Where search ads sit in your lead flow
Search ads are the first step. Someone searches, sees your ad, clicks, and lands on a page with a form. What happens after the click matters as much as the ad itself, so search work usually touches two other pieces.
- The page and form people land on. A mismatch between ad and page is one of the most common problems in small accounts. See landing pages and forms.
- The tracking and follow-up behind the form, so a click can be tied to a real request in your CRM. See lead tracking and follow-up.
Search ads management covers the account itself: keywords, negatives, ads, bids, budgets and conversion actions in Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising.
Ads, assets and the pages behind them
Google Ads uses responsive search ads: you supply up to fifteen headlines and four descriptions, and Google tests combinations. The work is writing lines that each stand on their own, say something specific about the service, and match the search they appear for.
Assets, once called extensions, add more to the ad:
- Sitelinks to specific pages such as a service page or the quote form.
- Callouts for short facts about how you work.
- Structured snippets listing services or industries served.
- Image assets where the account is eligible.
The page the ad points to gets checked too. If the ad mentions a service, the click should land on that service and a form, not on a general home page. Where ads change, the page often needs a small edit to match.
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.
Can you take over an account someone else built?
Yes. The work usually starts with an audit of the existing structure, keywords, negatives, conversion actions, bid strategy and settings such as search partners and location targeting. From there the partner suggests what to keep and what to rebuild. Existing history is worth keeping where it is sound.
Not sure where to start? Describe your offer and current tools, and a service partner will ask the right questions.
Start a requestOther services
Feed advertising
Ads in social feeds for people who were not searching yet. A partner plans the creative, audiences and tracking.
Landing pages
Pages written and built to match each campaign, on a tool you can edit later, checked on mobile before traffic arrives.
Tracking audits
A check of what your tags count today, what they miss and what they count twice, with a written list of fixes.