The situation

• Monthly ad spend: $40,000

• ROAS: 3.9x (solid, but not growing)

• Only running Shopping campaigns - nothing else

• Revenue had been flat for 8 months

• Competitors were capturing search volume they were missing entirely

What their previous setup looked like

• Basic Shopping campaigns only

• No Performance Max campaigns

• Generic feed with missing attributes

• No seasonal bidding strategy

• Campaign structure hadn't been updated in 18 months

What We Found (The Audit)

The audit revealed a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight:

1. Missing 60% of Search Volume

We analyzed their product catalog against actual search demand and found:

• Shopping campaigns captured: Branded searches + some product searches (40% of total volume)

• Search campaigns could capture: How-to searches, problem-solution searches, comparison searches (60% of volume)

Examples of missed searches:

• "Best soil for tomatoes" (their competitor ranked #1, they weren't bidding)

• "How to start a vegetable garden" (competitor captured, they missed)

• "Organic pest control solutions" (competitor dominated, they were invisible)

• "Raised garden bed setup" (competitor owned it)

The gap:
Their Shopping campaigns only showed products to people already searching for those specific products. They were completely missing the massive volume of people searching for solutions, advice, and broader category terms.

Result: Competitors were building relationships with customers at the research phase - they only showed up at the buying phase (if customers even got there).

2. No Full-Funnel Strategy

What we saw:

• Top of funnel (awareness/research): Nothing

• Middle of funnel (consideration): Nothing

• Bottom of funnel (purchase intent): Shopping campaigns only

The problem:
Gardening is an information-heavy purchase journey. People research for weeks or months before buying. Their competitors were nurturing these researchers with content, guides, and helpful ads. They were completely absent from this conversation—then wondering why market share wasn't growing.

3. Weak Remarketing

What was set up:

• Basic remarketing lists (site visitors)

• Generic ads ("Come back and shop!")

• No segmentation by behavior or product interest

What was missing:

• No cart abandonment strategy

• No content-based remarketing (blog readers, video viewers)

• No cross-sell/upsell sequences

• No YouTube remarketing (huge opportunity for visual, educational products)

Result:
They were losing 70-80% of interested visitors with no strategic re-engagement.

The Strategy

Phase 1: Search Campaign Expansion (Week 1-3)

What we did:

Built comprehensive Search campaigns across the entire customer journey:

Campaign 1: Solution-Based Search

• Keywords: "how to start a garden," "best soil for vegetables," "organic pest control"

• Ad copy: Educational, helpful (not just "buy now")

• Landing pages: Guides + product recommendations

• Goal: Capture researchers, build brand awareness

Campaign 2: Product Category Search

• Keywords: "raised garden beds," "garden tool sets," "seed starter kits"

• Ad copy: Product benefits, reviews, free shipping

• Landing pages: Category pages optimized for conversion

• Goal: Capture mid-funnel shoppers comparing options

Campaign 3: High-Intent Transactional

• Keywords: "buy [product] online," "[product] near me," "[product] delivery"

• Ad copy: Price, availability, fast shipping

• Landing pages: Product pages, checkout optimization

• Goal: Capture ready-to-buy customers

Immediate impact:

Within 3 weeks, Search campaigns were driving 40% incremental traffic that Shopping campaigns couldn't reach. These weren't people searching for products - they were searching for solutions, and we connected them to the right products.

Phase 2: Performance Max Launch (Week 4-5)

What we did:

• Launched Performance Max campaigns with high-quality creative assets

• Used their blog content, how-to guides, and product videos as signals

• Structured asset groups by customer intent (new gardeners vs. experienced)

• Set clear conversion goals and audience signals

Result:
Performance Max found additional pockets of demand across YouTube, Gmail, and Display that Shopping and Search weren't capturing. Added 25% incremental revenue without cannibalizing existing campaigns.

Phase 3: YouTube Remarketing Strategy (Week 6-8)

What we did:

Built a sophisticated remarketing funnel:

Tier 1: Cart Abandoners

• YouTube video ads: "Forgot something? Here's 10% off to complete your order"

• High urgency, direct product reminder

• Conversion rate: 12% (industry average: 3-5%)

Tier 2: Product Page Visitors (No Purchase)

• YouTube video ads: Educational content about the products they viewed

• Example: Viewed raised garden bed → ad showing "How to set up your raised bed in 30 minutes"

• Built trust, answered objections

• Conversion rate: 8%

Tier 3: Blog/Content Readers

• YouTube video ads: Related product recommendations based on content consumed

• Example: Read "How to Start a Vegetable Garden" → ad for seed starter kits

• Conversion rate: 6%

Why YouTube worked so well:
Gardening is visual. Showing products in use, demonstrating techniques, and providing value-first content built trust faster than text ads ever could.

Result:
YouTube remarketing alone drove $18k in additional monthly revenue by re-engaging visitors who would have otherwise been lost.

Phase 4: Optimization & Scale (Month 3-6)

What we did:

• Weekly performance analysis and bid adjustments

• Seasonal strategy alignment (spring planting season, fall cleanup)

• Creative testing (which messaging resonated best)

• Landing page optimization recommendations

• Monthly strategy calls to align on growth priorities

Result:
Consistent, profitable scaling from $40k to $120k/month without ROAS degradation.

Results After 6 Months

+183%

3.9

ROAS:
3.9x → 3.9x
(Maintained efficiency while tripling spend

Ad Spend: $40,000/month → $120,000/month (+200% increase)

+$312K

Monthly Revenue from Google Ads:
$156,000 → $468,000

x2

Search Volume Captured:
40% → 85% (From missing most searches to dominating their category)

"I knew we were missing opportunities, but I had no idea how much. The search campaigns alone opened up an entirely new customer base - people we never would have reached with Shopping ads. And the YouTube remarketing? That was genius. We're now present throughout the entire customer journey, not just at the very end. Revenue tripled, and we're still profitable. This is exactly what we needed."

Anna Wolk

★★★★★

What made this work

• Shopping campaigns alone aren't enough. They only capture people searching for specific products. Search campaigns capture the 60%+ of volume from people researching solutions, asking questions, and comparing options.

• Full-funnel matters for complex purchase decisions. Gardening isn't impulse buying. People research, plan, and compare. Meeting them at every stage builds trust and captures more market share.

• YouTube remarketing is massively underutilized. For visual, educational products like gardening supplies, showing how things work through video converts far better than static display ads.

• You can scale dramatically while maintaining ROAS - if done strategically. The key is expanding reach (new campaigns, new channels) rather than just bidding higher on the same keywords.

Could This Work For Your Brand?