Why a search account needs regular attention
Search campaigns drift if nobody watches them. New search terms appear every week. A competitor rewrites its ads. Google adds a setting and switches it on by default, or a landing page form breaks and conversions quietly stop recording.
Management is the habit of checking these things on a schedule instead of finding out from a billing statement. In practice someone works in your Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising account, reads the search terms report, adds negative keywords, adjusts bids or bid strategy targets, replaces weak ads and confirms conversions are still coming through. They keep a short log of what changed and why, so you can follow along and pick it up yourself if you ever take the account back in house.
Setup first, then upkeep
Search work falls into two phases, and quotes often price them differently.
Setup happens once. It covers account structure, campaigns grouped by service, keyword lists with match types chosen deliberately, a starting negative list, ads and assets, location and network settings, and conversion actions wired to your form and tested end to end. If an account already exists, setup starts with an audit and often a partial rebuild.
Upkeep is the recurring part. Someone reads search terms, adds negatives, adjusts bids or targets, refreshes ads, watches budgets against the calendar and checks that tracking still works after any site change. It also includes a regular summary for you.
Ask which phase a quote covers. Some providers include setup in the first month; others bill it separately.
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
Which match types should a new account use?
Small and new accounts often start with phrase and exact match, which keep ads close to the searches you chose. Broad match lets Google find related searches and relies heavily on conversion data, so it is usually tested once tracking is reliable and negative lists are built up.
Who decides the ad budget?
You do. A provider can explain how daily campaign budgets work, how search volume and click prices affect spend, and how to split money between services. Ad spend is billed by Google or Microsoft to you, and you can lower or pause it in the account.
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.
If your ads, pages or follow-up need attention, describe the problem and get a scoped quote.
Describe the workOther services
Facebook and Instagram
Meta Ads Manager campaigns with clear audiences and a creative plan, set up under your Business Manager.
Forms that connect
Form submissions routed to the right inbox or CRM pipeline, tagged by source, with a clear thank-you page.
Tracking audits
A check of what your tags count today, what they miss and what they count twice, with a written list of fixes.