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    Michelle, 1Rebel UK

    "Really recommend Clean Digital, they've been a fantastic agency to work with and we've always been really impressed with the team and the results they produce."

    Search campaign management

    Search is where intent is highest, so control matters most. We run query-level management across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads: match-type strategy, maintained negatives, and brand and non-brand separated with their own targets, as the core of our paid search management services and Google Ads management.

    Get a free account reviewThe wider paid search programme
    Google Premier Partner 2026 badge£160M+ in ad spend managed across search

    One broad match keyword

    corner sofamatches hundreds of queries
    Demand worth fundingSpend that never converts

    Funded

    • corner sofa with chaise longue
    • grey fabric corner sofa
    • corner sofa next day delivery

    Negatived at account level

    • how to clean a velvet sofa
    • corner sofa assembly instructions
    • second hand corner sofa gumtree

    Search term review splits every keyword this way. Budget spent on queries that never convert is negatived out and redirected to the searches that do.

    Broad match plus Smart Bidding can be a strong combination or an expensive one, and the difference is control. Left unmanaged, search budget drifts onto loosely related queries, brand and non-brand blur into one flattering number, and the negative-keyword list ages while waste accumulates. We keep search accountable at the query level: what each pound matches against, which terms convert, and which to cut.

    What we manage

    • Match-type strategy suited to automated bidding
    • Account and campaign negative-keyword lists
    • Brand and non-brand split with own targets
    • Search-terms review and n-gram waste analysis
    • Structure that feeds Smart Bidding cleanly
    • Bid targets, value signals and new-customer bidding
    • Auction insights and impression-share calls
    • Same discipline across Google and Microsoft

    The four levers we keep on

    01

    Negatives that hold

    One canonical account-level list does the heavy lifting, not scattered, half-maintained exclusions, so loosely related queries stop draining budget.

    02

    Brand vs non-brand

    Separated into their own campaigns and targets, so non-brand growth is funded deliberately and automation cannot take cheap credit for brand.

    03

    Match types by job

    Broad where automated bidding has good signals and tight negatives; phrase and exact where control or efficiency demands it.

    04

    Structure for learning

    Enough separation to steer budget and read performance, without fragmenting the account into pieces too small for the algorithm to learn from.

    The same campaign type either compounds or leaks

    Modern search leans on broad match and automated bidding, which only works when you fence it in. The difference between the two columns is account control, not budget.

    Left to run

    • Budget drifts onto loosely related queries
    • Brand and non-brand blended into one number
    • Negative list ages while waste accumulates
    • Bidding optimises on whatever it is given

    Controlled at query level

    • Search terms reviewed on a cadence
    • Negatives maintained at account and campaign level
    • Brand and non-brand separated with their own targets
    • Match types chosen by job, not dogma

    Smart Bidding, run responsibly

    Automated bidding does exactly what the data tells it is good. We make sure that data, and the goals on top of it, are right before it spends.

    01

    Set realistic targets

    Target CPA or ROAS, or maximise conversion value, against goals the account can actually hit.

    02

    Feed real values

    Value-based bidding so it optimises for profit, not the volume of cheap conversions.

    03

    Use new-customer signals

    Weight bids toward new buyers where acquiring them matters more than repeat demand.

    04

    Run it on clean data

    Deduplicated conversions and offline imports, so it never learns from junk.

    The same query-level discipline applies on both engines, but they are not run as copies of each other. Microsoft has a different audience, competitive set and its own levers, so we manage it deliberately on our Microsoft Ads management service, and none of it works without the clean inputs from conversion tracking.

    Results we actually manage

    From the same team

    28%YoY increase in lead quality· Arden University25%Of online purchases from a last-click paid touch point· Dobbies Garden Centres
    Get this level of review on your accountBrowse all case studies

    Common questions

    What teams ask about search campaigns before they hand over an account.

    Is broad match safe with Smart Bidding?
    It can be, with guardrails. Broad match plus automated bidding works when you maintain strong negative-keyword lists, review search terms regularly, and feed bidding accurate conversion data. Without those controls it spends on loosely related queries that do not convert.
    Why separate brand and non-brand campaigns?
    Because blending them hides the truth. Brand captures demand you already have, so a blended report looks healthy while non-brand growth stalls. Separating them, each with its own targets and bidding, lets you see and fund the non-brand demand that actually scales the business.
    Do single-keyword ad groups still matter?
    Less than they used to. With automated bidding, the priority is giving the algorithm clean, well-organised conversion data and the right negatives, not fragmenting the account into pieces too small to learn from. We structure for control and learning, not dogma.
    How often should search terms be reviewed?
    Regularly, and more often just after launch or after big match-type or bidding changes. New queries enter constantly, so the negative list and search-terms review are ongoing work, not a one-off clean-up.
    What makes Smart Bidding work or fail?
    The data and goals behind it. Accurate, deduplicated conversions with real values and realistic targets let it optimise toward profit; missing values, duplicate conversions or off-site sales it cannot see lead it to chase cheap, low-value actions.
    Do you manage search on Microsoft as well as Google?
    Yes, with the same discipline but tuned to each engine. Microsoft has a different audience, competition and feature set, so we manage it deliberately rather than copying Google campaigns across and leaving them.

    Find the wasted spend in your search account

    Get a free senior review of your Google and Microsoft search campaigns, where budget is matching the wrong queries, where brand is flattering the numbers, and what to cut and scale, from a Google Premier Partner managing £160M+ in ad spend.

    • Where budget produced no profitable return in the last 90 days
    • Whether your conversion tracking and values are reliable
    • How much of your performance is genuinely incremental vs demand you already had
    • Which campaigns are worth more budget and which to cut
    “A useful PPC review should make the next decision obvious: what to cut, what to protect, and what is worth more investment.”
    Fraser Smith, Chief Strategy Officer at Clean DigitalFraser Smith, Chief Strategy Officer, reviews every submission

    Free senior PPC review

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