Paid ads

Paid Ads

Google Ads Structure

Campaign Hierarchy

Account
└── Campaign (budget, targeting, bidding)
    └── Ad Group (keyword theme)
        └── Ads (headlines, descriptions)
            └── Keywords

Campaign Type Matrix

Type	Best For	Bidding
Search	High-intent, bottom-funnel	tCPA or Maximize Conversions
Performance Max	Full-funnel automation	tCPA or tROAS
Display	Retargeting, awareness	tCPA or Maximize Clicks
YouTube	Brand, demo, awareness	CPV or tCPA
Demand Gen	Discovery, MOFU	tCPA

Search Campaign Structure (Best Practice)

Campaign: [Product] — Brand
  Ad Group: Brand Exact
    Keywords: [brand], [brand product]

Campaign: [Product] — Non-Brand
  Ad Group: [Core Use Case]
    Keywords: [use case keywords]
  Ad Group: [Competitor]
    Keywords: [competitor name] alternative

Campaign: [Product] — RLSA (Remarketing)
  Ad Group: Past Visitors
  Ad Group: Trial Abandoned

Keyword Match Types

Match Type	Syntax	Coverage	Use Case
Exact	[keyword]	Most narrow	High-intent, proven converts
Phrase	"keyword"	Medium	Test new intent variations
Broad (modified)	+keyword	Wide	Discovery, only with Smart Bidding

Ad Copy Structure

Responsive Search Ad:
  15 headlines (30 chars each) — Google rotates best
  4 descriptions (90 chars each)

Headline categories to include:
  - Value proposition (benefit)
  - Social proof (X customers, rated 4.9)
  - CTA (Try free, Get started)
  - Feature (key capability)
  - Urgency (limited offer, ends Friday)

Google Ads Quality Score Components

Factor	Weight
Expected click-through rate	High
Ad relevance	Medium
Landing page experience	High

Poor QS → higher CPCs. Improve by: tighter keyword-to-ad-to-landing-page alignment.

Meta Ads Strategy

Campaign Objective Selection

Objective	When to Use	Optimizes For
Awareness	New brand, new market	Reach, Impressions
Traffic	TOFU content	Link clicks, Landing page views
Engagement	Community, social proof	Post interactions
Leads	MOFU lead gen	Lead form submissions
Sales	BOFU, retargeting	Purchases, Conversions

Campaign Structure (3-Level)

Campaign (objective + budget)
└── Ad Set (audience + placement + bid)
    └── Ad (creative: image/video + copy + CTA)

Audience Targeting Framework

Tier	Type	Targeting
Cold	Interest-based	Industry interests, job title, behavior
Cold	Lookalike	LAL from customer list (1–5%)
Warm	Website retargeting	Visitors by URL, time on site
Hot	Conversion retargeting	Abandoned trial, viewed pricing
Existing	Customer exclusion	Suppress existing customers

Creative Testing Structure

Creative Test Campaign:
  Ad Set 1: Cold Audience
    Ad 1A: Image creative
    Ad 1B: Video creative
    Ad 1C: Carousel creative

Run for 7 days or until 500 impressions per ad.
Winner → scale budget. Loser → kill or iterate.

Meta Creative Best Practices

• Video: Hook in first 3 seconds, caption all videos, 9:16 for Stories/Reels
• Static: Clear focal point, minimal text overlay (< 20% of image)
• Copy: Lead with problem or outcome, not company name
• CTA button: "Learn More" for cold, "Sign Up" or "Get Quote" for warm

Targeting Frameworks

ICP-to-Targeting Mapping

Define your ICP, then find them in each platform:

ICP Attribute	Google Ads	Meta Ads	LinkedIn Ads
Job title	Not available	Job title interests	Job title exact
Company size	Not available	Business owner signals	Company size
Industry	Not available	Industry interests	Industry exact
Tech used	Not available	Not available	Skills
Intent	Keyword search intent	Not available	Not available

LinkedIn Ads (B2B)

Best for: Enterprise, job-title targeting, thought leadership Expensive: CPL 3–5× higher than Meta — use for high-value ICPs only

Campaign types:
  Sponsored Content   — Feed posts (best for engagement)
  Message Ads        — InMail (high open rate, use sparingly)
  Lead Gen Forms     — Native form (reduces friction)
  Dynamic Ads        — Personalized follower/job ads

Bidding Strategies

Strategy	When to Use	Requires
Manual CPC	New campaigns, low conversion data	Constant monitoring
Enhanced CPC	Some conversion data, want control	15+ conversions/month
Maximize Conversions	Scale spending, hit budget	Defined conversion actions
Target CPA	Specific cost per conversion	30+ conversions/month
Target ROAS	Revenue-focused	50+ conversions/month

Bidding Ramp-Up

Week 1–2: Manual CPC or Maximize Clicks → gather data
Week 3–4: Maximize Conversions → let algorithm learn
Week 5+:  Target CPA → optimize to specific cost target

Creative Testing System

Creative Testing Cadence

Week 1: Launch 3 creative variants
Week 2: Pause bottom performer
Week 3: Launch 1 new variant to replace
Week 4: Scale winning creative; repeat

Creative Performance Metrics

Metric	Benchmark	Good	Excellent
CTR (search)	2–4%	4–6%	6%+
CTR (display)	0.1–0.3%	0.3–0.5%	0.5%+
CTR (Meta)	0.5–1%	1–2%	2%+
CPC (search)	Varies	Industry avg	Below avg
Hook rate (video)	20%	30%	40%+
Hold rate (video)	30%	45%	60%+

ROAS Optimization

ROAS Calculation

ROAS = Revenue generated / Ad spend
Target ROAS = Gross margin percentage × 100 / Target marketing % of revenue

Example:
  Gross margin: 70%
  Target marketing spend: 20% of revenue
  Target ROAS = 70% / 20% = 3.5 (return $3.50 per $1 spent)

Improving ROAS

1. Raise conversion rates (landing page optimization)
2. Increase AOV (upsells, bundles at checkout)
3. Reduce CPCs (improve quality score, tighten targeting)
4. Pause low-ROAS campaigns and reallocate budget
5. Use audience exclusions (exclude converters, low-value segments)

Campaign Taxonomy (Naming Convention)

Format: [PLATFORM]_[OBJECTIVE]_[AUDIENCE]_[PRODUCT]_[DATE]

Examples:
  GGL_SRCH_NONBRAND_CORE_2026Q1
  META_CONV_COLD_LAL1PCT_PRO_2026Q1
  LI_LEAD_ENTERPRISE_CISO_2026Q1

Monthly Paid Ads Review

Metrics to review:

• Spend vs budget (are we on pace?)
• CPC / CPM trends (is it getting more/less expensive?)
• CTR by campaign (are ads resonating?)
• Conversion rate by campaign (is landing page working?)
• CAC by channel (what's the true cost to acquire?)
• ROAS / CPQL (are we making money?)
• Keyword search terms (new opportunities or wasted spend?)
• Audience performance (any segment outperforming?)