AXL AI Agency Accelerator · Search mission 001

Reach people who are
already looking.

Plan a Google Search campaign with Codex or Claude. Pick the right searches, control a $100 test, and check what the business actually gets.

Start lesson 13 lessons · About 13 minutes + practice
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01

Lesson 01 · 3:55

Match the search to the offer

Connect the customer’s search, the ad, and the offer. Choose keywords and exclusions with a reason.

Download lesson 1 · MP4, 1080p

Words used in this lesson
Search intent
What a person is trying to find or do when they search.
Keyword
A targeting instruction you give Google. It is not a record of what every visitor typed.
Search term
The words someone actually searched. Some low-volume terms are not shown in reports.
Exact match
Searches with the same meaning or intent as your keyword. It is not an identical-words-only rule.
Phrase match
Searches that include the meaning of your keyword, potentially with a more specific meaning.
Broad match
A wider set of related searches. This beginner test starts more narrowly.
Negative keyword
An exclusion that blocks matching searches. Review variants and accidental blocks.
Landing page
The page your ad opens. Its offer and next step should match the ad.
Responsive search ad
A text ad made from your approved headlines and descriptions, which Google combines.
MCP
Model Context Protocol: a way for an AI assistant to connect to tools. Available access still needs to be checked.

Checkpoint 01

Can you explain the decision?

Answer first, then open the explanation. These are self-checks; review marks are not a graded submission.

1 / Choose one answer

Someone searches “Kajabi alternative.” Kajabi is a platform for selling online courses. Which AXL ad and destination best match that need?

  1. An ad about webinars, linked to the webinar platform page.
  2. An ad about an alternative course platform, linked to the online-schools page.
  3. An ad about developer connections, linked to the MCP page.
  4. An ad listing every AXL feature, linked to the general homepage.
Check your reasoning

B. An ad about an alternative course platform, linked to the online-schools page.

Keep the search, ad and destination about the same job. The course-platform page directly addresses this search. Other AXL products answer different immediate needs.

2 / Choose one answer

You add [online course platform] as an exact-match keyword. Can a search with different wording still match it?

  1. No. Brackets permit only those identical words in that order.
  2. Yes. Exact match includes every education-related topic, just like broad match.
  3. Only if you also add that other wording as a phrase-match keyword.
  4. Yes. It can include the same meaning or intent, so actual search terms still need review.
Check your reasoning

D. Yes. It can include the same meaning or intent, so actual search terms still need review.

Exact match is narrower, but it is not a literal-text lock. Review what people actually searched; some low-volume queries are not shown.

3 / Explain in your own words

Someone searches for an online course platform. An AI draft says, “Discover the future of AI.” Write one clearer headline and next step for AXL’s course-platform page, then explain why they fit.

Write two to four sentences in your notes before opening the review.

Check your reasoning

A strong answer includes:

  • Names the course-platform need rather than an unrelated AI theme.
  • Gives one next step that matches the current course-platform page.
  • Connects the message to the search without inventing prices, features or guaranteed earnings.
Example

Headline: “A Platform for Your Courses.” Next step: “Explore AXL for online schools.” The searcher can immediately recognize the product they need; I would verify the live page before adding a specific price or feature claim.

Avoid: Describing AI without naming the customer’s need. Sending the click to an unrelated product page. Inventing a free demo, price or promised result.

Try two fresh questions

1 / Choose one answer

A person searches “webinar platform,” but the ad opens a page about developer connections. What is the most direct improvement?

  1. Keep the page and repeat webinar in every headline.
  2. Use a broader keyword so the destination matters less.
  3. Use a webinar-specific message and the page explaining that product.
  4. Send everyone to the homepage so they can choose any product.
Check your reasoning

C. Use a webinar-specific message and the page explaining that product.

The destination should finish the promise made by the search and ad. Repeating a word does not repair an unrelated page.

2 / Choose one answer

You add the negative keyword job to exclude employment searches for a paid software offer. What should you assume about jobs?

  1. It needs separate consideration; negative keywords do not automatically include close variants.
  2. It is automatically excluded because negatives use the same meaning-based rules as positive exact match.
  3. It is excluded only if the positive keyword uses broad match.
  4. It cannot appear once any negative keyword has been added.
Check your reasoning

A. It needs separate consideration; negative keywords do not automatically include close variants.

Negative matching differs from positive matching. Check relevant singular/plural forms and actual queries. Avoid accidentally excluding useful buyer searches.

Next lesson
02

Lesson 02 · 4:04

Choose a budget and bidding strategy

Tell a total budget from a daily budget. Estimate a click price and choose what bidding should optimize.

Download lesson 2 · MP4, 1080p

Words used in this lesson
Campaign total budget
The total billed advertising budget for one campaign over its selected dates. It has no daily cap.
Average daily budget
An average daily amount, not a fixed daily ceiling or a guaranteed seven-day cap.
CPC
Cost per click: ad cost divided by clicks. A maximum CPC bid setting is separate from the campaign budget.
Maximize Clicks
A bidding strategy that aims to get clicks within the budget. More clicks do not automatically mean more customers.
Conversion
An action you choose to measure, such as a completed purchase or valid inquiry. Test that it records the right event.
Target CPA
An average cost-per-action goal for bidding. It is not a hard cap on every result.
Contribution
Money left from a customer after delivery costs, before the other costs identified in your calculation.
Inquiry rate
The share of paid visitors who become valid inquiries. In our example this is an assumption to test.
Close rate
The share of valid inquiries who buy. Use real data when available.

Checkpoint 02

Can you explain the decision?

Answer first, then open the explanation. These are self-checks; review marks are not a graded submission.

1 / Choose one answer

The approved limit is $100 in media charges for one seven-day Search test. Which setup matches it?

  1. $14.29 average daily, assuming the end date guarantees $100 total.
  2. $100 average daily, plus a pause-at-$100 rule.
  3. A new campaign with $100 Campaign total budget, verified dates, USD and saved settings.
  4. Target CPA of $100, which controls total campaign spending.
Check your reasoning

C. A new campaign with $100 Campaign total budget, verified dates, USD and saved settings.

Campaign total budget controls the billed media amount over the dated flight. Daily budgeting, bid targets and scheduled rules are different controls. Check taxes, fees and other charges separately.

Resolve this point before you launch.

2 / Choose one answer

Fictional assumptions: $300 contribution per customer before advertising; 10% of clicks become inquiries; 20% of inquiries become customers. What is the estimated media break-even CPC?

  1. $3, because a cautious target is always the break-even point.
  2. $6: $300 × 10% × 20%, before other costs and subject to those assumptions.
  3. $30: $300 × 10%, because every inquiry is a customer.
  4. $60: $300 × 20%, because every click is an inquiry.
Check your reasoning

B. $6: $300 × 10% × 20%, before other costs and subject to those assumptions.

10% × 20% = 2% click-to-customer. $300 × 0.02 = $6 contribution per click. It is a conditional media break-even estimate, not a forecast or all-in profit guarantee.

Resolve this point before you launch.

3 / Explain in your own words

Your new Search test has no conversion history. Explain what Maximize Clicks with a maximum CPC controls, what it does not promise, and what must be ready for conversion-based bidding.

Write two to four sentences in your notes before opening the review.

Check your reasoning

A strong answer includes:

  • Explains that Maximize Clicks seeks clicks; the CPC bid limit is separate from the campaign-total budget.
  • Does not promise inquiries or customers; checks upward bid adjustments rather than treating the base bid limit as unconditional.
  • Requires correct conversion tracking for conversion bidding, without inventing a universal 30-conversion minimum or calling target CPA a hard per-lead cap.
Example

Maximize Clicks tries to obtain visits within the budget; its maximum CPC limits bids, so I check upward bid adjustments too. Neither a click nor a bid limit promises a customer. Conversion bidding needs a correctly tracked action; Target CPA can be used without prior conversions, but its average target is not a guaranteed price.

Avoid: Calling CPC a campaign-total limit. Treating cheap clicks as profitable customers. Ignoring upward bid adjustments. Claiming that every account must first get 30 conversions.

Try two fresh questions

1 / Choose one answer

The selected setup only shows Average daily budget, but the assignment requires a $100 campaign-total cap. What next?

  1. Keep it non-delivering and resolve the supported total-budget setup before launch.
  2. Enter $100 daily and promise frequent checks.
  3. Enter $14.29 daily and call the seven-day total guaranteed.
  4. Add a pause rule and treat it as an instant cutoff.
Check your reasoning

A. Keep it non-delivering and resolve the supported total-budget setup before launch.

Do not silently substitute a different spending control. Search total budgets are supported for new campaigns. Scheduled pause rules can run late.

Resolve this point before you launch.

2 / Choose one answer

New fictional assumptions: $200 contribution, 10% click-to-inquiry and 25% inquiry-to-customer. Which statement is correct?

  1. Media break-even CPC is $20 because each inquiry has the full customer value.
  2. A $5 CPC guarantees profit because all costs are included.
  3. Media break-even CPC is $50 because every click is an inquiry.
  4. Media break-even CPC is $5 before other acquisition costs, and actual rates may differ.
Check your reasoning

D. Media break-even CPC is $5 before other acquisition costs, and actual rates may differ.

$200 × 0.10 × 0.25 = $5. Uncertain rates and other costs can reduce the affordable bid.

Resolve this point before you launch.

Next lesson
03

Lesson 03 · 4:41

Brief AI, launch, and learn

Give AI a usable brief. Check the saved campaign, measure real outcomes, and explain one next action.

Download lesson 3 · MP4, 1080p

Words used in this lesson
Presence targeting
A location option focused on people in or regularly in the selected area.
Search partners
Other sites in Google’s Search network. They are switched off for this focused first exercise.
Valid inquiry
A real, relevant contact request. Remove tests, duplicates, and unrelated messages from this count.
CPL
Cost per lead or inquiry: ad cost divided by valid attributed inquiries. It is not cost per paying customer.
CAC
Customer acquisition cost. For a media-only calculation, divide ad cost by acquired paying customers. If there are no confirmed customers, this result is not established.
UTM labels
Labels added to links to help identify a traffic source or campaign. They do not by themselves prove a sale.
Post-launch audit
Reopening the published campaign to check what was actually saved and whether the ad is approved and serving.
Conversion
An action you choose to measure, such as a completed purchase or valid inquiry. Test that it records the right event.

Checkpoint 03

Can you explain the decision?

Answer first, then open the explanation. These are self-checks; review marks are not a graded submission.

1 / Choose one answer

Course Alternatives was published for review, but its summary conflicted with the ad editor. What is the accurate report?

  1. The ad is delivering correctly because Publish was clicked.
  2. The ad was rejected because the summary showed Ads: None.
  3. The $20 CPC cap proves customers can be acquired profitably.
  4. It was submitted for review; saved settings still need checking. Delivery and business results are not established.
Check your reasoning

D. It was submitted for review; saved settings still need checking. Delivery and business results are not established.

Report the verified event and unresolved contradiction. A publication screen does not prove correct settings, delivery, a review decision or profit.

Resolve this point before you launch.

2 / Choose one answer

A fictional test spends $100, gets 20 clicks and two valid attributed inquiries, but no confirmed customers. What can you report?

  1. $5 CPC, $50 media cost per inquiry; customer acquisition cost and profit are not established.
  2. $5 cost per customer, because a click means buying interest.
  3. $50 cost per customer, because an inquiry is a sale.
  4. $0 customer acquisition cost, because no customers arrived.
Check your reasoning

A. $5 CPC, $50 media cost per inquiry; customer acquisition cost and profit are not established.

$100 ÷ 20 = $5 CPC; $100 ÷ 2 = $50 per inquiry. No confirmed customers means no valid customer-cost denominator. A future media-per-customer calculation still would not include every acquisition cost.

Resolve this point before you launch.

3 / Explain in your own words

Write a short AI brief for your own authorized, real product: Search draft, $100 total, seven-day dates, matching ad/page and checks before launch. Then say what to report if the first check has zero impressions.

Write two to four sentences in your notes before opening the review.

Check your reasoning

A strong answer includes:

  • Specifies one real offer, matching keywords/ad/page, one Search campaign, exact dates, currency and a campaign-total amount no greater than $100.
  • Requests saved-state evidence and a working next step; defines AI scope and spending authorization before activation, without sensitive credentials in chat.
  • Reports no delivery yet and checks status/dates/settings rather than inventing results, blaming the message or automatically raising spend.
Example

Prepare one Search draft in [account] for [real product], matching [keywords], ad and [working page], with $100 USD Campaign total budget for [seven calendar dates]. Show the saved settings and tested next step; remain non-delivering until this scope is authorized. If the first check has zero impressions, report no delivery yet and inspect the dates, review and settings before proposing a change.

Avoid: Writing “run a $100 ad” without a budget type or dates. Trusting only the AI summary. Calling a technical form test a paid inquiry. Calling zero impressions a failed creative test.

Try two fresh questions

1 / Choose one answer

AI says the negatives are ready and shows a list in chat, but the account has no saved negatives. What is accurate?

  1. The campaign is protected because AI wrote the list.
  2. The list is prepared; exclusions are not active until saved in the correct scope and verified.
  3. Exact-match keywords make negatives unnecessary.
  4. The list becomes active automatically when Google approves the ad.
Check your reasoning

B. The list is prepared; exclusions are not active until saved in the correct scope and verified.

Prepared content and saved account settings differ. Verify the correct campaign or attached list before claiming an exclusion is active.

Resolve this point before you launch.

2 / Choose one answer

A fictional test spends $60 and gets 30 clicks, three valid inquiries, one new customer and two extra test submissions. Which report is correct?

  1. $2 CPC, $12 per inquiry and five customers.
  2. $20 CPC and $60 per inquiry.
  3. $2 CPC, $20 media per inquiry and $60 media per customer; exclude the tests.
  4. $2 all-in customer acquisition cost because each click shows interest.
Check your reasoning

C. $2 CPC, $20 media per inquiry and $60 media per customer; exclude the tests.

$60 ÷ 30 = $2; $60 ÷ 3 = $20; $60 ÷ 1 = $60. Tests are not inquiries or customers. The final number is media-only, not all-in CAC.

Resolve this point before you launch.

Your practice mission

Real project · AXL

One business. Three different searches.

The same product can serve different needs. Match the message and destination to the need. This is a reconstruction of the saved setup on September 13, 2026, not a claim of successful campaign results.

COURSE ALTERNATIVES

“Kajabi alternative”

A potential platform buyer comparing tools.

AXL online-schools page

$1,000/month allocated. Course campaign submitted for review.

WEBINARS

“Webinar software”

A buyer looking for a webinar workflow.

AXL webinar page

$875/month allocated. Prepared, not confirmed published.

AI CONNECTIONS

“CRM MCP server”

A buyer who wants AI connected to customer tools.

AXL MCP page

$625/month allocated. Prepared, not confirmed published.

Takeaway: a draft, a saved campaign, an approved ad, and a paying customer are four different things. Check the evidence at each step.

Your mission · Search Navigator

One live product. A $100 Search test.

Choose a real product or service that a customer can buy or book now, and that you have permission to advertise. Prepare its Google Ads account, run one focused campaign, and report what happened.

01 / PLAN

Pick a real offer

Check the page and customer path. Name the audience, desired action, service area, dates, keywords, and proposed click limit.

02 / FLY

Launch the agreed test

Use a new Search campaign with a $100 campaign total budget and seven calendar dates. Verify the available controls, approval, and saved settings.

03 / DEBRIEF

Learn from the evidence

Check daily. Submit the search-term review, actual cost and outcomes, one reasoned next action, and proof the test ended or was paused.

Do not force the full $100 spend. If a required control, access, or customer path is missing, fix it first. A draft can demonstrate planning; it does not demonstrate a live launch.

Read the task for Codex or Claude
Help me prepare one beginner Google Search advertising test. Use plain American English. Start in DRAFT ONLY mode; this brief does not authorize spending.

MY BRIEF
Real product/service and responsible owner: [___]
Current product page and actual purchase, booking or inquiry step: [___]
Customer, problem and offer: [___]
Intended action and person handling it: [___]
Authorized Google Ads account alias: [___]
Geography / language: [___]
Account currency / time zone: [___]
Seven calendar dates, start through end: [___]
Campaign TOTAL media budget: $100 USD maximum, or lower approved amount [___].
Proposed maximum CPC / reason / approved setting: [___]
Person monitoring / review times: [___]

First explain which tools you actually have. Inspect the current page and correct account where permitted. If you cannot operate Ads, give me the steps; do not pretend settings were saved. The responsible person handles sign-in, identity verification and billing directly in Google's protected interface. Never request passwords, card details or security codes in chat.

Prepare ONE new Search campaign, ONE standard ad group and ONE responsive search ad. Suggest 5–10 closely related exact/phrase keywords and reviewed negatives; explain their intent. Match the search, truthful ad and destination. Do not invent prices, features, a demo or a working conversion. Inspect the mobile page and the actual next step.

For this traffic-learning test, propose Maximize Clicks with a justified maximum CPC bid limit. Show the economics and label assumptions. Check that upward bid adjustments do not raise that limit. Click bidding does not promise customers. If proposing conversion bidding instead, explain the reason and verify its meaningful conversion goal and tracking; target CPA is an average target, not a cap.

Select Google Search only; Search partners and Display expansion off. Keep unapproved automatic expansion off. For a local service, use the correct service area and Presence option. Use Campaign TOTAL budget, not average daily. Verify currency and both dates. If the supported total-budget control is unavailable, hold the draft. A pause rule is not a substitute hard cap. Check taxes, fees and other account charges separately.

Return saved-state evidence of the budget, dates, bid/adjustments, networks, location, keywords, uploaded negatives, ad, destination and goal. Test the actual action; exclude diagnostic records. Resolve contradictory editor/summary settings before calling the setup verified. Do not activate until the responsible person authorizes this exact scope. Never increase the budget or alter unrelated campaigns.

If authorized, launch once and reopen the saved campaign. Report review and delivery separately. At each agreed human check, record matching dates, actual cost, clicks, search terms and verified outcomes. Separate inquiries from customers. If there are no clicks, do not report a measured cost per click; if there are no confirmed customers, customer acquisition cost is not established. Give one evidence-based next action. Confirm ended/paused state at the end; spending the full $100 is unnecessary.
What you submit and how it is reviewed
  • Product, owner’s scope, completed AI brief, and budget reasoning.
  • Redacted evidence of the actual saved settings, ad, destination, and tracking test.
  • Launch and review status, checks during the test, and a search-term review.
  • A dated result report separating clicks, valid inquiries, paying customers, assumptions, and unknowns.
  • One proposed improvement and evidence that the campaign ended or was paused.

The mission is about sound decisions and honest evidence, not a guaranteed sale. A reviewer can award the Search Navigator mission patch after checking the work. Completing this page does not automatically change your partner grade.

Plain-English glossary

Know the words. Stay in control.

Use this as a reference while briefing AI and reviewing the account.

Search intent
What a person is trying to find or do when they search.
Keyword
A targeting instruction you give Google. It is not a record of what every visitor typed.
Search term
The words someone actually searched. Some low-volume terms are not shown in reports.
Exact match
Searches with the same meaning or intent as your keyword. It is not an identical-words-only rule.
Phrase match
Searches that include the meaning of your keyword, potentially with a more specific meaning.
Broad match
A wider set of related searches. This beginner test starts more narrowly.
Negative keyword
An exclusion that blocks matching searches. Review variants and accidental blocks.
Landing page
The page your ad opens. Its offer and next step should match the ad.
Responsive search ad
A text ad made from your approved headlines and descriptions, which Google combines.
MCP
Model Context Protocol: a way for an AI assistant to connect to tools. Available access still needs to be checked.
Campaign total budget
The total billed advertising budget for one campaign over its selected dates. It has no daily cap.
Average daily budget
An average daily amount, not a fixed daily ceiling or a guaranteed seven-day cap.
CPC
Cost per click: ad cost divided by clicks. A maximum CPC bid setting is separate from the campaign budget.
Maximize Clicks
A bidding strategy that aims to get clicks within the budget. More clicks do not automatically mean more customers.
Conversion
An action you choose to measure, such as a completed purchase or valid inquiry. Test that it records the right event.
Target CPA
An average cost-per-action goal for bidding. It is not a hard cap on every result.
Contribution
Money left from a customer after delivery costs, before the other costs identified in your calculation.
Inquiry rate
The share of paid visitors who become valid inquiries. In our example this is an assumption to test.
Close rate
The share of valid inquiries who buy. Use real data when available.
Presence targeting
A location option focused on people in or regularly in the selected area.
Search partners
Other sites in Google’s Search network. They are switched off for this focused first exercise.
Valid inquiry
A real, relevant contact request. Remove tests, duplicates, and unrelated messages from this count.
CPL
Cost per lead or inquiry: ad cost divided by valid attributed inquiries. It is not cost per paying customer.
CAC
Customer acquisition cost. For a media-only calculation, divide ad cost by acquired paying customers. If there are no confirmed customers, this result is not established.
UTM labels
Labels added to links to help identify a traffic source or campaign. They do not by themselves prove a sale.
Post-launch audit
Reopening the published campaign to check what was actually saved and whether the ad is approved and serving.
Google references and case notes

Google settings were checked on September 13, 2026. Interface labels and availability can change; verify the actual account. The real case is identified separately from fictional arithmetic examples.