Key Insights and Recommendations for a Successful Google Ad Search Campaign

Search Campaigns Campaign Objective Selection

• Selecting a campaign objective in Google Ads only filters available settings; it does not directly affect campaign performance.

• Creating campaigns without goal guidance to avoid unnecessary limitations and to have full control over settings.
  
  Search Campaign Naming Conventions

• • Proper naming conventions are critical for organization and efficient management, especially when auditing multiple campaigns.
    • • Example format: S - Carpet Cleaning - Fort Wayne where “S” stands for Search campaign.
      • Clean and consistent naming helps in reporting tools like Excel or Looker Studio.

• • Bidding Strategy for New Search Campaigns
    • • For brand new accounts without historical data, start with Maximize Clicks or Manual CPC bidding to generate initial traffic and conversion volume.
      • Set a maximum CPC bid limit based on keyword research (example used: $10).
      • Aim to gather about 30 conversions per month before switching to conversion-based bidding strategies like Target CPA or Maximize Conversions.
      • If historical data exists (from previous campaigns or account history), you may start with Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, or Target ROAS bidding strategies.

• • Customer Acquisition Setting
    • • The option to build bids for new customers only is useful for businesses with repeat customers but is generally not needed for local services like carpet cleaning.

• • Network Settings
    • • Initially, turn off Search Partners and Display Network for brand new campaigns to focus on core Google Search traffic and control ad delivery.
    • • Display Network and Search Partners can be tested later once the campaign is performing well.

• • Location Targeting
    • • Use precise targeting such as radius targeting (e.g., 30 miles around Fort Wayne, IN).
    • • Change location setting from Google’s default (which targets people “in, regularly in, or interested in” the location) to “People in or regularly in your targeted locations” to avoid irrelevant traffic from outside areas or other countries.
    • • This ensures ads only show to users physically located in the service area.

• • Language Settings
    • • Limit language targeting to the language used in your ad copy and by your business (English in this case).

• • Audience Segments
    • • Use “Observation” mode for audience targeting rather than “Targeting” mode to gather data without restricting ad delivery.
    • • Audience segments provide useful data insights but generally don’t significantly impact performance in search campaigns with conversion-based smart bidding.

• • Keyword Strategy
    • • Start with tight match types like Exact Match and Phrase Match instead of Broad Match for new campaigns without conversion data.
      • Broad Match is useful only after the campaign is well-optimized, has sufficient conversion data, and uses smart bidding strategies.
      • Broad Match can drive irrelevant traffic, including competitor terms or unrelated product searches (e.g., vacuum cleaners instead of carpet cleaning services), which wastes budget without conversion data.
      • Consolidate keywords into fewer ad groups rather than creating Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs), unless keyword intent differs significantly (e.g., residential vs. commercial carpet cleaning).

• • Ad Creation
    • • Avoid using Google’s automatic ad generation at the start; control your messaging manually to ensure relevance and quality.
    • • Use multiple headlines (up to 15) and descriptions (up to 4) to allow Google’s ad rotation to optimize performance.
    • • Include relevant display paths to highlight keywords but understand these do not change the actual landing page URL.

• • Ad Assets and Extensions
    • • Utilize ad assets such as images, site links, promotions, callouts, and structured snippets to improve ad presence and click-through rate.
    • • Many assets can be managed at the account level for consistency.

• • Budget Recommendations
    • • Set a campaign budget sufficient to generate at least 10 clicks per day to allow the campaign to collect meaningful data for optimization.
    • • Too low a budget will lead to insufficient data and poor decision-making.

• • Post-Creation Adjustments
    • • Exclude tablet traffic initially by applying a -100% bid adjustment to tablets to focus on desktop and mobile devices, which typically drive better results.
    • • Switch bidding strategy to Manual CPC after campaign creation if desired, since this option is not available during initial setup.
    • • Add negative keywords early to prevent irrelevant or wasteful traffic (e.g., brand names of vacuum cleaners like Bissell or Hoover, used product terms, competitor names).
    • • Negative keyword research is essential before launch to save ad spend.

Detailed Timeline of Campaign Setup Process

Keyword Match Types Explained

Important Campaign Settings Summary

Final Takeaways

• • Start conservatively and build data before scaling. Use Max Clicks or Manual CPC bidding to gather initial conversion data.

• • Maintain tight keyword targeting early on to avoid wasting budget on irrelevant queries.

• • Organize your campaigns with clear naming and logical ad group segmentation. Consolidate keywords with similar intent in single ad groups.

• • Avoid Google’s automatic ad copy and audience targeting at the start to maintain control over messaging and targeting.

• • Exclude less performant devices like tablets initially to focus on top converting traffic sources.

• • Invest sufficient budget to generate meaningful data daily. Underfunded campaigns hinder optimization and learning.

• • Use negative keywords aggressively to prevent irrelevant clicks, especially from competitor and product-related terms not relevant to your service.

• • Use audience segments for observation and data gathering, not for targeting initially.

• • Adjust settings incrementally based on performance and data insights to scale effectively.

This comprehensive approach ensures a solid foundation for a new Google Ads search campaign, maximizing the chances of early success and enabling data-driven optimization as the campaign matures.