Key points
- Structure follows the business: one campaign per service with its own budget, split further only when intent or geography truly differs.
- Match types and search-term reviews decide relevance more than bids do.
- Measure the enquiry, not the click. Conversion tracking is a prerequisite, not a later step.
Campaigns: one per service, budgeted separately
A campaign is the unit that holds a budget and a location setting. Putting every service in one campaign means the highest-volume service absorbs the money whether or not it is the most valuable. Give each service its own campaign so you can fund them deliberately.
Split a service into more than one campaign only when something materially differs: a separate geography with its own budget, or a clear split between urgent and research intent that deserves different bids and landing pages.
Ad groups: one per way of asking
Inside a campaign, group keywords by how people phrase the need, so the ad and landing page can mirror the phrasing. “Emergency” queries, “near me” queries and “cost” queries deserve different ads even when they lead to the same service.
- Use phrase and exact match for the core terms; add broad match only when conversion tracking is reliable and a negative keyword list exists.
- Write at least three headlines that contain the phrasing of the group, and one that states the next step.
- Send each group to the most specific landing page you have. If that page is the service hub, make sure the hub answers the group’s question above the fold.
Settings that quietly spend money
| Setting | Default behaviour | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Location targeting | Includes people interested in the area, not only in it | Set to presence when you only serve people physically there |
| Search partners and Display expansion | Often on | Turn off until search alone is proven |
| Match type on imported keywords | May be broad | Confirm match type per keyword after import |
| Conversion action | May count page views | Count form submissions and calls only |
Once structure and tracking are in place, the weekly habit that keeps the account honest is the search terms review. The paid marketing service page describes how this is run as a managed programme.
Sources
- About keyword matching options — Google Ads Help
- About conversion tracking — Google Ads Help
- About Quality Score — Google Ads Help
About this guide
Written by
Daniel ReyesHead of Paid Media
11 years in paid search and social · Manages Google Ads and Meta programs for legal and home services clients
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Daniel runs the paid media team. He builds and manages the Google Ads and Meta programs for DIGITECH’s legal and high-ticket home services clients, and writes about qualifying demand before the click so a sales team only talks to people who can buy.
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Elias MorganEditorial Director
Former healthcare trade editor · Checks every guide against its cited sources before publication
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Elias runs editorial review for everything DIGITECH publishes. He reads each draft against the sources it cites, checks the claims a client could be held to, and signs off on the review date that appears on the page. Before DIGITECH he edited a healthcare trade publication for eight years.
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