How I Approach Google Search Ads: Structure to Quality Score

Some of the thinking below builds on what I've learned from Store Growers' Google Ads training and articles. I've adapted it based on how I actually run accounts, but credit for a lot of the underlying strategy goes to their work.

Search Ads are often where businesses put their first ad dollars — and where those dollars disappear fastest if the account isn't built with intent. Unlike Shopping, there's no product feed doing half the targeting work for you. Every keyword, every bid, and every line of ad copy is a decision you're making directly. Here's how I approach it, from account structure through to ongoing optimization.

Phase 1: Building the Foundation

Before any keyword gets a bid, I make sure the basics are locked in:

Conversion Tracking
Nothing else matters if you can't measure it. I set up conversion tracking (calls, form fills, purchases) and confirm it's firing correctly before spending a single dollar. Optimizing toward broken or missing conversion data is the fastest way to burn budget with nothing to show for it.

Campaign Structure: Brand vs. Non-Brand
One of the biggest structural decisions is splitting branded and non-branded search into separate campaigns. A branded campaign — people already searching for the business by name — tends to be the most efficient campaign in the account, since those searchers already know the business and are further along in deciding to buy. Because there's no keyword research or guesswork involved, it's also a low-risk place to start testing ad copy before applying what works to the harder, non-branded campaigns.

Settings I Check Before Launch
A few default settings quietly hurt performance if left untouched:

• Search Partners and the Display Network are on by default — I turn both off so budget stays inside actual Google search results
• "Automatically created assets" lets Google generate and swap in its own ad copy without a heads-up — I turn this off to keep control over messaging
• I choose the bid strategy deliberately (Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, etc.) rather than accepting whatever Google recommends by default during setup

Keyword Research & Match Types
I build keyword lists using Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ubersuggest, and actual search term data once a campaign is live, using a mix of match types:

• Exact match for proven, high-intent terms I want tight control over
• Phrase match to capture close variations while keeping relevance
• Broad match sparingly, and almost always paired with Smart Bidding — Google's 2021 overhaul of match type behavior made broad match far more aggressive, so it needs an automated bidding strategy watching it closely

Negative keywords get built out from day one and refined weekly from the search terms report — this is where wasted spend usually hides.

Phase 2: Ad Copy, Assets & Quality Score

Google rewards relevance, and Quality Score is the clearest signal of whether you're delivering it.

Responsive Search Ads
I write several headline and description variations per ad group and let Responsive Search Ads test combinations automatically. It's tempting to treat RSAs as a place to dump every headline idea, but I keep each ad group's assets tightly tied to its actual keywords rather than using generic copy across the account — that specificity is a big part of what earns a strong Quality Score.

Ad Assets (Extensions)
Ad assets — formerly called extensions — are one of the most underused ways to win more space on the results page and lift click-through rate. Depending on the business, I'll use:

• Sitelinks to surface additional pages (promotions, categories, contact)
• Callouts and structured snippets to highlight specifics like services offered or shipping policy
• Price extensions, which get Search Ads a step closer to the visual comparison shoppers get from Shopping Ads
• Location extensions, essential for any business with a physical storefront

Landing Page Experience
The ad's promise and the landing page need to match. If the ad says "24-Hour Emergency Plumbing," the visitor shouldn't land on a generic homepage. I check that the landing page loads fast, is mobile-friendly, and delivers on exactly what the ad promised.

Phase 3: Bidding, RLSA & Ongoing Optimization

Once the account has enough conversion data, I shift from setup to refinement:

• Bid strategy — I typically start with Maximize Conversions or manual CPC to gather data, then move to Target CPA or Target ROAS once there's enough volume for Smart Bidding to work with reliably.
• RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) — layering site visitor lists onto search campaigns, either as bid adjustments on existing campaigns or as a dedicated campaign once traffic volume justifies it, to prioritize people who've already shown interest.
• Search terms review — weekly, to catch new negative keywords and spot emerging high-intent queries worth their own ad group.
• Budget allocation — shifting spend toward the campaigns and ad groups with the strongest conversion rate and cost per conversion, rather than spreading budget evenly.
• A/B testing — continuously testing ad copy and, where relevant, landing pages, rather than treating the initial build as final.

Why This Approach Works

Search Ads punish shortcuts. A loose account structure or thin keyword research shows up later as poor Quality Scores and inflated CPCs — and no amount of bid strategy tweaking fully compensates for a weak foundation. Getting structure, relevance, and tracking right first is what turns Search into a channel with predictable, improving returns rather than a guessing game.