--- title: "Search Campaign Management (Google & Microsoft Ads) | Clean Digital" description: "Query-level search campaign management across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads: match-type strategy, maintained negative lists, brand and non-brand separated with their own targets, and Smart Bidding fed with accurate data." canonical: "https://cleandigital.co.uk/search-campaign-management" image: "https://cleandigital.co.uk/og-image.png" content_signal: "ai-train=no, search=yes, ai-input=yes" --- # 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](https://cleandigital.co.uk/paid-search) and [Google Ads management](https://cleandigital.co.uk/google-ads-agency). Get a free account review [The wider paid search programme](https://cleandigital.co.uk/paid-search) £160M+ in ad spend managed across search One broad match keyword corner sofa matches hundreds of queries Demand worth funding Spend 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 0 1 ### Negatives that hold One canonical account-level list does the heavy lifting, not scattered, half-maintained exclusions, so loosely related queries stop draining budget. 0 2 ### 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. 0 3 ### Match types by job Broad where automated bidding has good signals and tight negatives; phrase and exact where control or efficiency demands it. 0 4 ### 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](https://cleandigital.co.uk/microsoft-ads-management), and none of it works without the clean inputs from [conversion tracking](https://cleandigital.co.uk/conversion-tracking). ## Results we actually manage [![Dobbies Garden Centres paid search case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/images/case-studies/dobbies/preview-dobbies-garden-centres-clean-digital.webp) 14:1 ROAS across all paid channels Dobbies Garden Centres Shopping and Search restructured around feed quality and seasonal demand for the “Spring It On” campaign. Read the case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/dobbies-garden-centres) [![Arden University paid search case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/images/case-studies/arden-university/preview-arden-university-clean-digital.webp) 127% YoY increase in PPC enrolments Arden University Value-based bidding tied to enrolments rather than enquiries, so spend followed the applicants who actually enrolled. Read the case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/arden-university) [![Rabbies paid search case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/images/case-studies/rabbies/preview-rabbies-clean-digital.webp) 236% YoY increase in booking revenue Rabbies Booking revenue scaled with only 17% more PPC spend by moving budget to the tours that sell. Read the case study](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/rabbies) From the same team [49% YoY increase in PPC Revenue (YTD 2025) · The Roof Box Company](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/the-roof-box-company) [28% YoY increase in lead quality · Arden University](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/arden-university) [25% Of online purchases from a last-click paid touch point · Dobbies Garden Centres](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies/dobbies-garden-centres) Get this level of review on your account [Browse all case studies](https://cleandigital.co.uk/case-studies) ## Go deeper - [Account-level negative keywords: one list to rule them all Our approach to negative-keyword hygiene.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/blog/account-level-negative-keywords-one-list-to-rule-them-all) - [PPC best practice: search terms Reading the search-terms report for waste and intent.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/blog/clean-digital-ppc-best-practice-series-search-terms) - [Brand campaigns: are they worth it? When brand search earns its budget.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/blog/clean-digital-ppc-best-practice-series-brand-campaigns-are-they-worth-it) - [Bidding towards new customer acquisition Weighting bids toward new buyers.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/blog/bidding-towards-new-customer-acquisition) ## Related services & tools - [Paid search management The wider PPC programme this sits within.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/paid-search) - [Google Ads management Full Google-side depth.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/google-ads-agency) - [Microsoft Ads management The same discipline on Microsoft.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/microsoft-ads-management) - [Conversion tracking & measurement The data Smart Bidding runs on.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/conversion-tracking) - [Budget planning & reporting Where the budget should go next.](https://cleandigital.co.uk/ppc-budget-planning-and-reporting) ## Common questions What teams ask about search campaigns before they hand over an account. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Service","name":"Search campaign management","serviceType":["Search campaign management","Google Ads search management","PPC search management"],"url":"https://cleandigital.co.uk/search-campaign-management","inLanguage":"en-GB","description":"Query-level search campaign management across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads: match-type strategy, maintained negative lists, brand and non-brand separated with their own targets, and Smart Bidding fed with accurate data.","areaServed":"GB","provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Clean Digital","url":"https://cleandigital.co.uk"}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://cleandigital.co.uk/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Paid search","item":"https://cleandigital.co.uk/paid-search"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Search campaigns","item":"https://cleandigital.co.uk/search-campaign-management"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Is broad match safe with Smart Bidding?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why separate brand and non-brand campaigns?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Do single-keyword ad groups still matter?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How often should search terms be reviewed?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What makes Smart Bidding work or fail?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Do you manage search on Microsoft as well as Google?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}}]} ```