Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising in Ann Arbor
When someone searches for exactly what you sell, a well-built ad puts you in front of them at the moment they are ready to act. We plan, build and manage Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising campaigns that are judged by the leads and sales they produce, not by clicks.
Every click costs money, so every click needs a purpose
Pay-per-click advertising is the quickest way to appear for searches you do not rank for yet. You choose the searches, write the ads and pay when someone clicks. That simplicity is also the risk: the platforms make it very easy to spend money and much harder to see what the money bought.
So our work starts with measurement. Before a campaign goes live, we make sure form submissions, calls and purchases are recorded as conversions. Automated bidding learns from whatever you tell it to count, and if tracking is missing or counts the wrong thing, it will optimize toward the wrong goal with great efficiency.
From there, we keep campaigns tight. Keywords are grouped by intent, ads are written to match the search, and each group of searches lands on a page that answers it. We review the search terms that actually triggered your ads, so irrelevant ones become negative keywords instead of recurring costs.
Your account, your data. We recommend that your ad accounts are registered to your business and billed to your own payment method, with us added as managers. If you ever move on, the campaigns, the history and everything the account has learned stay with you.
We work in both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. Google is usually where most of the search volume is, but Microsoft’s search network, which includes Bing, can reach people Google misses, and campaigns can be imported from Google Ads rather than rebuilt. Where the budget allows, we test both and keep whichever earns its place.
What's included
A campaign built properly from the first click
The exact mix depends on what you sell and how people buy it. These are the pieces we look at in every account.
- Account audit: a review of existing campaigns, spend, tracking and search terms before anything changes.
- Keyword research: the searches that signal real buying intent, grouped so every ad matches what was typed.
- Search campaigns: ad copy, assets such as sitelinks and callouts, and location targeting around the areas you serve.
- Shopping and Performance Max: for online stores, built on an accurate product feed and the right conversion goals.
- Conversion tracking: forms, calls and purchases recorded correctly, so bidding learns from real results.
- Landing pages: recommendations for your existing pages, or focused new ones that match the ad and make the next step obvious.
- Bid strategy and budgets: chosen to fit your goals and the amount of conversion data the account has to learn from.
- Negative keywords and ongoing management: search terms reviewed, waste cut and new ads tested, with reporting on cost per lead.
How it works
How we build and run a PPC account
Each step depends on the one before it, which is why we never start with the ads.
Measure first
We set up or repair conversion tracking and agree what a lead or sale is worth to you, so every later decision has a number behind it.
Build with intent
We research keywords, structure campaigns around what people are trying to do, write the ads and check that each one lands on a page that fits.
Launch with control
Campaigns start on budgets you are comfortable with, and we watch the search terms closely while the account finds its feet.
Optimize
We cut what does not convert, move budget to what does and keep testing ads and pages. You see cost per lead, not just clicks.
Is it right for you?
Is pay-per-click the right place to start?
PPC can work quickly, which also means it can waste money quickly. This is how we judge whether it fits.
A strong fit when…
- People already search for what you offer, and they are ready to buy, book or call.
- You know roughly what a new customer is worth, so we can set a sensible target cost per lead.
- You want measurable results now while slower channels, such as SEO, build up.
- Someone can answer the phone and reply to inquiries promptly. Paid leads go cold fast.
Worth waiting if…
- Your website is slow, confusing or broken on a phone. Fix the page first, or you will pay to send people somewhere that cannot convert them.
- Nobody searches for your product yet. Paid social or display can build awareness before search demand exists.
- The budget would only buy a handful of clicks a month. That is too little data to learn from, and local SEO may be a better first step.
Frequently asked questions
How much should we spend on Google Ads?
There is no single right number. We work backwards from what a customer is worth to you and how many leads you want, then set a test budget large enough to learn from. Our guide to setting a Google Ads budget walks through the method step by step.
How quickly will we see results?
Traffic can start soon after your ads are approved. Reliable results take longer, because the early weeks are about learning which searches, ads and pages turn into customers, and automated bidding needs conversion data before it settles. We share what we are seeing from the start, so you are never left guessing.
Should we advertise on Microsoft Advertising as well as Google?
It is often worth a test. Microsoft Advertising shows ads across Microsoft’s search network, including Bing, and its audience is not identical to Google’s. Campaigns can be imported from Google Ads, so a test does not mean starting over. If it brings in leads at a sensible cost, we keep it; if not, the budget goes back to Google.
What are negative keywords?
They are searches you tell the platform not to show your ads for. A plumber may want “emergency plumber” but not “plumber jobs”. Reviewing the search terms report and adding negatives is one of the simplest ways to stop paying for clicks that were never going to become customers.
Do we need new landing pages?
Not always. An ad can only promise what the page behind it delivers. If your existing pages match the searches, we use them. If not, we recommend changes or build focused landing pages, so the search, the ad and the page all say the same thing.
Works well with
Related services
Search Engine Optimization
Technical fixes, content and local signals that help the right people find you in Google.
Display & Programmatic Advertising
Banner, video and retargeting campaigns that keep your brand in view.
Website Design & Development
Fast, accessible websites built to turn visitors into inquiries.
Want a second opinion on your ad spend?
Tell us what you spend on ads and what it brings in. We will look at how the account is set up and tell you plainly what we would change.