Paid Search (SEM and PPC)
Paid search puts your offer in front of people at the moment they search for it. I build and manage search campaigns where account structure, keywords, ads and landing pages are designed together, then hold the spend accountable to leads and conversions, not clicks.
Paid search covers Google Ads account structure, keyword and match type selection, ad copy, bidding, budget pacing and the landing pages the ads point to. It is a fast way to learn whether demand exists for an offer and to capture it while organic work matures. I worked in paid search as an SEM and online media specialist at Colle+McVoy. Later I managed SEM in-house at UnitedHealth Group alongside SEO, email, social and display. I reported results through Google and Adobe Analytics.
I treat an account as a system, not a keyword list. Campaign and ad group structure follows how buyers describe their problem. Match types and negative keywords control which queries spend money, and each ad group points to a landing page that answers the intent behind the keyword. Bidding and budget decisions come from conversion data, not click volume, so tracking has to be right before the first dollar is spent. The ongoing work is a steady cycle of search query review, ad testing and landing page refinement.
Paid search rarely succeeds in isolation, so I work closely with whoever owns the landing pages, the analytics and the budget. Conversion tracking requirements go to your developers as a brief with the events, parameters and test cases spelled out. Landing page changes go to design and content with the keyword theme and the ad promise attached. Finance and leadership get a plain reporting cadence that explains what the spend bought and what I plan to change next.
What paid search work includes
Account Audit
A written review of your Google Ads account covering structure, match types, negative keyword coverage, ad strength, conversion tracking and wasted spend, with each finding ranked by the money it affects.
Campaign Structure Plan
A spreadsheet that maps campaigns, ad groups, keywords, match types and negatives to your products, geographies and budgets, so the account mirrors how the business actually sells.
Ad Copy and Assets
Responsive search ad headlines and descriptions written per ad group, plus sitelinks, callouts and structured snippets, with a test plan that says which variations run against which and for how long.
Conversion Tracking Brief
A developer-ready specification of the conversion actions to track, where each one fires, what values and parameters it carries, and how I will test it before campaigns launch.
Landing Page Requirements
A brief for each landing page tied to the account: the keyword theme it serves, the ad promise it must keep, the form or action it asks for, and the elements to test first.
Performance Reporting
A monthly readout and dashboard that show spend, cost per lead, search impression share and conversion volume by campaign, with the changes I made and the ones I recommend next.
How I run paid search
Agree on the target
We agree on what a lead or sale is worth and what the account must deliver, then I document current spend, conversion tracking and the landing pages in play.
Fix tracking, then build
I confirm every conversion action fires correctly and reports into analytics before touching bids. Then I build or restructure campaigns, ad groups, keywords and negatives around the plan you approved.
Launch and learn
Campaigns go live with ad variations and conservative budgets. I review search query reports, add negatives, adjust bids and match types, and flag landing pages where visitors arrive but do not convert.
Scale what works
Once cost per lead holds steady, I move budget toward the campaigns and queries that earn it, retire the ones that do not, and report each decision with the data behind it.
Where this comes from
My paid search background starts with work as an SEM and online media specialist at Colle+McVoy. I then worked as a digital media planner at FRWD@Bain. At UnitedHealth Group I developed and managed digital programs across email, social, display, SEO and SEM, defined KPIs and reported through Google and Adobe Analytics. At Bio-Techne I coordinated landing pages, tracking and A/B tests in an Agile team. As a consultant I build and optimize campaign landing pages that drive lead generation and conversion.
See my experienceBrittany was a hard worker and was the first one in the office at ungodly hours of the morning. It was great to work with her on PPC and SEO accounts that I sold and I can easily recommend her as a great employee.
COO, Vast.ai
Worked on the same team
Frequently asked
How much should we budget for paid search?
The right budget is the amount that produces enough conversions to read. That depends on your cost per click and conversion rate, so I set it from your data rather than a rule of thumb. I would rather launch with a conservative budget, prove the cost per lead and then scale than spend heavily before tracking is trustworthy.
Do you manage the account yourself or hand it to a team?
I manage it myself. I build the structure, write the ads, set the bids and review the search queries. If you have an in-house marketer who should own the account long term, I document everything and train them as part of the engagement.
Can you take over an existing Google Ads account?
Yes. I begin with an account audit that shows where the spend is going, what is converting and what tracking is missing, then propose a restructure only where it will pay for itself. Historical data stays intact so you can compare before and after.
How does paid search fit with SEO?
They share keyword research and landing pages but play different roles. Paid search gives you immediate presence and fast data on which terms and messages convert, and I feed those findings back into organic priorities. Over time the two should divide the work, with paid covering terms where organic cannot rank yet or where the margin justifies the cost.
Related services
Keyword Research and Topic Mapping
Keyword data is cheap. Knowing which terms deserve a page, which belong together and which to ignore is the work. I turn raw search data into a topic map your content and development teams can build from.
Learn moreSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)
Organic search is the channel that keeps working after the campaign budget is spent. I build SEO programs that fit the way your business actually operates, then measure them against goals you care about.
Learn moreLanding Page Optimization
A landing page has a single job. I plan, build and improve campaign pages so the visitor who arrives from an ad, an email or a search result finds the offer they expected and a clear next step.
Learn moreLet's see what your spend buys
Send me a read-only look at the account, or just describe what it is spending and what it is supposed to produce. I will come back with what I would change first and why.