---
title: "The PPC Disaster Nobody Noticed for 90 Days"
url: https://adtech.lol/articles/5c835a80-156b-4146-a3ae-c8eae3c8e053
source_url: https://searchengineland.com/remi-kerhoas-shares-how-a-ppc-mistake-went-unnoticed-for-three-months-498575/
source_site: searchengineland
author: "Anu Adegbola"
published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00
tags: ["PPC", "Automation", "AI", "Marketing", "Digital Marketing"]
publisher: AdTech Radar
---

# The PPC Disaster Nobody Noticed for 90 Days

> In this episode of PPC Live The Podcast, Rémi Kerhoas discusses how he made a critical mistake by accidentally pausing paid search ads for a major technology client, a blunder that went undetected for three months. The discussion highlights the implications for PPC management, automation, and the importance of understanding clients’ businesses.

## Introduction

What happens when you accidentally pause paid search ads for one of the world’s biggest technology companies and nobody notices for three months?

On PPC Live The Podcast, Rémi Kerhoas, Performance Director at Eskimoz, shared how an early-career mistake shaped his approach to PPC automation, client relationships and leadership. He also discussed the growing influence of AI, the importance of understanding clients’ businesses and why marketers must continue thinking critically as advertising platforms become more automated.

## From organic marketing to managing millions in Paid Search

After moving to Vancouver, Canada, Rémi transitioned from organic marketing to paid search, joining a small agency with just 14 employees. Despite having limited PPC experience, he was assigned to a major Silicon Valley technology client spending millions every month on Google and Bing advertising.

The account was managed by three agency employees alongside an internal team, but Rémi was still learning the fundamentals of paid search. With his employment tied to his ability to remain in Canada, the pressure to succeed was particularly intense.

## The PPC mistake that went undetected for three months

A few months into his role, Rémi discovered that he had accidentally paused all Bing advertising campaigns across North America for one of the agency’s largest clients. The campaigns had been inactive for three months, and the client—not the agency—was the first to notice.

The mistake exposed serious weaknesses in the agency’s monitoring and reporting processes. With employees regularly uploading CSV files containing hundreds of thousands of rows, the focus was on campaign execution rather than identifying unexpected performance changes. Rémi feared the incident would cost him his job and force him to leave Canada.

## Why the client didn’t fire the agency

Despite the seriousness of the mistake, Rémi kept his job, and he was unaware of any significant consequences for the agency. He suggested that the client may have recognised that human errors happen, although he was not involved in senior-level discussions about the incident.

The agency introduced some additional checks, including more frequent manual account reviews and meticulous archiving of CSV files. Rémi’s manager also requested a dedicated quality assurance employee, but the position was never filled. The experience highlighted how much the team relied on manual processes rather than automated safeguards.

## Why PPC automation is no longer optional

Looking back, Rémi believes automation could have prevented the mistake from going unnoticed for so long. Today, PPC professionals can use scripts and automated alerts to identify sudden drops in advertising spend, conversions or tracking activity before they become major problems.

He emphasised that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini make it easier to build these safeguards without extensive coding knowledge. Automation doesn’t have to involve sophisticated campaign strategies; even a simple email or Slack alert can help prevent costly mistakes and improve everyday account management.

## What PPC managers should do when they make a mistake

Rémi’s advice to marketers facing a serious account error is to remain calm, identify what went wrong and focus on preventing it from happening again. He explained that clients don’t necessarily want to change agencies after a mistake because switching providers can create additional work and disruption.

Rather than simply apologising, agencies should explain how they’ve fixed the problem and what processes they’ve introduced to avoid repeating it. Rémi believes this proactive approach helps rebuild client confidence and demonstrates that the agency is learning from its mistakes.

## The biggest PPC mistake today is not understanding the client’s business

According to Rémi, one of the biggest mistakes PPC professionals make is becoming experts in advertising platforms without developing an equally strong understanding of their clients’ businesses. He believes marketers should know their clients’ industries, terminology, operational challenges and financial priorities.

As automation reduces the time spent on manual campaign management, Rémi argues that marketers should invest that time in understanding business objectives. This deeper knowledge can improve ad messaging, landing pages, conversion rate optimisation and client retention, ultimately delivering more value than platform expertise alone.

## PPC professionals need to question Google’s recommendations

Rémi and Anu discussed how PPC professionals can become distracted by new Google Ads features and recommendations. While staying informed about platform developments is important, marketers shouldn’t automatically assume that every new feature will improve their clients’ results.

Anu explained that experienced PPC professionals distinguish themselves by questioning Google’s recommendations and evaluating whether they align with business goals. As advertising platforms become increasingly automated, independent thinking and the ability to assess recommendations critically are becoming even more valuable.

## Is AI really changing search behaviour as much as we think?

Rémi shared preliminary findings from an analysis of two years of Google Ads search term data across hundreds of Eskimoz clients. He wanted to understand whether the introduction of AI Overviews and AI Mode had resulted in longer, more conversational search queries.

Surprisingly, the average number of words in search terms remained relatively flat across the datasets he examined, including accounts in France, the UK and the US. Although Rémi acknowledged that further research was needed, the findings challenged the assumption that AI is already transforming the length of search queries driving paid advertising performance.

## Why traditional search queries still matter in the AI era

Rémi and Anu discussed how people often interact differently with AI assistants and traditional search engines. While users might write detailed prompts in ChatGPT or Gemini, they still tend to use short, direct searches on Google, particularly when looking for products, services or travel information.

Rémi questioned whether the industry’s push towards broad match, Performance Max and AI Max fully reflects current search behaviour. He suggested that marketers should examine their own search term data rather than assume that traditional keywords are becoming less relevant simply because AI-powered search is growing.

## How to use AI without becoming overdependent on it

Although Rémi strongly advocates using AI for automation, he warned against relying on it to develop entire PPC strategies. He believes AI works best when marketers give it specific tasks, such as building scripts, monitoring performance or improving operational processes.

The danger arises when professionals expect AI to replace their understanding of a client’s business. Rémi argued that marketers still need to provide context, evaluate recommendations and make strategic decisions themselves. AI should support human expertise rather than become a substitute for critical thinking.

## Why good leaders need to talk about their mistakes

Rémi believes openly discussing mistakes is essential for professional development, particularly for managers responsible for supporting junior employees. He noted that some of the people he has seen stagnate in their careers are those who avoid making mistakes altogether.

Sharing failures helps employees understand that even experienced professionals make errors and that these experiences can lead to valuable lessons. Anu reinforced the importance of accountability alongside self-compassion, encouraging marketers to acknowledge their mistakes, learn from them and continue developing their careers.

## Building an agency also changed Rémi’s view of leadership

When asked which film or story best represented his PPC career, Rémi chose Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, a play by French writer Molière. He connected its themes of ambition and social status to the lessons he learned while building and running his own agency.

The experience taught him that being a business owner or senior leader doesn’t necessarily make life easier. Leadership brings pressures and responsibilities that aren’t always visible to employees, reinforcing his belief that professional fulfilment should come from meaningful work rather than simply chasing promotions or recognition.

## The future of PPC depends on better judgment, not just better technology

Rémi’s experience demonstrates how much PPC management has evolved, from manually uploading enormous campaign files to using AI-powered tools that can identify problems and automate routine tasks. However, better technology also means marketers have fewer excuses for allowing preventable mistakes to continue unnoticed.

His central message is that automation should make PPC professionals better at their jobs, not replace their judgment. Understanding clients, questioning industry assumptions, taking responsibility for mistakes and continuously learning will remain essential skills as AI plays a greater role in paid search.

Source: [https://searchengineland.com/remi-kerhoas-shares-how-a-ppc-mistake-went-unnoticed-for-three-months-498575/](https://searchengineland.com/remi-kerhoas-shares-how-a-ppc-mistake-went-unnoticed-for-three-months-498575/)