In EPISODE 70 of the Business Superfans podcast, Freddy D sat down with John Horn, CEO of StubGroup, a top 1% Google partner and digital advertising expert who’s managed over 15,000 campaigns across more than 2,000 businesses. If you’re a business owner wondering whether Google Ads is worth the investment—or why it’s not working for you—this conversation is packed with clarity and actionable advice.
The biggest takeaway? Google Ads optimization starts with proper tracking and ongoing iteration.
According to Horn, the #1 mistake he sees is businesses failing to track performance properly. “They’re running ads, but they have no idea what’s actually driving results—or worse, they’re counting the wrong things,” he said.
Effective digital advertising doesn’t stop at driving clicks. You need to track what people do after they click:
Do they call you?
Fill out a form?
Request a demo?
Make a purchase?
Without clear tracking, you can’t tell what’s working—or what’s wasting your money.
Another key insight Horn shared: The frequency of Google Ads optimization should match your sales cycle and ad volume.
E-commerce companies with fast sales cycles might analyze and adjust daily.
B2B companies with longer cycles (e.g., 60 days) need to be more patient before making big changes.
But regardless of your business model, he emphasized: “You should always be watching for red flags—like irrelevant traffic or poor conversion rates.”
StubGroup typically works with two types of clients:
Those already advertising but unhappy with results.
Those brand new to digital advertising.
For the first group, StubGroup performs a deep audit to uncover what’s working and what’s not. They often find broken tracking setups or wasted spend on irrelevant keywords.
Horn recalled working with a California-based moving company spending heavily on Google Ads—with little return. Upon inspection, StubGroup found thousands being wasted on irrelevant clicks like “freight forwarding,” a service the client didn’t even offer. After cleaning up the campaigns and zeroing in on their actual target market, the business saw record months—with less ad spend.
One of the most important (and often ignored) truths Horn shared is this: even the best ad strategy won’t work if your team isn’t prepared to handle leads properly.
StubGroup tracks calls and lead behavior to help clients uncover internal gaps. “We’ve seen campaigns fail because calls weren’t answered, or the tone at the front desk turned people away,” Horn said.
Digital ads can deliver traffic—but conversion depends on the entire customer experience.
Horn also explained a smart way for businesses with multiple services to succeed with ads:
Start by identifying the one product or service that drives the most interest.
Use that as your “foot in the door.”
Then, upsell or cross-sell once trust is built.
This strategy helped one interpreting company grow their document translation department from under $100K to $225K annually—primarily through Google Ads.
If you’ve worked with an agency before and been left in the dark, Horn gets it. StubGroup prides itself on clear reporting, responsive communication, and realistic expectations. They even offer a free consultation—whether you’re already advertising or just thinking about it.
“We either help you fix what’s broken or guide you with a clean strategy from the ground up,” says Horn.
For business owners exploring or struggling with digital advertising, the message is clear:
Don’t guess. Track everything.
Don’t wait. Optimize regularly.
Don’t go it alone. Work with experts who communicate clearly and treat your money like their own.
To learn more or book a free strategy session, visit StubGroup.com or check out their educational content on YouTube.