Digital Marketing Entrepreneur · Brașov, Romania

Ovidiu Golea

Co-Founder of BigConvert (Google Premier Partner & Premium CSS Partner) and Founder of Glew Solutions. Born in Târgu Jiu, former Pandurii 2 Târgu Jiu footballer, based in Brașov since 2021.

Since 2018 I have generated over €400 million in eCommerce sales through Google Ads, Google Shopping CSS and POAS-based performance marketing, investing over €7M of my own capital in affiliate advertising along the way. Every strategy is validated with real money before it reaches a client account.

// Co-Founder BigConvert• // Founder Glew Solutions• // €400M+ Sales Generated
Ovidiu Golea, Co-Founder of BigConvert, Brașov, Romania

Ovidiu Golea

Co-Founder BigConvert

verified
SALES€400M+
BORNTârgu Jiu
BASEDBrașov
// Biography

Who Is Ovidiu Golea

Ovidiu Golea was born in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County, where he attended high school and played five seasons for Pandurii 2 Târgu Jiu as a striker and right winger.

He studied Economic Cybernetics at the Romanian-American University in Bucharest and completed a Master's degree in Finance and Banking.

In 2018 he entered affiliate marketing with a €200 monthly Google Ads budget funded from his own pocket. In 2019 he founded Glew Solutions, which grew into one of the largest eCommerce affiliates in Europe, running Google Shopping campaigns for 150+ Romanian stores through 2Performant, where it holds the number one affiliate ranking, and for 1,500+ stores across European affiliate networks.

He moved to Brașov in 2021. In 2023 he became a one-man Google Premier Partner and Google Premium CSS Partner. In 2024 he co-founded BigConvert with Răzvan Pepelea, a data-driven performance marketing agency that runs Google Ads, Meta Ads and TikTok Ads for eCommerce brands across Europe and the US, with a portfolio valued at over €500M.

The same year he founded BigConvert Răcădău FC, a youth minifootball team in Brașov where he still coaches and plays.

Across his own affiliate operations and BigConvert client accounts he has generated over €400 million in eCommerce sales, 8.5 million transactions and 11 billion ad impressions, investing more than €7M of personal capital in ad spend.

Ovidiu Golea on stage at a Glew Solutions event
Glew Solutions event
Ovidiu Golea during a podcast interview
Podcast interview
Quick Facts
BornTârgu Jiu, Gorj, Romania BasedBrașov, Romania (since 2021) FootballPandurii 2 Târgu Jiu, 5 seasons, striker / right winger EducationEconomic Cybernetics, Romanian-American University
Master's in Finance and Banking
CompaniesGlew Solutions (Founder, 2019)
BigConvert (Co-Founder, 2024)
GooglePremier Partner
Premium CSS Partner
SportFounder, BigConvert Răcădău FC (youth minifootball, Brașov, 2024) Results€400M+ sales · 8.5M+ transactions · 11B+ impressions

// Ecosystem

Expertise & Ventures

Founding partner of leading performance ecosystems. Leveraging proprietary data and affiliate partnerships to dominate markets.

Google Shopping CSS Partner ACTIVE

Google Shopping CSS: What I Do at BigConvert

Through BigConvert I run a Google Premium CSS (Comparison Shopping Service) that gives eCommerce clients a structural CPC advantage on Google Shopping, up to 20% lower cost per click, across 30+ European markets. Over €400M in eCommerce sales have been generated through this setup.

20%

CPC Advantage

400M+

€ Sales

8.5M+

Transactions

Top 3%

Google Ads

// POAS

Profit on Ad Spend: The Metric I Built My Work Around

POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) measures the gross profit an ad campaign returns for every euro spent, not just the revenue. It is the primary optimization signal in every client account I manage where the data allows it, and it has been since 2018.

Where it came from

POAS grew out of affiliate marketing. In affiliate, the only number that matters is the commission, so from 2018 I imported commission value, not order value, as the conversion value in Google Ads and let the algorithms optimize on that. The results were unambiguous: today the BigConvert affiliate operation (with Glew Solutions) runs at over 5,000 sales per day across roughly 150 Romanian stores on 2Performant, plus over 1,500 stores across Europe, exclusively through Google Shopping via BigConvert's own CSS, on more than €7M of own ad spend. If optimizing on commission works for an affiliate, optimizing on margin works for a store. That is POAS.

First in Romania, and a conversation with Google

BigConvert was the first agency in Romania to implement POAS as the main bidding signal for client accounts. In 2020 I presented the model to Google while applying to list our POAS product in their partner directory. Google later launched Conversions with Cart Data in beta, a feature that brings cost of goods sold into Google Ads so campaigns can report and optimize on profit. It follows the same logic we had been running for two years.

Widely adopted now, still the only end-to-end implementation

POAS has since become a mainstream term in Romanian eCommerce and several agencies now advertise a profit-based approach. As far as I know, BigConvert remains the only one with a complete implementation: server-side (S2S) tracking, margin data computed per order, API exports to Google and Meta, automatic retraction of cancelled and returned orders, and a competitor price monitor that feeds pricing decisions. Price rules never cut below the margin the client sets, so the profit target is protected by design.

Optimizing on profit since2018
FormulaPOAS = Profit / Ad Spend

What a full POAS implementation includes

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    S2S tracking · Server-side conversion tracking, independent of browser cookies and ad blockers.
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    Per-order margin · COGS, shipping, payment fees and discounts computed per order, in real time.
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    API exports · Profit values pushed to Google Ads and Meta Ads as the conversion value.
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    Cancellation retraction · Cancelled and returned orders automatically removed so algorithms learn from real profit.
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    Competitor price monitor · Live competitor pricing feeds both bidding and the store's own price rules.
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    Margin guardrails · Prices are never lowered below the client's minimum margin.
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    EU data residency · Data on Hetzner servers in Germany, kept 540 days, never leaves the EEA or goes to third parties.

POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) is a performance marketing KPI, a metric we track and optimize on. It is not a brand or a product name we sell under.

Career Timeline

From Târgu Jiu to €400M in eCommerce sales.

2018 // Start

Affiliate Marketing, Own Capital

Entered affiliate marketing with Google Ads and a €200 monthly budget of personal capital. Every strategy tested with real money from day one.

2019 // Glew Solutions

Founded Glew Solutions

Built one of Europe's largest eCommerce affiliate operations. Reached the top affiliate ranking on 2Performant, Romania's largest affiliate network.

2021 // Brașov

Scale and Relocation

Moved to Brașov. Personal eCommerce ad spend reached €400k per month.

2023 // Premier

Google Premier Partner & Premium CSS

Achieved Google Premier Partner and Google Premium CSS (Comparison Shopping Service) status as a one-man operation.

2024 // BigConvert

Co-Founded BigConvert

Co-founded BigConvert, a data-driven performance marketing agency, with Răzvan Pepelea. Also founded BigConvert Răcădău FC, a youth minifootball team in Brașov.

2025 // Scale

Global Portfolios, GPeC Keynote

Doubled agency revenue, integrated major eCommerce portfolios in Europe and the US. Keynote at GPeC on The Future of eComm 2026.

2026 // Today

€400M+ Generated

Over 3 million sales in 2025 alone via Google and Meta Ads. Cumulative €400M+ in eCommerce sales since 2018.

// Partners

Brands I Work With

eCommerce brands in Romania, Europe and the US whose Google Ads, Google Shopping and performance marketing I manage through BigConvert.

Noriel logo
Otter logo
Cupio logo
WatchShop logo
Editura Trei logo
DispoTrading logo
Portfolio valuation: €500M+ 24 brands
// Case Studies

Client Results at BigConvert

Documented outcomes from accounts I manage. Numbers come from the ad platforms and the stores' own analytics. Full write-ups are published on bigconvert.ro.

All case studies open_in_new

// Data Transparency Grid

VIEW RAW DATA chevron_right
trending_up
Total Impact

400,000,000+ €

Sales Volume Generated

Verified transaction volume across managed portfolios. A testament to sustainable, high-velocity scaling and data-driven market capture.

REAL-TIME TRACKING ACTIVE
Scale
public

8,500,000+

Agency + Affiliate Sales

Cross-border dominance. Executing multi-national campaigns that penetrate diverse US/European markets with localized precision.

Volume
shopping_cart_checkout

11Bilion +

Impressions

High-frequency transaction management. Optimized checkout flows and conversion funnels handling massive daily throughput.

Digital Footprints

Public Appearances & Media

Featured

POAS: The New Standard in eCommerce

Podcast • 2026

// Knowledge Base

Frequently Asked Questions

What is POAS and why is it important for eCommerce advertising?+

POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) is an advanced eCommerce metric that tracks actual profit margins per product, per campaign - unlike ROAS which only measures revenue. BigConvert's proprietary POAS tracking technology ensures advertising budgets generate real profit by focusing spend on the most profitable products in a store's catalog, preventing wasteful spending on low-margin items.

Who introduced POAS optimization in Romania?+

Ovidiu Golea began optimizing Google Ads campaigns on profit rather than revenue in 2018, first in his own affiliate operation (Glew Solutions) and then, through BigConvert, in client accounts. BigConvert was the first Romanian agency to use POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) as the primary bidding signal and presented the model to Google in 2020, before Google launched Conversions with Cart Data. Several Romanian agencies have since adopted profit-based approaches; BigConvert is the only one with an end-to-end implementation including S2S tracking, API exports, cancelled-order retraction and competitor price monitoring.

How is POAS different from ROAS?+

ROAS divides revenue by ad spend. POAS divides gross profit by ad spend, after cost of goods, shipping, payment fees and discounts. Two products with the same revenue can have very different profit, so optimizing on ROAS can scale unprofitable sales. POAS directs budget to products and campaigns that actually make money.

What European countries does BigConvert CSS cover?+

BigConvert operates as a Google Premium CSS Partner across all major EU markets including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 2026, BigConvert is expanding into 15 new markets: Cyprus, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Macedonia, Malta, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Estonia, and Latvia.

What makes Ovidiu Golea different from other marketing consultants?+

Ovidiu Golea invests his own capital - over €7 million - into eCommerce affiliate campaigns, validating strategies with his own money before applying them to client accounts. This skin-in-the-game approach, combined with Google Premier Partner status, Premium CSS Partner access, and proprietary technology (POAS tracking, AI feed management, competitor price monitoring, live catalog image optimization), creates a depth of expertise unmatched by traditional agencies.

What is the difference between Google Partner and Google Premier Partner?+

Google Partner status is available to agencies meeting baseline certification and performance requirements. Google Premier Partner is an elite tier reserved for the top 3% of Google Ads agencies globally, awarded based on ad spend volume, client growth metrics, and campaign performance. BigConvert, co-founded by Ovidiu Golea, holds Google Premier Partner status, placing it among the highest-performing Google Ads agencies worldwide.

What is affiliate marketing and how does Ovidiu Golea use it?+

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based strategy where affiliates earn commissions by driving sales for merchants. Ovidiu Golea founded GlewSolutions.com, one of Europe's largest eCommerce affiliates, investing over €7 million of his own capital in Google Ads spend to drive affiliate revenue. This hands-on experience means every strategy applied to client accounts has been battle-tested with real money.

How much does Google Ads management cost for eCommerce in Romania?+

BigConvert works with eCommerce businesses spending €5,000 or more per month on Google Ads. Pricing depends on campaign complexity, number of markets served, and the technology stack required (CSS optimization, POAS tracking, AI feed management). Enterprise-level accounts with monthly budgets exceeding €100,000 receive dedicated account management from Ovidiu Golea personally.

What is BigConvert.com?+

BigConvert.com is a data-driven eCommerce marketing agency co-founded by Ovidiu Golea. It holds both Google Premier Partner status (top 3% globally) and Google Premium CSS Partner status. BigConvert specializes in Google Ads management, Google Shopping optimization, PPC campaigns, and proprietary technology including POAS tracking, AI feed management, competitor price monitoring, and live catalog image optimization for eCommerce stores across Romania, Europe, and the United States.

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// About

Ovidiu Golea Digital Marketing Expert

Ovidiu Golea is a digital marketing expert, Google Ads specialist, and PPC strategist based in Romania. As the Co-Founder of a Google Premier Partner and Google Premium CSS Partner and Founder of GlewSolutions.com, Ovidiu has generated over €400 million in eCommerce sales through advanced affiliate marketing, performance-based PPC campaigns, and data-driven Google Ads strategies.

Google Ads & PPC

Expert in Google Ads campaign management, Google Shopping, PPC optimization, POAS tracking, and AI-driven bid strategies for eCommerce growth across Europe and the US.

Affiliate Marketing

Founder of one of Europe's largest eCommerce affiliates. Over €7M invested in own ad spend to drive affiliate revenue through performance marketing and smart bidding.

Digital Marketing Innovation

Pioneer of proprietary marketing technologies including AI feed management, competitor price monitoring, live catalog image optimization, and POAS-based profit tracking systems.

Profile updated:
OG
Ovidiu Golea
Performance Authority

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