LiftCentro Practice Area

Paid Search

Every dollar you spend on paid media should work hard. We build and manage Google Ads programs that drive real business outcomes — not just clicks and impressions.

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"Paid search done right can be a powerful business driver. The platforms are more powerful than ever, but that power cuts both ways. Without the right structure and strategy, you can burn through a budget fast. We make sure that doesn't happen."
Jake — Founder, LiftCentro
“Our design styles vary significantly because of the strong efforts we make to apply a visual experience to each unique brand we design for. Understanding the feelings our customers want to trigger in their audiences is a key input into our design process."
Mynor — Digital Design Practice Lead, LiftCentro

What is Paid Search?

Paid Search, also common referred to as "pay per click" (PPC) advertising and most commonly run through Google Ads, is a form of digital marketing where businesses pay to appear in front of either people who are actively searching for their products or services or who match a defined audience profile.

It spans text ads in search results, product listings in shopping feeds, video ads on YouTube, and display placements across the web. You set a budget, define your audience and goals, and pay when someone takes an action.

Why Paid Search is important?

Paid search puts your business in front of high intent buyers at exactly the moment they are looking and can materialize into business value more immediately than organic search efforts.

The challenge is that Google's platforms have grown significantly in complexity. Smart bidding, AI-driven campaign types, audience layering, and an ever expanding suite of ad formats mean there is more power available than ever — and more ways to waste money if you do not know what you are doing. Getting it right requires expertise, disciplined structure, and ongoing optimization.

How do we approach Paid Search?

We start with your business goals and work backward. We first zero in on what a conversion actually means for you. Once we understand what we are optimizing for, we build account structure, keyword strategy, and bidding logic that is designed to hit those targets efficiently. We do not set campaigns and forget them. We run ongoing testing, track performance against your actual business metrics, and communicate clearly about what is working and what we are adjusting and why.

Google Ads has changed. We keep up so you don't have to.

The Google Ads platform of five years ago barely resembles what it is today. Broad match keywords behave differently. Smart bidding has largely replaced manual CPC for most campaigns. Performance Max has introduced a new campaign type that runs across all of Google's inventory simultaneously. First party data and audience signals have become central to how the algorithm finds the right people. And AI-generated assets and creative testing are now part of the core product.

These changes represent both opportunity and risk of monetary waste. Our Paid search team stays apprised on the rapidly-evolving features so that we can help our customers cash in, while avoiding pitfalls.

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Business outcomes is always our focus

A lot of PPC agencies are optimizing for the wrong things. Impressions, click through rates, and cost per click are inputs — not outcomes. What actually matters is whether your paid media is generating revenue, leads, or whatever conversion goal drives your business forward. We build our reporting and optimization around your business metrics, not platform metrics. That means conversion tracking that is properly configured and verified, attribution that accounts for the full customer journey, and regular reporting that tells you what your media investment is actually producing.

Our Sweet Spots

From search intent to video reach to smart automation — we've got you covered.

01
Google Search & Shopping

Keyword strategy built around intent, not just volume — including navigational, informational, and transactional query types

Account structure using campaign and ad group organization that gives the algorithm the right signals while keeping budget control tight

Responsive search ads with asset testing across headlines, descriptions, and calls to action

Smart bidding strategies including Target CPA, Target ROAS, and Maximize Conversions configured and tuned to your actual goals

Shopping campaigns for product based businesses, including feed optimization, product group structure, and merchant center management

Negative keyword management and search term monitoring to eliminate wasteful spend

02
YouTube & Video Advertising

Video campaign strategy across YouTube's full suite of ad formats: skippable in stream, non skippable, bumper ads, and in feed video

Audience targeting using Google's intent signals, affinity categories, custom segments built from search behavior, and your own first party data

Connected TV placements that extend reach to living room screens and streaming environments

Creative guidance on video ad structure — including the first five seconds that determine whether a viewer stays or skips

Brand awareness and consideration campaigns measured with Brand Lift studies for audiences where direct conversion is not the primary goal

Remarketing to video viewers and channel subscribers as part of a broader funnel strategy

03
Performance Max & Audience Strategy

Performance Max campaigns built with properly structured asset groups, audience signals, and conversion goals so the algorithm learns efficiently from the starts

First party data activation using customer match lists to reach existing customers and build lookalike audiences across all of Google's inventory

Audience layering across Search and Display to adjust bids based on who is searching, not just what they are searching for

Full funnel budget planning that balances upper funnel awareness, mid funnel consideration, and lower funnel conversion investment appropriately

Conversion tracking implementation and verification — including Google Tag Manager setup, GA4 integration, and enhanced conversions for more accurate data

Regular experimentation using Google Ads campaign experiments to test bidding strategies, landing pages, and creative approaches with statistical rigor

// FAQ

Paid Search

How much should I be spending on Google Ads?

There is no universal answer — the right budget depends on your industry, your competition, your goals, and what a customer is worth to you. That said, there is a floor below which the algorithm does not have enough data to optimize effectively. In most competitive categories, we recommend a minimum monthly budget that gives campaigns enough volume to learn. We will give you a realistic range based on your specific situation during our strategy session, along with an honest assessment of what you can expect in return.

Do you handle the creative side, or do we need to provide ad copy and video?

For text based ads we handle copywriting as part of our service. For video campaigns we can work with footage you already have, brief a video production partner, or in some cases help you understand what kind of video performs best so you can produce it cost effectively. You do not need a professionally produced video to run on YouTube — in many categories, direct and authentic creative outperforms polished brand content. We will advise you on what makes sense for your budget and goals.

How is Performance Max different from traditional Google Ads campaigns?

Performance Max, or PMax, is a campaign type that runs across all of Google's channels simultaneously — Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover — using Google's AI to find conversions wherever they are most likely to happen. It requires less hands on keyword management but much more careful setup. The quality of your audience signals, asset groups, and conversion data going in determines how well the algorithm performs. A poorly structured PMax campaign can waste significant budget. Done right, it can be highly efficient, especially for businesses with clear conversion goals and enough historical data for the algorithm to learn from.

How long before we see results?

Search campaigns can generate traffic and conversions within days of launch. However, the first four to eight weeks of any new campaign are a learning period — the algorithm is gathering data, we are refining based on what we see, and performance tends to improve meaningfully after that window. Video and awareness campaigns operate on a longer timeline and are measured differently. We set realistic expectations upfront and give you clear milestones so you know what to look for and when.

How do you report on performance?

We provide regular reporting — typically monthly with commentary and, through our Analytics & Optimization practice, we can create custom dashboards for regular reporting updates, upon request.

Let's see if we're a fit

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