Capture Buyers the
Moment They Search to Buy
Search Ads reach buyers who are actively typing what you sell into Google right now — the highest purchase-intent traffic available in paid advertising. Most Shopify stores run them on broad match with no negatives, burning 40–60% of budget on searches that never buy. We build Search campaigns correctly — tight match types, strong negatives, brand protection, and Quality Scores that lower your CPC every month.
Independent agency — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Shopify Inc. or Google LLC.
⚡ Right now, if your Search campaigns are running on broad match without extensive negative keywords, 40–60% of your search budget is reaching people who will never buy from you. Tight match types and 400+ negatives applied before launch is the difference between Search Ads that profit and Search Ads that drain.
Most Search Campaigns Burn Budget
on Searches That Never Convert
Broad match keywords with no negative list is the default setup on most Shopify Search campaigns — and it’s the most expensive setup possible. Your “running shoes” keyword triggers ads for “free running shoes,” “running shoes wholesale,” and “how to clean running shoes.” None of those people are buying today. Every click is wasted spend.
The fix isn’t a bigger budget. It’s match type discipline — phrase and exact match for commercial keywords, an extensive negative list built from real search term data, and Quality Score optimization that lowers your CPC every month as Google rewards relevant, high-converting ads with cheaper auction prices.
Done correctly, Search Ads serve three specific functions that Shopping and PMax can’t: protecting your brand terms from competitor conquest, capturing high-value non-branded commercial queries with precise intent, and targeting competitor brand names where conversion intent is extremely high. These three campaign types together cover every high-intent search moment in your niche.
The Numbers Behind Properly Structured
Shopify Search Campaigns
Real outcomes from Search campaigns built with tight match types, extensive negatives, and Quality Score optimization — not Google’s default broad match settings.
CPC Falls Monthly
Quality Score improvements reduce cost-per-click consistently as campaigns mature — the same budget generates more qualified clicks every month.
Negatives Before Launch
Negative keyword list built from search term data before campaigns go live — stopping budget waste from day one, not after weeks of irrelevant spend.
Higher Conversion Rate
Tight match types and relevant landing pages mean ad spend reaches buyers with genuine purchase intent — not browsers who clicked accidentally.
Brand Terms Protected
Branded campaign ensures competitors can’t steal your branded searches cheaply — your brand traffic stays yours, at lower CPC than competitor conquest attempts.
Match Types — Why Getting This Wrong
Burns Your Entire Search Budget
The match type you choose determines which searches trigger your ads. Choose wrong and you pay for clicks from people who will never buy. Choose correctly and every click is a qualified potential customer.
Broad Match
Google shows your ad for any search it considers “related” to your keyword — including synonyms, tangentially related terms, and queries with completely different intent. Most budget waste comes from here.
Triggers for: “how to clean leather” · “vegan handbags” · “leather handbag repair” · “handbag pattern sewing” · “leather conditioner”
Phrase Match
Your ad shows when searches contain your keyword phrase in the same order, with words before or after. Better than broad but still requires strong negative keyword management to prevent waste.
Triggers for: “buy leather handbags” · “leather handbags online” · “cheap leather handbags” · “leather handbags wholesale”
Exact Match
Your ad only shows for searches that exactly match your keyword or very close variants. Highest relevance, highest conversion rate, lowest wasted spend. The backbone of a profitable Search campaign.
Triggers for: “leather handbags” · “leather handbag” · “leather hand bags” — and nothing else
Our approach: Exact match for all commercial high-intent keywords as the core of every campaign. Phrase match used selectively for broader discovery with tight negative lists to prevent waste. Broad match avoided entirely or used only in tightly controlled experiments with strict ROAS monitoring. This is the match type strategy that consistently delivers profitable Search campaigns — not Google’s default recommendation, which is broad match, because broad match generates more clicks and more revenue for Google, not for you.
Every Part of Search Ads Management,
Done Correctly for Shopify
From keyword research to ad copy to Quality Score optimization — everything required to run Google Search Ads profitably for a Shopify store.
Keyword Research & Match Type Strategy
Every keyword mapped to the correct match type and campaign — no broad match defaults.
- Commercial keyword research — high-intent buying queries mapped per product category with search volume and competition data
- Exact match keyword list — primary keyword targets built as exact match for maximum relevance and conversion rate
- Phrase match expansion set — selective phrase match keywords for broader discovery with controlled intent parameters
- Keyword cannibalization check — Search keywords audited against Shopping to avoid paying twice for the same query
- Long-tail keyword identification — lower-competition, high-intent specific queries that convert at lower CPC than head terms
- Competitor keyword analysis — competitor brand names and product terms assessed for conquest campaign potential
- Keyword-to-landing-page mapping — every keyword group mapped to the most relevant Shopify collection or product page
Negative Keyword Management
400+ negatives built before launch. Weekly additions from search term data. Budget waste stopped systematically.
- Pre-launch negative build — 400+ negative keywords added before campaigns go live: wholesale, B2B, free, DIY, repair, recipe, and niche-specific irrelevant terms
- Weekly search term review — every query triggering your Search ads reviewed and irrelevant terms added to negatives every week
- Negative keyword lists — shared negative lists applied across campaigns for efficient coverage without duplication
- Broad match negative protection — even when phrase match is used, broad match negative additions prevent the worst irrelevant query expansions
- Competitor query filtering — competitor brand terms that convert poorly excluded; strong performers monitored separately
- Price-sensitive query management — “cheap,” “free,” “discount” queries assessed per niche and excluded where CVR is consistently low
- Monthly search term report — top converting and top wasting queries documented with action taken on each
Ad Copy & Quality Score Optimization
High Quality Scores lower your CPC. Relevant ad copy is the single biggest driver of Quality Score.
- Responsive Search Ad creation — 15 headlines and 4 descriptions written per ad group using keyword insertion and commercial intent language
- Keyword-in-headline strategy — target keyword included in at least one headline to maximize ad relevance score
- USP-led copy — unique selling propositions (free shipping, returns policy, trust signals) included in descriptions per ad group
- Ad extension setup — sitelinks, callout extensions, structured snippets, price extensions, and promotion extensions configured
- Landing page relevance review — Shopify collection and product pages reviewed for keyword alignment to improve post-click Quality Score
- Ad copy testing — underperforming headline combinations identified monthly and replaced with higher-CTR alternatives
- Quality Score monitoring — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience tracked monthly per keyword
Brand Campaign & Competitor Targeting
Your brand terms protected. Competitor buyers captured. Both with correct bid structures.
- Branded campaign setup — separate campaign for all brand name variations at lower CPC bids to capture high-intent brand traffic cheaply
- Brand term variants — common misspellings, product-plus-brand combinations, and branded keyword variants all included
- Brand impression share monitoring — branded query impression share tracked to ensure competitors aren’t stealing significant brand volume
- Competitor conquest campaign — ads targeting competitor brand names for buyers actively researching alternatives to your competitors
- Conquest bid strategy — competitor terms bid conservatively to be profitable; scaled based on conversion rate data
- Branded vs non-branded reporting — performance split clearly so you see the contribution of each campaign type independently
- Brand ROAS benchmark — branded campaign ROAS tracked separately to show true non-brand acquisition cost accurately
Three Search Campaign Types Every
Shopify Store Should Run
Each serves a different purchase-intent moment — together they capture every high-value search query in your niche.
Non-Brand Commercial
Targets high-intent buyers searching for what you sell without using your brand name — “leather handbags,” “organic skincare,” “men’s running shoes.” The core revenue driver for most stores. Built on exact and phrase match with extensive negatives.
Core Revenue DriverBrand Protection
Captures buyers searching directly for your brand name and product combinations. Without a branded campaign, competitors can appear above your own organic listing for your brand searches at inflated CPCs. Your brand traffic secured at $0.10–$0.50/click.
Essential ProtectionCompetitor Conquest
Targets buyers searching for your direct competitors by name — people who know they want something similar to what your competitors sell and are actively comparing options. High commercial intent. Managed conservatively and scaled based on actual conversion data.
High Purchase IntentA Quality Score of 8–10 Gives You
Lower CPC Than Competitors Bidding More
Quality Score Is How Google Rewards Relevance — and Penalizes Lazy Campaigns
Google doesn’t just sell the top ad position to the highest bidder. It uses Ad Rank — a combination of your bid and your Quality Score — to determine who shows and at what cost. A store with Quality Score 9 pays significantly less per click than a competitor with Quality Score 5, even if that competitor bids more.
Quality Score is calculated from three components: Expected CTR (will people click your ad?), Ad Relevance (does your ad match the search query?), and Landing Page Experience (does your page deliver what the ad promised?). We optimize all three.
How We Improve Quality Score
Three specific improvements that move Quality Score from average to above average — and lower CPC over time.
Keyword in headline: Target keyword included in at least one headline per ad group. Google’s #1 signal for Ad Relevance score — directly raises QS within weeks of fixing.
Tighter ad groups: Fewer keywords per ad group means ads are more relevant to each specific query. Moving from 30 keywords per group to 5–8 consistently lifts Ad Relevance score.
Landing page alignment: Ad copy language matched to the destination Shopify collection page — same keywords, same product category, same intent. Lifts Landing Page Experience score.
CTR improvement: Better headlines, stronger USPs, relevant extensions — higher click-through rate signals to Google that your ad is what searchers want, improving Expected CTR over time.
Negative keyword expansion: Fewer irrelevant clicks means higher percentage of clicks converting — which improves Google’s estimate of Expected CTR for your keywords.
If You’re Not Running a Branded Search Campaign,
Your Competitors Are Stealing Your Buyers
Your Brand Name Is Being Searched Right Now. Who Shows Up First?
When someone searches for your brand name, they already know you. They’re a warm buyer — researching, comparing, or ready to purchase. Without a branded campaign, Google may show a competitor’s ad above your organic listing.
A branded Search campaign costs $0.10–$0.60 per click — because your Quality Score for your own brand name is nearly perfect. A competitor paying to conquest your brand pays 3–5x more per click and still shows below you. The math makes branded campaigns the highest-ROAS Search campaign type in almost every account.
We build branded campaigns from day one — all brand term variants, correct bid structure, and tracking to separate branded ROAS from non-branded for accurate acquisition cost reporting.
$0.10–$0.60
Typical CPC for branded Search keywords — the cheapest clicks in any Google Ads account because your Quality Score for your own brand is near-perfect
3–5x
More expensive for competitors to conquest your brand terms than it costs you to own them — the structural advantage of branded campaigns
#1
Position your brand campaign should hold for all branded queries — ensuring warm buyers land on your site, not a competitor’s
From Account Review to Profitable
Search Campaigns in 3 Weeks
Keyword research and negative building first, then ad copy and structure, then ongoing weekly optimization that lowers CPC every month.
Free Account Review
We audit your existing Search campaigns — match types in use, negative keyword coverage, Quality Scores per keyword, branded campaign status, and estimated wasted spend. You see exactly what’s wrong and what it’s costing before committing to anything.
Keyword Research & Negative Build (Week 1)
Full commercial keyword research completed. Exact match and phrase match keyword lists built per campaign type. 400+ negative keywords added before any campaigns go live. Keyword-to-landing-page mapping completed. Branded keyword list built for brand protection campaign.
Campaign Build & Ad Copy (Week 2)
Non-brand commercial, brand protection, and competitor conquest campaigns built. Responsive Search Ads written per ad group with keyword-in-headline strategy. All ad extensions configured. Bidding strategy set — Manual CPC or Target CPA based on historical conversion data. Campaigns live by end of week 2.
Quality Score Improvement (Week 3–6)
Landing page relevance improvements flagged and implemented. Ad copy refined based on first CTR data. Search term review adds week-one negatives immediately. Quality Score components monitored — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience tracked and actioned.
Weekly Optimization & Monthly Reporting
Weekly: search term reviews, negative additions, bid adjustments, Quality Score checks, CTR analysis. Monthly: full report covering CPC trends, conversion rate per campaign, Quality Score movement, branded vs non-branded split, and recommended next month actions. CPC falls consistently as Quality Score builds over time.
Results From Correctly Built
Google Search Campaigns
Honest expectations — what stores consistently see after switching from broad match defaults to properly structured Search campaigns.
CPC Falls Month-on-Month
Quality Score improvements reduce cost-per-click consistently as campaigns mature — the same budget generates more qualified clicks every month without increasing spend.
Conversion Rate Improves
Tight match types mean clicks come from people with genuine purchase intent — conversion rates consistently outperform broad match campaigns by 2–4x.
Budget Waste Stopped Before Launch
Pre-launch negative keyword build stops the most expensive wasted spend patterns from day one — wholesale queries, informational queries, and off-intent terms excluded immediately.
Branded CPC Range
Branded campaign CPC typically ranges $0.10–$0.60 — capturing your warmest buyers at the cheapest possible click cost in your entire Google Ads account.
What Changes After the Rebuild
Specific improvements compared to a broad-match, no-negative Search account.
- Exact and phrase match replace broad match — every click comes from a more targeted, higher-intent query
- 400+ negatives stop the most obvious wasted spend patterns before the first dollar goes to Google
- Branded campaign captures warm buyers at $0.10–$0.60 CPC — the cheapest traffic in the account
- Keyword-in-headline strategy lifts Ad Relevance score within weeks, beginning the CPC reduction cycle
- Tighter ad groups improve Quality Score for all keywords within them — more relevant ads to more specific queries
- Weekly search term reviews catch new wasted spend patterns before they compound into significant budget loss
- Monthly CPC trend reports show the compounding cost reduction as Quality Score builds over time
Search Ads Management Is Right
for Your Shopify Store If…
Search Budget Burning Fast
You’re spending on Search Ads but ROAS is poor and budget runs out before end of month. Almost always a match type and negative keyword problem — not a budget problem.
No Branded Campaign Running
You’re not running a branded Search campaign. Your brand name is being searched right now — without a branded campaign, you may be paying to compete for your own brand traffic at higher cost.
Running Shopping, Want More
Your Shopping campaigns are working. Search Ads capture the non-product-image queries that Shopping misses — branded traffic, specific product name searches, and competitor conquest.
Strong Competitors in Your Niche
Known competitors whose buyers you want to intercept. Competitor conquest Search campaigns target buyers actively researching alternatives — the highest commercial intent audience available.
Starting Search Ads Fresh
Never run Search Ads before. Building correctly from launch — exact match, 400+ negatives, branded campaign — avoids the months of wasted spend from a default broad-match setup.
Want Lower CPC Over Time
You understand that correctly built Search campaigns become cheaper over time as Quality Scores improve — and you want a long-term paid channel that compounds in efficiency month-on-month.
Your Search Budget Is Very Likely Reaching the Wrong Searches.
A free Search Ads review takes 30 minutes — we’ll check your match types, negative keyword coverage, Quality Scores, and branded campaign status. You’ll see exactly where budget is wasting before committing to anything.
Google Search Ads Questions,
Answered Honestly
Your Best Buyers Are Searching Right Now. Make Sure You Show Up.
Free 30-minute Search Ads review. We’ll check your match types, negative coverage, Quality Scores, and show you exactly where budget is leaking — before you commit to anything.