Spent my first $10,000 on Google Ads — here’s what I’ve learned

🤑 It's been a while since I shared a work update. This year, I’ve spent my first $10K+ on Google Ads for client projects — and I’m genuinely happy about it, since it’s all still pretty new to me.

4 out of 5 ad accounts launched successfully, but the photographer's website in New York is turning out to be expensive. Yep, $10 per click in NYC search campaigns is a real thing. 😰 It’s still unclear how to break even there, but I’m working on it.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Getting started with Google Ads is no joke — you have to learn 3 tools at once: Tag Manager, Analytics, and Ads. But in return, the analytics capabilities are next-level.
Google is way more stable than Yandex. Everything runs smoothly and predictably. In six months, I’ve never had a campaign just stop working because of some random update. There were slight cost-per-lead spikes (up to x1.5) during holidays, but it all stabilized by the end of the month.
Fraud is everywhere. Yandex has it, Google has it. You can't fully avoid it. The best solution is to use more complex lead forms and set up proper conversion tracking.
The idea that advertising in the U.S. is insanely expensive is a myth. Even with a modest $500–1000 monthly budget, it’s possible to run a decent campaign.

💃 Up next on my list: diving into YouTube Ads — a potentially powerful traffic source. Once I gain more experience and case studies, I might even run a chill little workshop.

Happy summer to everyone — don’t forget to take breaks and enjoy life!

💬 If you have questions about running Google Ads for websites — feel free to ask, I’d be glad to help.