Sarah Stemen, Author at Search Engine Journal

About

Sarah Stemen is a paid search marketer with 17+ years of experience helping businesses drive real results from Google Ads.

She began her career at Nationwide Insurance, gaining a foundation in SEO, PPC, and social media, then focused exclusively on PPC at Hanapin Marketing in 2015, where she also wrote for PPC Hero and managed client accounts.

Today, Sarah runs a Google Ads coaching business that brings enterprise-level strategy to small businesses.

A recognized industry voice, she has been named among the most influential in paid search by her peers and serves as President of the Paid Search Association. She’s a regular columnist for Search Engine Land, hosts the Paid Search Association’s monthly webinar series, and shares insights on her YouTube channel, Google Ads Strategy Hub. Sarah has spoken at BrightonSEO, PPC Hero, and SMX, and regularly contributes to leading industry blogs and podcasts.

Outside of work, she’s a proud mom supporting her three kids in dance, gymnastics, lacrosse, and basketball.

Articles

Google Ads Bid Strategy Testing: What Changed In 2026

How PPC strategists can validate bid strategy changes using conversion value by time and CRM data instead of relying on surface-level metrics.

7 min read
712 Reads
May 5, 2026

How To Build A ‘Feed-Only’ Performance Max Campaign

Advertisers using feed-only Performance Max can narrow campaign focus to product feed signals, improving efficiency when automation spreads spend too broadly.

7 min read
2.1K Reads
Mar 11, 2026

Are Your Google Ads Gen Z Proof? Strategies To Win The 18-24 Segment

Gen Z’s discovery habits are rewriting Google Ads playbooks, forcing advertisers to rethink creative, targeting, and attribution across AI-driven surfaces.