Search ads for buyers who already know what they want
A search is a statement of intent. When a buyer types the name of a service, a software product plus consultant, or a problem phrased the way your customers phrase it, they are telling you what they want at that moment. Search ads put a short message and a link in front of that query.
For B2B companies the useful searches are often narrow, and the near misses are many: job seekers, students, people looking for a do-it-yourself guide, buyers of a product you do not sell. The work is finding the phrases worth paying for, keeping the near misses out, and sending each click to a page that matches the ad. Search ads management handles that setup and the weekly upkeep in Google Ads and, where it fits, 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
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords stop your ads showing for searches you do not want, such as job searches, training courses or services you do not offer. They are added from the search terms report, which lists the real queries behind your clicks. Most managed accounts add to the negative list every week.
Should Google's automatic recommendations be switched on?
Many managers turn off auto-apply and look at each recommendation by hand. Some are useful, such as fixing a missing asset. Others widen targeting or raise budgets. Ask your provider how they handle them, and check the change history now and then to see what was applied.
How do I know what changed in my account?
Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising both keep a change history you can open yourself. A provider should also send a plain summary of what they changed, why, and what they are watching next. If you only receive charts with no notes, ask for the reasoning behind the changes.
Tell us what you sell and which channels you want to run. A service partner will reply with a scope and a quote.
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