Podcast Summary: The Paid Search Podcast, Episode 481

"A Warning to 10+ Year Old Accounts" (September 29, 2025)

Host: Chris Schaeffer, Certified Google Ads Specialist
Special Guest: Joey Bidner

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris Schaeffer issues a targeted warning to Google Ads account holders with accounts older than ten years. Drawing from over two decades of experience, Chris highlights specific pitfalls that commonly plague older accounts and shares actionable tips to prevent performance issues. The episode also features listener Q&A about minimizing job applicant traffic and a special segment with Joey Bidner on optimally setting max CPCs when using Smart Bidding strategies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Biggest Threats to 10+ Year Old Google Ads Accounts

(Main segment starts at 04:15)

Chris identifies and unpacks three recurring problems:

A. Cluttered Accounts

• Dynamic Sitelinks Creep: Google may enable features like dynamic sitelinks without users noticing, diverting clicks to low-value pages (e.g., "About Us").
  • Quote (06:45):

    “Any account that's been sitting around for years upon years are going to have some things just turned on because Google just invents ideas and then just turns it on for your account.”

• Campaign Cannibalization: Multiple old campaigns may target the same goals, leading to internal competition and higher CPCs.
  • Quote (09:43):

    “You have two campaigns that are competing kind of for the same keywords...you paid another 3, 4 cents, maybe a dollar more, maybe $3 more for this click because the algorithm picked that one...”

• Keyword Shift/Creep: As Google’s keyword matching has evolved (notably after the "keyword flip" of 2021), old keyword lists now bring in different, often less relevant, searches.
  • Quote (12:00):

    “There is no keyword that survived the 2021 keyword flip...if you do a comparison between one set of search terms that you got back then and another now, they're different. They're completely different.”

B. Outdated Campaigns

• Ad Format Obsolescence: Accounts stuck on expanded text ads (ETAs) need to move to responsive search ads (RSAs) for optimal performance and impression share.
  • Quote (15:18):

    “Don’t hang on to these old expanded text ads just because they’ve been around...it could be hurting your account.”

• Legacy Bid Settings: Old bid strategies (e.g., Target ROAS) set years ago may now be inefficient due to changing cost/conversion dynamics.
  • Quote (17:45):

    “That 200–300% target ROAS is too low and Google is bidding way too aggressively.”

C. Broken Conversion Tracking

• Critical for Automated Bidding: Faulty or outdated tracking tags can cause serious optimization and bidding issues.
• Modern Bidding is Tracking-Dependent: If tracking breaks, automated strategies will misfire, harming keyword and traffic quality.
  • Quote (21:40):

    “Broken conversion tracking can absolutely kill your account and guide it in ways that have become absolutely destructive.”

2. Listener Question: Filtering Out Job Applicant Traffic

(Q&A starts at 23:25)

Question from Forrest:
Despite negative keywords and audience exclusions, job-seeker traffic persists in campaigns. What can be done?

Chris’s Solutions & Strategies

• Industries Most Affected: Home services, care work, and marketing agencies are especially vulnerable.
• Targeting Adjustments:
  • Avoid “agency,” “service,” “company,” and “near me” in keywords where possible—these terms often attract job seekers.
  • Shift to deeper, need-based, specific keywords (e.g., “dementia home care” instead of “senior care agency”).
  • Isolate “near me” terms in a separate campaign for testing and potential bid reduction.
  • Send risky traffic to alternative landing pages; analyze form submissions to spot job applicants.
  • Lower bids for broad or risk-prone keywords to avoid wasting budget on irrelevant traffic.
• Quote (26:05):

  “Most of the time these terms are those surface-level kind of, ‘I want an agency near me’...those are saturated with job applicant searchers.”

3. Special Segment: Setting Max CPCs in Smart Bidding Campaigns

(Joey Bidner at 25:31)

The Problem

• Even with a low average CPC in Smart Bidding, outlier clicks can be drastically higher—sometimes $40+—without adding value.

Solution Process

• Expose Expensive Outliers: Filter the search terms report by CPC to identify overpriced clicks.
  • Quote (26:20, Joey):

    “And I saw that there are upwards of $40 CPCs...decent amount of them, but just not enough to tip the average.”

• Portfolio Bid Strategy as a Fix:
  • Create a dedicated portfolio bid strategy for the campaign, enable max CPC in advanced options, and set a reasonable cap.
• Calculating an Effective Max CPC:
  • Use conversion rate, average order value, and breakeven ROAS for e-commerce, or cost/lead and close rate for lead gen.
  • Free calculator sheet shared in show notes.
  • Example: For a $232 order value, 2.4% conversion rate, and 2.3x ROAS, the cap is $2.42 per click.
  • Allow slight wiggle room above calculated cap to retain valuable lower-funnel clicks.
• Monitoring & Adjusting:
  • Watch budget spend and funnel distribution after change.
  • Use ChatGPT to analyze pre- and post-change search term composition if needed.
• Quote (31:18, Joey):

  “If your search terms dramatically shift in intent...and your conversion rate dropped, you know you got to crank up that CPC a bit.”

Takeaways

• Max CPC limits can rein in Google’s extremes and improve efficiency, but must be set thoughtfully to avoid losing valuable traffic.
• Useful worksheet is available for listeners to download (see show notes).

Notable Quotes

• Chris (on dynamic sitelinks):

  “Well, I got news for you: any account that's been sitting around for years upon years are going to have some things just turned on because Google just invents ideas and then just turns it on for your account.” (06:45)

• Chris (on keyword shifts):

  “There is no keyword that survived the 2021 keyword. Flip. We're in a different situation now.” (12:00)

• Chris (on broken tracking):

  "Broken conversion tracking can absolutely kill your account and guide it in ways that have become absolutely destructive.” (21:40)

• Joey (on CPC extremes):

  "Those really expensive clicks are nothing special – it’s just Google being greedy." (26:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:15 – Introduction to issues with 10+ year old Google Ads accounts
• 06:45 – Cluttered accounts & dynamic sitelinks problem
• 09:43 – Campaign cannibalization and bid confusion
• 12:00 – Keyword matching evolution post-2021
• 15:18 – Outdated ad formats and the need for RSAs
• 17:45 – Old bid strategies' negative impact
• 21:40 – The danger of broken conversion tracking
• 23:25 – Listener Q&A: How to block job applicant traffic
• 25:31 – Joey Bidner on max CPC settings with Smart Bidding
• 31:18 – Monitoring and iterating on max CPC cap
• 35:25 – Episode wrap-up and contact info

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone managing mature Google Ads accounts. Chris delivers practical, experience-based advice for keeping aging campaigns lean, current, and effective. Joey’s segment provides a clear, actionable solution to runaway CPCs in Smart Bidding. Listeners are reminded to regularly audit their account configurations and keep pace with Google Ads’ continuous evolution.

For additional resources, links, or to submit your own questions, visit the Paid Search Podcast website.
Download Joey's CPC calculator [via the episode show notes].