Google Ads
Google Ads management is the planning, building and running of Search, Performance Max, Shopping and Local Services campaigns so your business appears for high-intent searches now. I build them from the same query map that drives your semantic SEO, so paid and organic share landing pages, data and goals instead of competing for budget.
Signs you need Google Ads
- We spend on Google Ads every month but can’t say which keywords bring customers
- Our agency reports clicks and impressions, never leads or calls
- Half our search terms have nothing to do with what we sell
- Performance Max is spending money and we can’t see where it goes
- Our ads keep getting disapproved and nobody explains why
- Every ad sends people to the homepage
- SEO and paid search are run by different people who never talk
Results to expect
- Ads that show for the searches your customers actually type
- Leads, calls and sales traced back to the keyword that drove them
- Search-term data that tells your SEO which pages to build next
- A clear monthly view of cost per lead and revenue by campaign
How Google Ads and semantic SEO work together
Google Ads and semantic SEO answer the same searches, so I plan them from one source of truth instead of two. I’m Qaim Raza, a semantic SEO specialist, and I run paid search as an extension of that work. Ads put you in front of buyers this week. Organic pages earn similar positions over months. Both depend on knowing what people search for and why.
That shared source is the topical map: a structured plan of every topic, sub-topic and question your site should cover, grouped by intent. In SEO it decides which pages to write. In Google Ads it decides which campaigns and ad groups exist, where each click lands and which searches to exclude. If your site already has a researched topical map, the ad account inherits that work on day one.
Paid search also fills gaps while SEO builds. A new service page can take months to rank for a competitive term, and an ad can cover that term from launch. Once the organic result is strong, I check whether the ad still adds sales or only pays for visits you would win anyway, and move budget to terms you don’t yet own.
Which Google campaign types fit which job
Each campaign type serves a different kind of demand, so I choose them by intent rather than habit.
Search
captures people typing a specific need. It gives the most control and the clearest data, so it forms the base of almost every account I run.
Performance Max
spreads one campaign across Google’s inventory, including Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display and Maps. It needs strong conversion data, brand exclusions and checked assets, or it tends to claim credit for people already searching your name.
Shopping
shows products with an image and price, driven by your Merchant Center feed. Titles and attributes decide which searches you appear for, the same product data discipline that powers e-commerce SEO.
Local Services Ads
, where Google offers them for your category and country, usually appear above the other ads and rely on Google’s verification checks and your reviews, which overlap heavily with local SEO.
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Building campaigns from the query map
I build ad groups from query templates: repeatable search patterns such as "[service] in [city]", "[product] for [occasion]" or "[problem] lawyer near me". Each template becomes an ad group with its own copy and landing page, so the ad mirrors the search and the page answers it.
Every template also has a central search intent, the main need behind the words. Someone searching "how much do movers cost" wants a price range, not a booking form. Someone searching "same-day movers" wants a phone number now. Matching the ad, the call to action and the bid to that intent matters more than any bidding trick.
The map’s contextual borders, the points where one topic should stop and the next begin, become negative keywords. If you rent storage units but don’t sell sheds, "storage shed" searches sit outside your border and are blocked before they spend.
Conversion tracking that bidding can trust
Smart bidding is only as good as the conversions you feed it, so tracking comes before any change to bids or budgets. If a form is counted twice, or calls aren’t counted at all, Google will optimise towards the wrong outcome with complete confidence.
My standard setup has four layers:
Conversion tags
for forms, bookings and purchases, deployed through Google Tag Manager, with GA4 key events alongside for analysis.
Enhanced conversions
, which send hashed first-party data such as an email address with each conversion, so Google can match more of them to ad clicks when cookies are missing.
Call tracking
for calls from ads and from the website, with a minimum call length so accidental calls don’t count.
Offline conversion imports
from your CRM, so a lead that becomes a booked job, a signed client or a paid order is reported back to the click that started it.
With offline data in place, bidding can value a qualified lead above a time-waster, which usually matters more than any keyword tweak. Where privacy law requires consent, Consent Mode makes the tags respect each visitor’s choice.
How search-term mining feeds your topical map
The search terms report is the most useful SEO data many businesses pay for and never read. It lists the actual searches that triggered your ads, with clicks, conversions and cost. Google hides some low-volume terms, but what remains is real demand rather than a keyword tool’s estimate.
Each month I sort those terms into three groups:
Converting terms with no organic page
candidates for new pages or sections in the map.
Converting terms with a weak organic page
candidates for a rewrite, because the wording, attribute or question is missing.
Wasted terms
added to negative lists, and checked for signs that the site itself blurs a border.
This loop also surfaces information gain: facts or angles a page adds beyond what already ranks. When buyers keep searching a detail competitors ignore, such as gate access hours, ring resizing limits or how a firm handles a first consultation, that detail belongs on your page.
Restricted categories and Google Ads policy
Several of the niches I work in face strict Google Ads policies, so I check the current rules for your category before launch and build only what is allowed. Policies change, and this is the position as I understand it now:
Kratom
Google doesn’t allow kratom ads, and ads that send traffic to a site selling kratom are likely to be disapproved even when the ad itself mentions something else.
CBD
ingestible CBD is not allowed. Google permits limited ads for topical hemp-derived CBD in a few US states, and only for advertisers with LegitScript certification and Google’s approval.
Law firms
legal services can advertise, but some legal sub-categories are restricted, with bail bonds a long-standing US example.
Movers, self storage and jewelry stores
standard policies apply. The usual problems are claims you can’t back up, such as a "guaranteed lowest price" or a free month with hidden conditions.
One rule applies everywhere: never try to slip a restricted product past review with vague wording or a cloaked landing page. Google treats that as circumventing its systems, which can suspend the account and any accounts linked to it.
What you receive with Google Ads
Shows where spend leaks and which conversions are missing or double-counted before anything changes.
Maps each ad group to a search pattern, landing page and match type, so you can review the build before launch.
Form, call and purchase events with enhanced conversions, so bidding learns from real outcomes.
Headlines, descriptions and assets written for each intent and checked against ad policy.
Blocks irrelevant searches across every campaign, including topics you don’t serve.
Converting searches that need a new organic page or a stronger section on an existing one.
Spend, leads, cost per lead and revenue in one view your team can check any time.
What your category can and can’t advertise, and any certification required before launch.
How Google Ads works, step by step
Audit and access
Days 1–3I review your account, tracking and landing pages. You give me access to Google Ads, GA4, Tag Manager and, if you sell online, Merchant Center.
Tracking first
Week 1I fix or build conversion tracking, including calls and lead stages from your CRM, before any budget changes.
Structure from the query map
Weeks 1–2I turn the SEO research into campaigns, ad groups and negatives, and agree the landing page for each one with you.
Build and policy check
Week 2Ads, assets and feeds are written and checked against current policy. You approve all copy before launch.
Launch and learning
Weeks 3–6Daily checks on search terms, budgets and disapprovals while bidding gathers data.
Optimise and feed SEO
MonthlyI prune waste, test ads and landing pages, and pass converting search terms into your content plan.
Google Ads in the industries I specialise in
Kratom
Google Ads can’t be used for kratom, so I don’t sell it as an option. The budget does more in organic search: strain and vein-colour guides, product format pages, COA and sourcing pages, and state-by-state shipping information. Keyword research tools still help size demand for those pages, and an email list built from organic traffic lets you reach buyers again without any ad platform.
CBD
Most CBD brands can’t run Google Ads, so organic search carries the load: pages on full-spectrum, broad-spectrum and isolate, COAs and state laws. If you sell qualifying topical products and hold the certification Google requires, I build a small, tightly geo-targeted Search campaign that points only at those topical product pages, with every health claim removed from ads and landing pages.
Movers
Movers usually get two paid routes: Local Services Ads and Search campaigns built around route and service queries such as "Chicago to Denver movers" or "piano movers near me". Each ad points to the matching city-to-city or service page. Copy shows your USDOT number for interstate work and makes clear whether you are the carrier or a broker. Call tracking matters most, because moves are booked by phone.
Self storage
Storage searches are local and urgent: "storage units near me", "10×10 storage" or "climate-controlled storage" plus a town name. I build one campaign per facility, with ad groups by unit size and feature, and send clicks to the facility page with online rental. Copy leans on what REIT brands and aggregator listings can’t easily show: local staff, real access hours and the drive-up units a renter can see in photos.
Jewelry stores
Jewelry stores usually need Shopping and Search together. The Merchant Center feed carries the attributes buyers filter by: metal, karat, carat weight, cut, stone and certification, with lab-grown pieces labelled as lab-grown in line with FTC guidance. Search campaigns cover engagement rings, custom design and repairs, with local intent sent to the store page. Long buying cycles mean I track calls and appointment requests, not just online orders.
Law firms
Legal clicks are expensive, so structure and negatives matter most. I build campaigns by practice area and jurisdiction, send each to the matching practice page, and keep ad copy inside your state bar’s advertising rules: no promised outcomes and no "specialist" claims where your state restricts them. Local Services Ads, where available for your practice area, add Google’s screening badge. Ad schedules follow your intake hours, so after-hours clicks reach a form or answering service, not an unanswered line.
Who this is for, and who it isn’t
A good fit if you…
- Local service businesses where a phone call is the conversion
- Online stores with a clean product feed and known margins
- Businesses investing in SEO that need revenue while it builds
- Owners who will share CRM or sales data so campaigns optimise on real customers
- Advertisers in regulated categories who need a careful, compliant setup
Not the right fit if you…
- Businesses selling products Google’s ad policies prohibit
- Anyone looking for set-and-forget campaigns
- Teams that judge ads on clicks rather than leads or sales
- Sites with no landing pages or tracking, and no plan to fix them
Ways we can work together
Account rebuild
Best for: Accounts with wasted spend or broken tracking
- Full account and tracking audit
- Tracking rebuild
- New structure from the query map
- Four weeks of post-launch management
Monthly management
Best for: Ongoing campaigns running alongside SEO
- Search-term mining and negatives
- Ad and landing page tests
- Monthly report with SEO recommendations
- Direct WhatsApp access
Setup for your team
Best for: In-house marketers who will run the account
- Campaign build
- Conversion tracking setup
- Recorded walkthrough of the account
- Two review calls after launch
Tools I use
- Google Ads
- Google Ads Editor
- Google Analytics 4
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Merchant Center
- Google Search Console
- Looker Studio
- Keyword Planner
Google Ads questions
Will running Google Ads improve my organic rankings?
No. Google keeps its ad and organic systems separate, and paying for ads doesn’t change how your pages rank. The benefit is indirect: ads produce real search-term and conversion data quickly, which tells your SEO which pages to build or improve first. Ads also put your name in front of people who may search for you directly later.
Should I bid on my own brand name?
Usually, but test it. If competitors bid on your name, a brand campaign keeps you at the top of the page, and brand clicks tend to be cheap. If nobody else bids and your organic listing already dominates, brand ads may mostly pay for visits you’d get anyway. I check the auction insights report and run a short pause test before deciding.
Can you take over my existing Google Ads account?
Yes, and I prefer to keep it rather than start a new one. An existing account holds conversion history, performance data and audience lists that bidding relies on. I audit it first, keep what works, pause what wastes money and fix tracking before changing the structure. Starting fresh only makes sense if the old account is suspended or too tangled for its history to help.
Who owns the Google Ads account and the data?
You do. The account, billing, conversion history and audience lists stay in your name, and I work through manager access that you can remove at any time. If we stop working together, nothing has to be rebuilt or transferred. I also document the structure and tracking so whoever runs the account next understands why it was built that way.
What happens when Google disapproves an ad?
The ad stops showing until it is fixed. I read the reason in Policy Manager, edit the ad, keyword or landing page that triggered it, and request a review. If I believe the decision is a mistake, I appeal with a short, factual explanation. Repeated disapprovals in a sensitive category are a warning sign, so I treat them as a reason to review the whole account, not just one ad.
Do you apply Google’s automatic recommendations?
I review every recommendation and switch off most auto-applied ones. Some are useful, such as fixing a broken conversion tag or adding missing assets. Others, like broadening match types, raising budgets or adding loosely related keywords, increase reach without always increasing profit. Every change in an account I manage has a reason I can explain to you.
Do Local Services Ads charge per click?
No. Local Services Ads charge per lead, such as a call or message through the ad, rather than per click. Google has a process for crediting some invalid leads, like wrong numbers or jobs you don’t offer, though the rules have changed over time. I review leads regularly so bad ones are flagged and your service areas and job types stay accurate.
Can Google Ads work on a small budget?
Yes, if the budget is concentrated. A small account should cover only the highest-intent searches, in the areas you serve best, at the hours someone can answer the phone. Spreading a small budget across every service and city starves each campaign of the data it needs to learn. I would rather run one campaign well than five badly.
Let’s make Google see you as the expert.
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