Paid search, explained plainly
Paid search is the set of text ads above and below the regular listings on Google and Bing. You pay when someone clicks. Looking after it means keeping several parts in order:
- Keywords and match types, which decide the searches you can appear for.
- Negative keywords, which keep you out of searches that do not fit.
- Ads and assets: the headlines, descriptions, sitelinks and callouts people see.
- Bidding and budgets, which govern what you spend and how the platform bids.
- Conversion actions, the form fills or other events you count as a lead.
The auction belongs to Google or Microsoft. These settings shape what you enter it with and how you count what comes back.
How the work runs over a month
- Weekly: read the search terms, add negatives and new keywords, check that conversions are recording and spend is on pace.
- Every couple of weeks: look at ad assets and swap out weak headlines or descriptions; check that no automatic recommendations were applied without agreement.
- Monthly: compare campaigns by cost per conversion, adjust budgets between services, revisit bid strategy targets and write a summary for you.
- As needed: pause campaigns for services you cannot take on, add campaigns for new services, and check tracking after any change to your website or form.
The cadence can be lighter for a small account or heavier for one running in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising at once. Agree it with the provider before work starts.
Decisions only you can make
A provider can run the account, but some choices belong to the business. Expect to be asked about these early.
Budget. How much you are willing to spend on clicks each month, and whether that changes by season.
Services. Which work you want new requests for, and which you are already turning away. Advertising a service you cannot staff wastes spend.
What a lead is. A form fill with a work email might count; a newsletter signup probably should not. This choice drives conversion tracking and therefore how automated bidding behaves.
Claims and wording. What you are comfortable saying in an ad, and what your industry or counsel says you cannot.
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.
Who owns the ad account?
You should. The account should be created under your business email and billed to your payment method, with you holding admin access. The provider works through a manager account link or a user invite that you can remove. That way the keyword history and conversion data stay with you if the arrangement ends.
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.
Send your request with a work email and a few notes about the campaigns you have in mind.
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Paid social campaigns
Meta and LinkedIn ads with defined audiences, rotating creative, lead forms and tracking, all in ad accounts you own.
Pages behind your ads
A better destination than your home page: one offer, one form, and tracking that records each submission.
Offline conversions
Closed deals in your CRM sent back to the ad platforms, so campaign data reflects what happened after the form.