A Google Ads search campaign shows a text ad when someone types a search related to your keywords, so the ad appears above or below the results for people already looking. Good At Marketing includes search campaigns in Google Ads management at $600 to $1,000 a month plus ad spend paid to Google; see our pricing page.
By Donnie Strompf. Updated October 2026.
Which match type should a search campaign use?
Match types decide how closely a search must resemble your keyword before your ad can enter the auction. The table follows Google Ads Help (About keyword matching options, read October 19, 2026).
| Match type | How Google describes it | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Broad (the keyword alone) | Related searches, even without the keyword’s direct meaning | With Smart Bidding and recorded conversions |
| Phrase (in quotes) | Searches that include the keyword’s meaning | More reach than exact, less than broad |
| Exact (in brackets) | Searches matching the keyword’s meaning or intent | The few searches you most want to control |
| Negative keyword | Keeps your ad off searches with the term | Whenever off-topic searches show up |
Broad match is the default, so a keyword typed with no symbols is a broad match keyword. Google also says broad match needs Smart Bidding, because every search is different and each bid should fit its search. Check conversion tracking before relying on that pairing, because Smart Bidding sets bids from conversion data. Our guide How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking for a service business covers that setup.
Google adds that a broader type already includes every search a narrower type would catch, so repeating a keyword in several types is unnecessary for reach. If a keyword appears under several match types, ask what each version is for.
What does a search campaign involve?
Google’s setup page (Create a Search campaign, read October 19, 2026) lists the choices behind every campaign, and each can be reviewed after launch.
- A goal and a conversion goal. The page says at least one conversion goal is required to create a Search campaign, even when you skip Google’s goal guidance. A campaign with no way to log a call or form submission has nothing to optimize for.
- Bidding and targeting. Bidding can focus on conversions, clicks, conversion value or impression share. Targeting covers locations and languages, plus two network boxes: Google search partners, and the Display Network, which Google says extends reach beyond search results to other sites.
- Ad groups built around one theme. Google’s example is a furniture business with a Couches ad group holding keywords such as leather couches and sofas, with ads that link to the couches section of the site. The page suggests new advertisers start with standard ad groups, where keywords are entered by hand, and it names Keyword Planner as a source of keyword ideas. A campaign can use only one ad group type.
- Responsive search ads. An ad takes 3 to 15 headlines and 2 to 4 descriptions, and Google tests the combinations over time (About responsive search ads, read October 19, 2026).
- Assets. Sitelink and callout assets fill in by default, with a call asset alongside them. Lead form and price assets are other options.
- A daily budget. The amount you enter is an average. Google’s page says spend can run higher on a busy day and averages out across the month. Our Google Ads management in Boca Raton page turns example daily budgets into monthly totals.
These tasks sit inside Google Ads management, and our Google Ads management page lists the monthly work around them. Search campaigns are part of Google Ads management at $600 to $1,000 a month plus ad spend (see pricing), and the Google Ads management cost guide explains how agencies structure it.
How does the auction decide which ad wins?
The Google Ads Help article About Ad Rank, which we read on October 19, 2026, says Google runs a separate auction for each ad location on the results page, so the top of the page and the spots lower down are different contests. Ad Rank is calculated in two steps in each one: first to decide whether your ad is eligible, then to decide where it sits relative to other advertisers.
Bid is one of six factors. The other five are the quality of the ad and its landing page, the minimum Ad Rank thresholds, how close the competing ads are, what the search itself looks like and what Google expects your assets to add. Your bid sets a ceiling on what one click can cost you, and Google says the amount charged is often lower.
When two ads have similar Ad Ranks each has a similar chance at the position, and as the gap widens the higher ad is more likely to win and may pay more for that certainty. Google also says higher quality ads can often lead to lower costs per click.
Quality Score is Google’s diagnostic for the quality side, and the glossary entry on Quality Score gives the short definition. Google’s page (About Quality Score, read October 19, 2026) rates each of its three parts (the expected click rate, how closely the ad matches the search, and how useful the landing page is) as above average, average or below average. The comparison is against other advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days.
Check which of the three parts is rated below average. A below average landing page experience points at the page, since bid is not one of the three parts. Google says Quality Score should not be treated as a key performance indicator or added up across an account, so use it to find a weak ad or page and then judge the account by leads. To see it, add the Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance and Landing Page Exp. columns on the Keywords page.
Who are search campaigns for?
- An owner whose buyers search the service by name. When people type what you sell into Google, a search ad appears above or below those results and the click arrives with a need attached. It fits a business that can answer a call or a form quickly and has a page for each service it advertises.
- A professional firm where one new client is worth many clicks. Search campaigns can make sense when a signed client is worth more than the clicks it takes to win one, and advertising rules add limits of their own. Our page on Google Ads for law firms covers that case.
- An owner with an account someone else built. If ads are running and nobody can say which searches triggered them, the search terms report and the match types on each keyword are the first places to look. Review which searches produced off-topic clicks before deciding whether to rebuild.
For showing ads again to people who have already visited the site, see remarketing and retargeting.
What should you measure in a search campaign?
Use the names Google Ads gives its reports, so your agency and your own team read the same numbers.
- Search terms report. It lists the queries people typed before your ads showed, with a Keyword column showing which of your keywords matched and a Match type column showing how closely. Google’s page (About the search terms report, read October 19, 2026) says to add an irrelevant search as a negative keyword. You can segment the report by network to see where the searches came from.
- Quality Score columns. Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance and Landing Page Exp., described above.
- Top of page metrics. Impr. (Top) % and Impr. (Abs.Top) % show how often an ad appeared in the top locations. Search top IS and Search abs. top IS are the impression share versions Google points to when you want to bid on page location.
- Conversions. Calls and forms recorded by the account, the numbers your own team should be able to match.
Ask your agency for these in its monthly report, and compare recorded calls and form submissions with your own lead records. The guide Google Ads Optimization Tips for Small Businesses in 2026 ranks the first repairs for an account that is already running.
FAQ
Is there a separate fee for search campaigns?
No, search campaigns sit inside Google Ads management at $600 to $1,000 a month, and the ad spend goes to Google. We do not publish a separate price for them. If you want a search campaign built and handed over on its own, ask on the call. The pricing page lists the range.
Should I leave Google search partners and the Display Network on?
Google Ads Help says search partners are on by default in new Search campaigns and can be switched off. Ads can appear on partner sites that display and link to products for sale, and those clicks may not always reflect highly targeted traffic (About the Google Search Network). Ask which boxes are ticked, Display Network included, then compare by network.
Why does my keyword show a dash for Quality Score?
Google Ads Help says a dash means too few searches exactly match your keyword to determine a score. Changing the match type does not alter how the score is calculated, because it rests on past impressions for exact searches. Google suggests Keyword Planner for higher-volume keywords and broader match types to gather exact-match data (About Quality Score).
Do negative keywords block plurals and misspellings?
Negative keywords handle casing and misspellings automatically, and Google adds that close variants are outside their reach. Its example: a negative broad match for flowers blocks red flowers but still allows red flower. Add synonyms and singular or plural forms yourself, and keep the list lean, since too many negatives can reduce reach (About negative keywords).
Why did my exact match keyword show for a misspelling?
Google counts close variants as matches. They cover plurals and acronyms, stem words such as floor and flooring, and terms with the same meaning. In its own example, the search purple flowrs is reported as an exact match close variant of the keyword purple flowers. The search terms report shows the search and its match type side by side.
Which campaign wins when a Search keyword and Performance Max overlap?
Google Ads Help says an exact match keyword identical to the search outranks a Performance Max campaign. Phrase and broad keywords share priority with identical search themes, and Ad Rank breaks ties. A Search campaign can lose if budget limits it, the keyword has low search volume status or its ads are disapproved (About keyword matching options).
Next step
The free AI-visibility audit comes first, then a 15-minute call. For the full service, see Google Ads management.