Turning a Google Merchant Center Suspension Into +588% Increase In Profit and 13X ROAS

Mahogany Smoked Meats was founded over a century ago in 1922. They specialise in premium jerky and smoked meat products, using 300-year-old mountain mahogany logs to produce the best tasting and smelling smoked meat products, which are now sold across the USA.

They suffered every Ecom advertiser’s worst nightmare… a Google Merchant Center suspension. Despite months of back and forth with Google, they were unwilling to lift the suspension, meaning that Mahogany Smoked Meats was now unable to run Shopping Ads. The challenge, then, was to grow an Ecommerce Google Ads account without being able to leverage Shopping Ads.

What We Did

To overcome this, we shifted focus to Search campaigns, conducting a holistic keyword research strategy that included a broad mix of high- and mid-volume terms to capture all possible traffic. In addition, we launched several Display and YouTube campaigns to target top-of-the-funnel audiences and drive brand awareness. These efforts ensured a comprehensive approach to maintaining growth despite the GMC suspension.

  • Faced a suspension of Google Merchant Center due to site issues, with no possibility of reapproval.

  • Shifted focus from Performance Max campaigns to manual Search and RTG campaigns.

  • Tested a YouTube RTG campaign that generated substantial revenue.

  • Leveraged advanced manual strategies to optimise account performance without relying on automation.

The Results

  • Achieved record-breaking profit and ROAS despite the lack of Google Merchant Center and PMax campaigns.

  • Profit increased +588% over October to December.

  • ROAS increased from 481% at the beginning of October to 1,358% by the end of December (+55%).

  • Demonstrated the ability to outperform competitors through expert manual search techniques, even in rare and challenging situations.