In search advertising, the largest waste comes from structural mistakes, not bidding mistakes. A well-built account delivers twice the result on the same budget.
The hierarchy
Three layers: account → campaign → ad group → keyword.
- Campaigns carry budget and targeting. Anything whose budget you want to control separately deserves its own campaign: a different product line, a different country, brand terms.
- Ad groups carry a single theme. Every keyword in the group must be servable by the same ad copy.
Practical test: look at an ad group and ask "can I write one headline that fits all these terms?" If not, split it.
Match types
- Exact: narrowest and most controlled. For proven terms.
- Phrase: catches variations that preserve meaning. The most balanced choice in most cases.
- Broad: widest reach, highest waste risk. Use only with strong conversion data and a tight negative list.
Start a new account on phrase match. As data accumulates, promote strong performers to exact.
Negative keywords
The highest-return, least-examined part of an account. Open the search terms report weekly and add irrelevant queries as negatives.
Standard starting negatives: "free", "how to", "jobs", "salary", "torrent", "used" — adapt to your business model.
Conversion tracking
An account without conversion tracking is spending blind. Do not launch without it.
- Define one clear primary conversion: sale, form, call
- Track micro-conversions separately but keep them out of optimisation
- Assign conversion values; not all conversions are equal
- Prevent double counting; a refreshed thank-you page should not count twice
Ad copy
Responsive search ads allow 15 headlines, but you are not obliged to fill them. Eight to ten genuinely different headlines beat fifteen similar ones. Consider pinning at least three so your brand and core offer always appear.
What to do in month one
- Set up conversion tracking and verify it fires
- Start with a narrow keyword set on phrase match
- Read the search terms report weekly and add negatives
- Do not move to automated bidding until you have enough data
- Match landing pages to ad group themes