Where search ads sit in your lead flow
Search ads are the first step. Someone searches, sees your ad, clicks, and lands on a page with a form. What happens after the click matters as much as the ad itself, so search work usually touches two other pieces.
- The page and form people land on. A mismatch between ad and page is one of the most common problems in small accounts. See landing pages and forms.
- The tracking and follow-up behind the form, so a click can be tied to a real request in your CRM. See lead tracking and follow-up.
Search ads management covers the account itself: keywords, negatives, ads, bids, budgets and conversion actions in Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising.
Keyword and match-type planning
Keyword planning starts with how your buyers describe the service, not how your company describes it internally. A provider will usually pull ideas from Keyword Planner, your existing search terms if the account has history, your sales notes and competitor ads.
Match type then sets how loosely Google can interpret each keyword:
- Exact match covers the same meaning and close variants. The tightest control over what you show for.
- Phrase match allows extra words around the meaning of your phrase.
- Broad match lets Google match related searches, and it leans heavily on your conversion tracking to decide what is related.
Small budgets usually start with phrase and exact. Broad match gets tested once conversion tracking is reliable and negative lists are in place.
Questions to put to a search ads provider
These questions tell you a lot about how an engagement will run:
- Will the Google Ads account be in my name, billed to my card, with me as an admin?
- What access do you need, and what happens to it if we stop working together?
- Which conversion actions will you set up, and how will you test them?
- How often will you read the search terms report and add negatives?
- Which bid strategy do you plan to start with, and what would make you change it?
- Do you accept Google's automatic recommendations, or apply them by hand?
- What goes in the regular summary, and can I see the change history?
- How is the fee worked out, and is setup billed separately?
Questions about search ads management
Do I need both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising?
No. Most accounts start with Google Ads because it carries most US search volume. Microsoft Advertising can be added later, often by importing the Google campaigns and then adjusting settings. Whether it is worth the extra upkeep depends on your buyers and budget, which the service partner can talk through with you.
Which match types should a new account use?
Small and new accounts often start with phrase and exact match, which keep ads close to the searches you chose. Broad match lets Google find related searches and relies heavily on conversion data, so it is usually tested once tracking is reliable and negative lists are built up.
Can you take over an account someone else built?
Yes. The work usually starts with an audit of the existing structure, keywords, negatives, conversion actions, bid strategy and settings such as search partners and location targeting. From there the partner suggests what to keep and what to rebuild. Existing history is worth keeping where it is sound.
Want a price for ads, landing pages or tracking? One short form covers all of it.
Get a quoteOther services
Paid social setup
Pixel, Conversions API, audiences, first creative set and lead forms built and tested before any budget goes live.
Landing page tests
Two versions of a page run against each other once there is enough traffic, with changes logged so you can see what moved.
Tracking and CRM
Measurement and lead handling set up around the tools you already use, with access kept in your name.