Search ads management in brief
You decide which searches are worth paying for. Someone writes ads for those searches, sets a budget, and connects the account to your quote form so each form fill is counted. Then, every week, that person reads what people actually searched, blocks the poor matches and adjusts.
That is most of it. The work runs in Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising or both, inside accounts that belong to you, and the ad spend is billed to your own payment method.
Negative keywords and the search terms report
The search terms report shows the actual queries that triggered your ads. Reading it is the single most useful routine task in a search account, and it is where wasted clicks become visible.
Each pass sorts terms into three piles. Good terms you are already covering. Good terms worth adding as their own keywords. Poor matches that should become negatives: jobs, salary, training, templates, competitor names you have decided not to bid on, services you do not offer.
Negatives can sit at campaign level, at ad group level, or in shared lists applied across campaigns. A careful manager also checks that a new negative does not block searches you want, because a single broad negative can switch off a whole service line without anyone noticing.
Access, billing and who holds the keys
Ad platforms offer several ways to share access, and the choice affects what happens if you change providers.
- Manager account link. The provider links its Google Ads manager account to yours. You keep ownership and can unlink it from your side.
- User invite. You add the provider's email as a user at a chosen access level, such as standard. You can remove it at any time.
- Billing. Keep the payment method in your name. Ad spend then goes from you to Google or Microsoft, with the management fee invoiced separately.
Store your own logins in a password manager, and keep at least two people in your company with admin access so one departure does not lock you out.
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.
Does sending the form commit me to anything?
No. Your request is passed to a service partner who does the work. They will ask about your accounts, services and budget, then agree scope and quote you directly. Nothing is agreed until you accept their terms. See how it works for the steps.
A few details about your business is enough to begin. A service partner replies to you directly.
Get startedOther services
LinkedIn for B2B
Targeting by job title, industry and company size, with lead gen forms that flow into your CRM instead of a spreadsheet.
Lead capture forms
Forms with the right fields, consent wording you supply, thank-you pages and connections to your inbox or CRM.
Follow-up setup
Alerts, tasks and simple follow-up sequences in your CRM, so new inquiries are answered by the right person.