Sherlock Calls
for Google Ads + Google Custom Search
Google Ads runs your paid search and display campaigns across Google's network. Google Custom Search surfaces public web intelligence on any topic or competitor. When you need to investigate across both, the evidence is split between two dashboards neither of which knows the other exists. Sherlock Calls bridges them — no code, no exports, no manual joins. Ask once from Slack and get a sourced answer in under 5 seconds.
TL;DR — What beta users get access to
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Sherlock Calls connects to Google Ads, Google Custom Search simultaneously — read-only, no code changes, no webhooks — and lets you query both with a single Slack message.
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Ask questions that neither Google Ads nor Google Custom Search can answer alone. Google Ads shows ad conversions — not which campaigns actually drove calls and won deals. Google Custom Search shows external context — not how it connects to your internal call and deal data. Sherlock deduces the complete picture from both.
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No dashboard switching, no manual joins, no fog of uncertainty — ask in Slack and receive a sourced answer with evidence from every connected provider in under 5 seconds. The game is afoot.
<5s
Answer to any ad campaigns + web analytics query
2
Connected platforms, 1 Slack question
0
Code changes or webhooks required
The Investigation Gap
What's invisible when you use Google Ads + Google Custom Search without Sherlock
Each platform shows you its own data. But the questions that matter most live in the gaps between them.
Google Ads campaigns drive Google Custom Search traffic quality you're not measuring
Google Ads shows paid clicks and conversions. Google Custom Search shows sessions and on-site behaviour. But the quality of traffic from each Google Ads campaign — engagement, depth, conversion intent — lives in Google Custom Search and is rarely fed back into Google Ads optimisation.
Your best Google Custom Search organic content competes with Google Ads spend for the same keywords
Google Custom Search shows which pages rank. Google Ads shows which keywords you're bidding on. The overlap — where you're paying for clicks you'd win organically — is invisible without correlating both.
Google Ads ROAS calculations are missing the Google Custom Search behaviour data
Google Ads optimises for last-click conversions. But the Google Custom Search engagement signals — time on site, page depth, return visits — that indicate purchase intent are invisible to Google Ads's bidding algorithm unless you build the bridge.
Cross-Provider Questions
What teams ask Sherlock about Google Ads + Google Custom Search
Questions that would take hours to answer manually — answered in under 5 seconds from Slack.
- SC“Which Google Ads campaigns drove the highest-quality Google Custom Search sessions — by engagement, depth, and conversion?”
- SC“What's the Google Custom Search organic traffic growth rate vs Google Ads paid traffic cost growth this quarter?”
- SC“Show me Google Ads ad groups where Google Custom Search session quality (time on site, pages per session) is highest”
- SC“Which Google Ads keywords produce Google Custom Search sessions with the best goal completion rates?”
- SC“What's the overlap between Google Custom Search organic keyword rankings and Google Ads bidded keywords — where are we paying for traffic we'd win for free?”
Beta Setup
Connect Google Ads + Google Custom Search to Sherlock in 2 minutes
No code, no webhooks, no new dashboards. Beta users get direct onboarding support.
- 1
Connect Google Ads
Add your Google Ads credentials to Sherlock Calls. Read-only access — no code changes, no webhooks, no Google Ads configuration required.
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Connect Google Custom Search
Add your Google Custom Search credentials. Sherlock indexes all web search results, site content, and competitor intelligence automatically.
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Ask your first cross-provider question. The game is afoot.
Type any question about your combined Google Ads + Google Custom Search stack in Slack. Sherlock queries all connected platforms in parallel, correlates the evidence, and returns a sourced answer in under 5 seconds.
FAQ
Common questions about Sherlock + Google Ads + Google Custom Search
How does Sherlock Calls connect Google Ads and Google Custom Search data?
- Sherlock uses read-only API access to both platforms simultaneously. When you ask a question, it queries Google Ads, Google Custom Search in parallel, correlates the results by timestamp and shared identifiers, and produces a single sourced answer — the same way a good detective correlates evidence from multiple witnesses.
Do I need to set up any data pipelines between Google Ads and Google Custom Search?
- No. Sherlock Calls is entirely pull-based — it queries both APIs on demand when you ask a question. There are no webhooks, no ETL pipelines, no data warehouses, and no code changes required in any of the connected platforms.
What kinds of questions can I ask about my Google Ads + Google Custom Search stack?
- You can investigate anything that spans both platforms — ROAS, cost per conversion, and impression share, search result coverage and competitor presence, cross-platform costs, handoff patterns, and performance comparisons. Sherlock translates your plain-English question into the right API calls and returns the deduced answer.
Is my Google Ads and Google Custom Search data stored by Sherlock?
- No. Sherlock Calls queries your data in real time and returns results directly to Slack — nothing is stored, indexed, or replicated in any Sherlock database. All data remains in Google Ads and Google Custom Search and is accessed only during an active investigation.
How long does it take to set up the Google Ads + Google Custom Search integration?
- Elementary — typically under 5 minutes total. Connect each platform with read-only credentials, install the Sherlock Calls Slack app, and ask your first question. No engineering, no dashboards, no onboarding calls required.
Apply for early access to Sherlock + Google Ads + Google Custom Search
We're accepting a select group of beta users to shape the Google Ads + Google Custom Search combination. Tell us about your stack and we'll reach out personally if you're a fit.
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