New: Grow Your Business with theCut Growth Accelerator

Reach More Local Clients Through Google
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We're giving theCut barbers another way to grow their business beyond the app.
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Finding new clients is one of the biggest challenges for any shop. With theCut Growth Accelerator, eligible barbers can promote their business directly on Google Maps and Google Search and reach people who are actively looking for a barber nearby, with searches like "barber shop near me" or "haircut near me."
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theCut creates and optimizes your Google Ads for you, so you don't need advertising experience to get started. It runs alongside your existing marketing and uses AI-powered optimization to help drive more calls, direction requests, and visits from clients who are ready to book.
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​📍 What Is theCut Growth Accelerator?
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A growth product built for local barber shops driving customers to your door. Once your Google Business Profile is connected, theCut creates and continuously optimizes your Google Ads, and gives you tools that keep your Google presence, reviews, social posts, and calls working for you.
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​With theCut Growth Accelerator, you can:

What's included?

Who is it a good fit for?
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Most barbershops can benefit. Two common examples:

What makes it different?
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Many Google Ads campaigns are built for awareness: getting your name in front of as many people as possible. theCut Growth Accelerator focuses on intent, reaching people who are searching for a barber nearby right now. That focus is why it can run on a smaller budget.

How does it compare to an agency or running Google Ads myself?
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Setup is largely automated. Connecting your Google Business Profile auto-generates your headlines and ad copy, and there's no manual keyword bidding to manage.
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The clearest difference is cost. Agencies commonly charge $1,500 to $2,000 per month in management fees on top of $500 to $1,500 in ad spend, often $2,000 or more per month in total. With theCut Growth Accelerator, ad spend of $10 to $15 per day works out to roughly $300 to $450 per month, with no contract required.
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​✅ What Do I Need to Get Started?
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Before your campaign can launch, you'll need:

Setup typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. Your Google Business Profile fills in most of your details automatically. You'll just choose your search themes, exclude services you don't offer, add photos, and set your service radius.
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​Do I need a minimum number of reviews?
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There's no strict minimum, but campaigns typically perform best when your Google Business Profile has at least 15 reviews and an average rating of 3.5 stars or higher.
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​Does it work for appointment-only or mobile barbers?
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Growth Accelerator performs best for shops with a physical location tied to a Google Business Profile. Appointment-only and service-area businesses can still run campaigns, but performance may vary depending on client behavior and location visibility.
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​🔎 Don't Have a Google Business Profile Yet?
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You'll need to create and verify one before your Growth Accelerator campaign can run.
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Your Google Business Profile is what lets your shop appear across Google Search and Maps, and it connects your business information to your advertising.
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​Related Article: Set Up Your Google Business Profile & Add Your Booking Link
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Helpful Google resources:

💡 Business Tip: Before you start advertising, make sure your Google Business Profile has accurate hours, current photos, your business information, and your theCut booking link. If you're paying to get more eyes on your business, give those people something good to look at when they get there.
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​🚀 What Happens After My Campaign Launches?
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Once your campaign begins, don't worry if you don't immediately see consistent results.
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New campaigns typically enter a learning phase for approximately 12–15 days. During this period, the system:

Early performance may be limited or inconsistent while this happens.
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​Give your campaign time to learn
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Campaign optimization improves over time. A typical timeline looks like this:

Instead of judging your campaign based on the first few days, use your Growth Accelerator dashboard to monitor trends over time. We recommend running your campaign on an ongoing basis. The AI optimizes continuously, so the longer it runs, the more efficient it becomes.
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​Why are my results low or showing 0 at first?
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This is common during the learning phase. Early numbers are directional, not final. Most campaigns become more consistent once the learning phase is done.
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​What if my performance is still low after a few weeks?
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If performance stays low after the learning phase, it's usually related to one or more of the following:

What to do:

Will increasing my budget double my results?
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Not necessarily. A higher budget can increase visibility, but results don't scale one-to-one. Performance also depends on local search demand, competition, your rating, and market conditions, so evaluate budget changes over weeks, not days.
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​🎯 How Your Campaign Works
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​Where do my ads run?
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Your ads run on Google Maps and Google Search, 24/7. Campaigns are weighted toward Maps: typically 70 to 80% of spend goes to Google Maps, and most of the rest goes to Google Search, depending on performance.
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​Why focus on Google Maps?
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When someone opens Google Maps to find a barber, they want a cut soon. Maps-focused ads let you:

Can I choose which channels my ads run on, like Search only or YouTube?
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No. Campaigns are built to put most of your spend on Google Maps, where local intent is highest. That focus is what makes Growth Accelerator different, so campaigns aren't set up for channels like YouTube or Gmail.
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​Is this the same as Google Local Services Ads?
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Not exactly. Both use Google Search and Maps, but with standard Local Services Ads you don't control where your spend goes. Growth Accelerator prioritizes Google Maps, where clients are usually ready to take action.
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​Do campaigns use keywords?
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Campaigns are built around search themes: the kinds of searches your clients use, like "barber shop near me" or "fade haircut." Themes tell Google what your business is about, so your ads show up for related searches. Growth Accelerator tracks the actual searches people make before seeing your ad (under Search Insights in your dashboard) and refines your themes based on what's working.
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​What can I control in my campaign?
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From your dashboard, you can edit:

Headlines and descriptions are written automatically from your Google Business Profile and search themes.
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​Should I target my own shop name or competitors?
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Both can be valuable. Targeting your own name protects your traffic, especially if competitors are showing up above you, and lets you control what clients see first. Targeting competitors helps you show up when clients are comparing options. On Maps, people are often just looking for a place nearby, so they're open to choosing a different shop.
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For the same reason, we usually recommend not adding your own name or competitors as negative keywords. Blocking your own name can keep you from showing up in one of the highest-intent moments, and competitor searches help train the AI on when your shop should appear.
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​Do I get access to the Google Ads account?
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Campaigns run in Growth Accelerator's own Google Ads account, not yours. Everything you'd see in Google Ads shows up in your dashboard, including clicks, impressions, spend, calls, directions, and store visits.
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​Do I need to set up conversion tracking?
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No. Tracking is set up for you, so calls, direction requests, store visits, website clicks, and other actions are all reported in one dashboard.
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​Why is the recommended budget lower than what Google suggests?
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Google often recommends higher daily budgets, and its suggestions tend to push spend up over time. Growth Accelerator campaigns typically run on $10 to $15 per day. Spend is concentrated on high-intent Maps searches, so it isn't spread across people who aren't looking for a barber.
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​📊 How Do I Know If My Ads Are Working?
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Your Growth Accelerator dashboard is the best place to evaluate your campaign. These metrics show what people do after seeing or interacting with your ads:

Pay attention to direction requests
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Direction requests are an especially useful sign of client intent. Someone requesting directions isn't just looking at your business. They're actively taking a step toward visiting your shop.
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​What is the difference between impressions and clicks?
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Impressions measure how often your ad appears. Clicks measure how often someone engages with it. Impressions show visibility, while clicks and local actions show intent. It's normal for impressions to be high before clicks and actions stabilize.
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​How do you know a store visit came from an ad?
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Google reports store visits using data from people who have location sharing turned on. When someone interacts with your ad and then visits your shop, that visit is credited to your campaign.
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​How is ROAS calculated?
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Google usually takes around 6 weeks to enable verified store visit reporting. Until then, ROAS is estimated conservatively:

Once verified store visit data is available, ROAS reporting is updated.
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​How does attribution work?
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By default, your dashboard reports the local actions your ads drive: calls, direction requests, store visits, and website visits. Store visits and direction requests come from anonymized Google data, so they're estimated using your average ticket value.
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​Call tracking is on by default and should stay on. Phone calls are one of the main ways clients book, so turning it off removes most of your attribution. Each tracked call includes a transcript and sentiment scoring, so you can see lead quality, not just a count.
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Attribution isn't a perfect end-to-end picture yet. A client might see your ad, visit your website, and book later by phone or in person, so some bookings driven by your ads may not be credited back to them. This is an active area of improvement.
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​Why are many phone calls listed as 0 seconds?
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This is very common and not a cause for concern. 0-second calls usually happen when a caller hangs up before the call connects, misdials, taps the call button by accident, or changes their mind. Google still counts these as call attempts. No action is needed; focus on overall call volume and trends.
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​Why am I not seeing local actions (calls, directions, visits)?
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If local actions are missing or very low, it's often a Google Business Profile issue, not the ads themselves. Common causes include an unverified profile, duplicate listings, access that needs to be corrected, or a profile with limited information. Ads may still run, but Google has less information to connect client actions. See Google Business Profile Troubleshooting below.
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​Why am I getting calls meant for competitors?
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Your ads may show up when people search for competitor names, and some clients simply tap the first option they see. It's actually an opportunity: you already have someone on the phone who's ready to book. Tell them what you offer and give them a reason to choose your shop.
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​👀 Why Can't I Find My Own Ad on Google?
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Don't use your own Google searches to decide whether your campaign is working. Google doesn't show every ad to every person every time they search. Ads are prioritized for people most likely to take action. You may not see your ad marked "Sponsored" because:

That means your campaign can be running successfully even if you never personally see your ad. It's normal for advertisers to rarely see their own ads.
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💡 Remember: Your Growth Accelerator dashboard metrics are the best way to evaluate campaign performance.
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​What if a nearby shop also uses Growth Accelerator?
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Both shops can still appear prominently on Google Maps. Positions may rotate based on relevance, proximity, reviews, and timing, and this typically balances out over time.
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​If a competitor has the same budget, why might they appear above me?
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Budget alone doesn't determine placement. Visibility also depends on relevance to the search, your review rating and volume, ad quality, and competition at that moment, so positions can rotate throughout the day.
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​🤝 Running Alongside Your Existing Marketing
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​I already have a Google Ads account or an agency. Can I still use Growth Accelerator?
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Yes. Many businesses run Growth Accelerator alongside an existing Google Ads account, agency-managed campaigns, or Local Services Ads. It uses its own separate ad account, so you don't need to pause, change, or restructure anything you already have running, and your existing Google Ads account stays fully under your control.
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​Why does Growth Accelerator use a separate account?

Will it compete with my other campaigns?
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They serve different stages of the client journey, so they usually complement each other. Growth Accelerator focuses on decision-stage moments, like someone opening Maps to find a barber now. Other campaigns tend to reach people earlier, during the research stage. Growth Accelerator also times its bidding by hour of day to avoid competing in the same windows as your other campaigns.
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If both target very similar audiences, searches, and locations, they can occasionally land in the same Google auctions, which may raise cost per click. When that happens, the AI automatically shifts spend to different times or searches. No action is needed on your end.
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To get the clearest picture, view Growth Accelerator as a complementary channel, let the learning phase finish before evaluating, and look at total business outcomes (calls, directions, visits) rather than comparing campaigns too early.
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​Should I cancel my agency or current ad vendor?
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No. Growth Accelerator is built to complement your existing marketing, not replace it. Add it, let the results speak, and make the call that's right for your business.
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​🛠️ Profile, Review, and Visibility Tools
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Your ads work best when your Google presence is strong. Google favors complete, well-optimized profiles, and your Google Business Profile is one of the main signals AI tools like ChatGPT use when recommending businesses. These tools help keep it working for you.
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​Profile Manager
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Profile Manager keeps your Google Business Profile complete and active. It flags missing information and suggests fixes, writes Google posts you can review, edit, and schedule months in advance, and suggests stronger business descriptions with relevant keywords. You can also update details like your hours from your dashboard.

Local Boost
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Local Boost adds an extra layer of local visibility on top of Profile Manager's day-to-day work. You can create Google posts and use keywords to strengthen your organic (non-paid) visibility.
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​Review Manager
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Review Manager pulls your reviews into one place, summarizes what clients are saying, and drafts replies for you. Responding to every review can take about 5 minutes a week instead of hours.
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Responding shows potential clients you care, and reviews directly affect performance: shops with stronger ratings and more reviews often see higher click-through rates and better visibility. The specific services clients mention in reviews are also what AI search tools pick up on.

Social Posting
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Social Posting writes and schedules posts for Facebook, Instagram, and Google, so your shop stays active on social media without you writing every post. Nothing posts without your approval.
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​Call Insights
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Call Insights records and analyzes your inbound calls, with summaries, transcripts, and sentiment scoring, so you can see lead quality and what clients are asking about.
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​Local Rank
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Local Rank shows where your shop ranks in organic (non-paid) Google Maps results for searches like "barber shop near me" or "best fade in Brooklyn," compared with up to 5 competitors. It explains in plain language why you rank where you do and gives you specific steps to improve.
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It works hand in hand with your ads: Local Rank shows what to fix so your organic ranking improves over time, while your campaign puts you in the paid spots now, even where you don't rank well organically yet.

What affects my Google Maps ranking?

Why is my rank different when I search on my own phone?
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Map rankings change based on where the person searching is, the time of day, their device, their search history, and Google updates. Local Rank scans from the location you chose, so trends over time matter more than any single search.
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​🔄 Google Business Profile Troubleshooting
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​Why are my ads not showing or not running?
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Common reasons include:

Reconnect your profile if prompted, confirm it's verified, check your billing status, and allow time for your campaign to fully launch. If the issue continues, contact support.
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​Why am I being asked to reconnect my Google Business Profile?
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Google sometimes requires accounts to be refreshed or re-authenticated. A reconnect banner usually means:

Reconnecting usually takes less than a minute: click "Reconnect" and log in with your Owner or Primary Owner Google account. If you reconnect promptly, your ads aren't affected. If you don't, your campaign may pause until access is restored. Reconnecting doesn't affect billing, and you won't be charged extra.
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If you see an error while reconnecting, you may be logged in as a Manager instead of an Owner, the profile may be unverified, or there may be a duplicate listing. Contact support and we'll help identify what's blocking the connection.
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​Why did Google disconnect my Business Profile?

To confirm the cause, check your Growth Accelerator dashboard for a reconnect banner, log into Google Business Profile Manager for a notice like "This listing has been suspended" or "Verification required," and check your email, since Google usually emails the owner with a reason.
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​How do I fix a disconnected profile?

Once resolved, click "Reconnect" and log in with your Owner or Primary Owner account. Confirm your profile shows as connected and your data starts syncing. Your campaign will resume automatically. If reconnecting still fails, contact support and share the exact error message.
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​⚠️ What If I Don't Have Access to My Google Business Profile?
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Your campaign can't launch until you have Owner or Admin access. This is a common issue and can happen when:

You'll need to resolve the ownership or access issue before your campaign can move forward. Let us know your situation and we can help guide you through recovery. Google's guide: How to request owner access.
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​How do I check who owns my Google Business Profile?
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​Method 1: Search on Google or Google Maps

Method 2: Check Business Profile Manager

Method 3: Try to claim the business
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If Google says the profile is already verified when you try to claim it, another account owns it, and you'll need to request access or resolve ownership.
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​🚫 What If My Google Business Profile Is Suspended?
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A suspended Google Business Profile must be appealed directly through Google. theCut cannot reinstate a suspended Google Business Profile.

Resolution timelines are controlled entirely by Google. We can help with best practices, but final approval always comes from Google. Your profile must be restored before your Growth Accelerator campaign can run.
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​🎁 Your Free Trial, Pricing, and Billing
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Eligible new customers receive:
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​$300 in Google Ads credit
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Plus:

When does the free trial start?
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Your trial starts when your campaign goes live, not when you sign up or complete setup. The $300 in ad credit is applied at launch, so you get a full 30 days of live campaign performance before any ad spend is billed. During your trial, your daily budget is locked at $10 per day, so your $300 credit covers your full first month. You'll be reminded before your trial ends so you can decide whether to continue.
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​How do budget and billing work?
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Ad spend runs on a daily setting, between $10 and $15 per day (locked at $10 per day during your free trial). That setting determines a monthly plan amount, not a per-day bill: $10 per day works out to roughly $300 per month, and $15 per day to roughly $450 per month. Spend may run a bit higher on some days and lower on others as Google shifts toward times when local demand is highest, but your monthly total stays close to your plan.
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Auto top-up is optional:

Could I ever be billed far more than I expected?
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No. Google may spend up to 2 times your daily budget on a given day, but over a month you won't be billed more than about 30.4 times your average daily budget.
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​Can I change my ad spend or cancel?
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Yes. You can adjust ad spend, update billing details, or cancel at any time.
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​I own multiple shops. How does pricing work?
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Multiple locations are supported. Pricing is per location, since each shop connects its own Google Business Profile and runs its own campaign, and onboarding takes about 10 to 15 minutes per location. If you manage many locations, talk with our team so we can understand your setup.
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⚠️ Good to Know: Promotional offers, pricing, and eligibility can change. Review the current offer when signing up.
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​Before You Start Advertising
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Advertising can bring more people to your business, but what they find when they get there still matters. Before launching your campaign:
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☐ Update your Google Business Profile
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☐ Make sure your business hours are accurate
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☐ Add your theCut booking link
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☐ Confirm you have Owner access to your Google Business Profile
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Once those pieces are in place, you're ready to put your business in front of more local clients.
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​Related Articles

Still Need Help?
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If you're having trouble getting started, connecting your Google Business Profile, or aren't sure what's preventing your campaign from launching, contact us at [email protected] and we'll get you the answers you need. One-on-one consultation calls are also available if you want help getting started or a closer look at your campaign.
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For questions about an active campaign, campaign performance, billing, or your theCut account, use theCut's support resources.
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​Onboarding FAQs
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​Connecting Your Google Business Profile
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​How do I get owner access to my Google Business Profile (GBP)?
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To connect your shop to Pie, you'll need to sign in with the email that has owner access to your Google Business Profile. Here's how to find it and get access:

Note: Newly added owners and managers must wait 7 days before Google allows certain actions, like transferring primary ownership.
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Helpful Google resources:

Why does Pie need edit access to my Google Business Profile?
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Pie needs access to create a campaign with google on your GBP behalf. We do not change anything on your profile. Some features suggest ways to improve your GBP, but any change requires your approval first, and we will never make changes without your consent.
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​What does "We couldn't find any profile under this email" mean?
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This means the email you signed in with doesn't have owner access to your Google Business Profile.
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​I own more than one shop. Which one do I select?
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If you own multiple locations, they'll all appear in a list. Select the shop you'd like the campaign to run for. Each shop needs its own campaign, so you can repeat this step for each location.
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​Competitors
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​How many competitors should I select?
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We recommend selecting at least two. Pie runs ads on your competitors' names, so when someone searches Google Maps for another barbershop nearby, your shop can appear as a sponsored result. More competitors means more chances to reach clients looking for a cut in your area.
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​Online Presence Report (Audit Page)
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​Why are random businesses showing up in my ranking?
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If you didn't select any competitors, Pie automatically picks a few based on your location and Google Business Profile. You can select your own competitors at any time to make the comparison more relevant to your shop.
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​Customize Your Ad
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​I don't like the pictures selected for my campaign. Can I change them?
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Yes. Click the pencil icon on the images section to choose different photos or upload your own. Photos of fresh cuts, your chairs, and your storefront tend to work well.
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​How can I edit my ad content?
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In the Ad Content section, you can edit your headlines, descriptions, and keywords. This is a good place to highlight what makes your shop stand out, like fades, beard work, walk-ins, or late hours.
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​Target Audience
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​Should I target by zip code or radius?
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It depends on where your shop is. Zip codes work best in large, dense cities. In New York, for example, targeting by zip code lets you focus on specific neighborhoods and avoid areas like water or parts of the city your clients are unlikely to travel from. A radius works well in suburban or less dense areas where clients come from all directions.
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​Business Details
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​What does "Needs attention" mean?
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It means some business information is missing necessary to create your campaign. Click into the Business Details section to fill it in, which is most often uploading your logo. Add a logo in this section to include in your advertisement.
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​Call Insights
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​What is Call Insights?
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Every time someone calls your shop after clicking your ad, Pie records the date and time, the caller, the call length, a transcript, and the overall sentiment of the call. This helps you see how many bookings and inquiries your ads are bringing in.
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​Ad Budget
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​Can I change my ad budget?
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During the pilot, theCut covers $300 in ad spend so you can try the product free for about a month. The daily budget is set at $10 per day so the trial lasts the full month. If you continue with a paid plan, you'll be able to set your own daily budget for each campaign.