $2.5M ARR in 18 months, with paid as the primary acquisition channel.
Read the full case studyPlatforms
Where we run your ads
Platform selection is strategy. We recommend the right mix based on where your customers are and what they're doing when they're ready to buy.
Google Search Ads
Best for capturing existing demand
Appear at the top of Google when someone searches for what you offer. Search Ads reach people at peak intent — they're already looking. Ideal for local service businesses, professional services, and anything with clear search behavior.
Google Display
Best for awareness and retargeting
Image and banner ads across millions of websites in the Google Display Network. Most effective for retargeting — staying visible to people who visited your site but didn't convert — and for building brand awareness in target geographies.
Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)
Best for creating demand
Reach people who match your ideal customer profile before they start searching. Meta's targeting lets you narrow by location, demographics, interests, and lookalike audiences. Strong for B2C products, services with a visual appeal, and audience-building campaigns.
Retargeting
Best for closing warm leads
Most visitors don't convert on the first visit. Retargeting keeps you in front of people who showed interest — visited a service page, watched a video, or added to cart — across Google and Meta. Often the highest-ROI campaign type in any account.
How We Work
Our paid ads process
Four phases, every engagement. The audit always comes first — spending before understanding is how agencies burn your budget.
Audit
We review your existing campaigns (or start fresh with competitive research). We audit account structure, keyword match types, negative lists, bid strategies, conversion tracking setup, and landing page quality. You get a written findings report with specific issues and recommendations.
Strategy
We define campaign structure, target audiences, budget allocation across platforms, and the full keyword map — including the negative keywords that prevent wasted spend. We write the ad copy, design landing page wireframes, and establish the KPIs that define success.
Launch
We build campaigns, publish landing pages, and install complete conversion tracking before the first dollar is spent. The first two weeks are deliberate — we let the algorithm learn while monitoring for early warning signs. Nothing goes live without a QA checklist completed.
Optimize
Weekly optimization cycles: bid adjustments, negative keyword additions, ad copy tests, audience refinements, and landing page updates. Monthly we review the full funnel — from impression to lead to revenue — and adjust strategy. Performance compounds as we learn what your market responds to.
What You Get
Everything included, every month
Weekly reporting
Performance dashboard with spend, impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost-per-lead updated weekly.
Full conversion tracking
Google Tag Manager, GA4 events, Google Ads conversions, and Meta Pixel — installed and verified.
Landing page builds
Dedicated, conversion-optimized landing pages for every campaign — not your homepage.
A/B testing
Ongoing split tests on ad copy, headlines, landing page variants, and calls to action.
Pricing
$1,500/month management + ad spend
Machina charges a flat $1,500/month management fee. You pay Google and Meta directly — we never touch your ad spend. This model aligns our incentives with your results, not with growing your budget.
We recommend a minimum ad spend of $1,500/month to generate enough data for effective optimization. Most local service businesses spend $2,000–$5,000/month on ad spend; SaaS and e-commerce clients often spend more. We'll recommend a starting budget based on your market and goals.
Paid ads can produce leads within days of launch. Unlike SEO, you see results immediately — which also means waste shows up immediately. That's why the first month always starts with the audit, not with spend.
Service Area
Paid ads services by city
We manage paid advertising campaigns for businesses across California's Central Coast and Bay Area.
FAQ
Paid ads questions, answered directly
How much should I budget for paid ads?
We recommend a minimum ad spend of $1,500/month to generate enough data to optimize effectively. Below that threshold, campaigns lack the click volume needed to reach statistical significance on conversion tests. Most local service businesses spend $2,000–$5,000/month on ad spend. Our management fee is $1,500/month on top of your ad spend, which you pay directly to Google or Meta.
How quickly do ads produce results?
Unlike SEO, paid ads can generate leads within days of launch. The first two weeks are data collection — we let the algorithm learn while watching for obvious waste. By week three, optimization begins in earnest. Most clients see a stabilized cost-per-lead within 30–45 days. From there, performance compounds as we refine audiences, bids, and creative.
Google Ads vs. Meta Ads — which is better for me?
It depends on whether your customers are searching or browsing. Google Search Ads capture existing demand — someone already looking for what you offer. Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) create demand by reaching people who fit your customer profile before they've started searching. Local service businesses (HVAC, pest control, legal) typically get better ROI from Google. B2C products and services with a visual component often do well on Meta. Many of our clients run both.
Do you build landing pages?
Yes. Landing pages are included in our paid ads engagements. We build dedicated, conversion-optimized pages for each campaign — not your homepage. The page matches the ad copy, loads fast, and has one clear call to action. Split testing between landing page variants is standard, not an add-on.
How do you track conversions?
We set up full conversion tracking before spending a dollar. For Google Ads, this means Google Tag Manager, GA4 events, and Google Ads conversion actions tied to actual lead events — form fills, phone calls, and purchases. For Meta, we implement the Pixel and Conversions API for server-side tracking that survives ad blockers. Every dollar of spend is traceable to a lead or sale.
What's your management fee structure?
Machina charges a flat $1,500/month management fee regardless of ad spend. We do not take a percentage of spend — that model incentivizes agencies to grow your budget, not your results. You pay Google and Meta directly; we handle everything else: campaign strategy, creative, optimization, landing pages, and weekly reporting.
Do you pause ads if they're not working?
Yes, immediately. We set performance thresholds for every campaign — cost-per-lead maximums, minimum click-through rates, quality score floors. If a campaign or ad group falls below threshold, we pause it and diagnose before spending more. You will never log in to find money burning on a campaign we knew was failing.
Can you manage existing campaigns?
Yes. We start every inherited account with a full audit: account structure, keyword match types, negative keyword lists, bid strategies, conversion tracking, and landing page quality. Most inherited accounts have significant waste — keywords that should be negative, bid strategies misaligned with goals, and tracking gaps. We fix these before touching the campaigns themselves.
Related Services
Paid ads works best alongside these
Paid ads drives immediate traffic. These services make that traffic more valuable.
SEO
Paid ads cover you while organic rankings build. SEO compounds over time — ads give you a floor while SEO builds the ceiling.
Web Development
Paid traffic is only as good as the page it lands on. We build fast, conversion-optimized landing pages that turn clicks into customers.
AI Automation
Automate lead follow-up so paid traffic converts before it goes cold. First response under 30 seconds means higher close rates on every dollar spent.