Structure controls relevance. Messy accounts waste budget on wrong queries and unlearnable reports.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe the Google Ads account hierarchy.
- Explain keyword match types and the role of negative keywords.
- Set location, schedule, and budget settings sensibly.
- Calculate a daily budget from target leads and expected cost per lead.
Account Hierarchy
- Account — billing, access, shared libraries
- Campaign — goal, budget, locations, language, network settings
- Ad group — tight theme of keywords + matching ads
- Keywords / assets — queries and extensions
- Ads — RSA headlines/descriptions pointing to one clear landing page
Rule of thumb: One ad group ≈ one intent cluster (e.g. “dental implant cost” separate from “teeth whitening”).
Keyword Match Types
- Exact: tight control
- Phrase: mid
- Broad: discovery — needs strong negatives and Smart Bidding data
| Match type | Written as | Keyword example | Can match searches like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact | [divorce lawyer] | divorce lawyer | divorce lawyer, divorce lawyers, lawyer for divorce |
| Phrase | “divorce lawyer” | divorce lawyer | best divorce lawyer biratnagar, divorce lawyer fees |
| Broad | divorce lawyer | divorce lawyer | family court help, how to file for separation |
Negative keywords
Negative keywords stop ads from showing for irrelevant searches. A law firm might add jobs, salary, vacancy, free, PDF, syllabus. Reviewing the search terms report every week and adding negatives is one of the cheapest ways to improve results.
Targeting and Budgets
- Locations: country/city/radius; exclude irrelevant regions
- Schedules: align with call-center/WhatsApp staffing
- Daily budget: cap burn; watch “limited by budget”
- Bids: manual or automated (tCPA/tROAS) once you have conversion volume
Worked Example: Setting a Daily Budget
A dental clinic wants 60 enquiries a month from Google Search. Industry experience and a short test suggest:
- Average CPC: Rs. 25
- Conversion rate (click to enquiry): 5%
- Cost per enquiry = CPC ÷ conversion rate = 25 ÷ 0.05 = Rs. 500
- Monthly budget = 60 × 500 = Rs. 30,000
- Daily budget ≈ 30,000 ÷ 30.4 = about Rs. 1,000
- Clicks needed = 60 ÷ 0.05 = 1,200 clicks a month (about 40 a day)
If real CPC turns out to be Rs. 35, the same budget buys fewer clicks and fewer enquiries, so the clinic must either raise the budget, improve the landing page conversion rate, or accept fewer leads.
Case study: Account build for a Biratnagar law firm
| Campaign | Ad groups | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Search – Family law | Divorce consult, Child custody | Geo = Province 1 cities |
| Search – Corporate | Company registration, Trademark | Higher bids; B2B hours |
| Brand | Firm name variants | Protect brand SERP |
Negatives shared: jobs, salary, PDF, “what is” pure research if not offering guides.
Budgeting: NPR 2,000/day split 60% non-brand / 30% brand / 10% experiments. Counselors staffed 10:00–18:00 so ads pause overnight.
Lesson: Structure is a teaching and optimization tool — you can see which intents convert, not one blended “law firm” campaign.
Summary
A well-structured Google Ads account follows the hierarchy of account, campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and ads, with each ad group focused on one intent. Match types balance control and reach, and negative keywords block wasted clicks. Location, schedule, budget, and bidding settings should match how the business actually operates. Budgets can be planned backwards from target leads, expected CPC, and conversion rate.
Key Takeaways
- One ad group should match one intent cluster and one landing page.
- Exact gives control, phrase balances, broad discovers; use negatives with all.
- Run ads only when staff can answer calls and messages.
- Daily budget = target leads × (CPC ÷ conversion rate) ÷ 30.4.
Discussion Questions
- Why is one large “law firm” campaign harder to optimize than several focused ones?
- What negative keywords would you add for a college running admission ads?
- How should a business decide when to switch from manual bidding to automated bidding?
Exam-Style Questions
Short answer
- Describe the hierarchy of a Google Ads account.
- Distinguish between exact, phrase, and broad match.
- What are negative keywords? Give examples.
- What is an ad schedule?
Long answer
- Explain how to structure a Google Ads account for a service business, including campaigns, ad groups, match types, and targeting.
- A business wants 100 leads a month. Average CPC is Rs. 20 and the conversion rate is 4%. Calculate the cost per lead, monthly budget, daily budget, and clicks required.
