Going Beyond Ads to Get Results
I recently jumped into an impromptu Zoom call with my Brent, our Head of Operations here at Drive Marketing, to troubleshoot a thorny issue in a client's Google Merchant Center account. What started as a routine sync turned into a deep-dive strategy session—and a perfect example of why working with us means a whole lot more than just "running ads."
Our client, JDM Westside, is facing a complete stall-out: products are being disapproved in Merchant Center, ads are struggling, and visibility has tanked. But as we dug in, it became clear this wasn’t just an ads problem—it was a deeper digital operations issue.
The Problem: A Perfect Storm of Red Flags
Westside’s Merchant Center account was riddled with challenges:
- Past mismanagement had left a trail of issues in the account.
- Multiple ad accounts had been created, fragmenting data and eroding performance.
- Inventory was shared between store locations, but without clear logic or syncing.
- Product photos included logos that didn’t match the brand, likely triggering Google’s automated disapprovals.
In short: the setup had become a liability, and Google had taken notice.
Why This Matters
Most ad agencies would stop at “Your products are disapproved. Try updating your feed.”
At Drive Marketing, that’s just where we begin.
We don’t just launch campaigns and cross our fingers. We roll up our sleeves and get into the systems, policies, platforms, and backend issues that directly impact ad performance—because that’s where real, sustainable results are made.
This isn’t about patching symptoms. It’s about fixing the source.
Our Game Plan
Once we had a full picture, we mapped out a clear recovery path:
- Remove all products from Merchant Center and reattach the feed—this time without any problem images.
- Clean up the return policy to align with Google’s guidelines.
- Prepare for a possible manual review from Google (which could take up to 48 hours).
- Investigate why only one product was being discovered despite having a full online catalog.
- Develop SEO improvement recommendations to improve organic visibility and brand presence over time.
We also talked about the importance of aligning inventory systems between store locations and cleaning up past ad account structures to create a more stable foundation going forward.
Strategic Q&A Highlights
Could Google's AI have flagged the wrong logo in product photos?
Yes—and it likely did. Visual AI is powerful, and when it spots something inconsistent, it often escalates to human review.
Do we need to remove inventory from the website itself?
Nope. The issue is specific to Merchant Center. The site can stay intact while we clean up and resubmit the data feed.
The Drive Marketing Difference
What stood out in this situation wasn’t just our ability to fix the problem—but how we did it.
We approached the issue from both a technical and strategic perspective. From diagnosing feed issues and policy violations to proposing SEO and operational improvements, we were looking at the whole digital ecosystem—not just the ads.
Because here's the truth: great marketing isn’t just about ads.
It’s about systems. Data. Messaging. Brand consistency. Technical hygiene.
That’s what makes our work with Westside such a great example of the kind of partnership we bring to every client. We’re not just campaign managers. We’re digital strategists who make the whole machine run better.