The Franklin Ultimate Guide to Google Ads

Chapter 01

When Google Ads is the right channel

Google captures existing demand. If people already search for what you sell — a buyer's agent in Newcastle, an emergency plumber, a mortgage broker for self-employed borrowers — search is usually the highest-intent, fastest-converting channel available.

It is a poor fit when demand does not exist yet, when search volume is tiny, or when the cost per click in your category exceeds what your conversion rate and margin can support. Check those numbers before committing budget.

Chapter 02

Conversion tracking comes first

Everything Google does is driven by the conversions you report. Get them wrong and the algorithm efficiently buys the wrong outcome.

• Define one primary conversion that represents a genuine enquiry, not every button on the site.
• Track phone calls, form submissions and booked meetings, with duplicates deduplicated.
• Implement enhanced conversions and, where possible, server-side tagging for resilience.
• Import qualified-lead and closed-won events from the CRM as offline conversions.
• Set secondary conversions to observation only so they do not distort bidding.

Chapter 03

Account structure for lead generation

Australian lead-gen accounts rarely have the conversion volume to support dozens of ad groups. Over-segmentation starves every campaign of signal.

1. 01Segment campaigns by budget decision or service line, not by keyword theme for its own sake.
2. 02Keep ad groups tight enough that the ad matches the search, and no tighter.
3. 03Separate brand from non-brand so reporting is honest about what you are actually buying.
4. 04Use location and language settings deliberately — 'presence' targeting rather than interest, unless you genuinely serve overseas enquiries.

Chapter 04

Keywords, match types and negatives

Match types have loosened over time. Phrase and exact both match on meaning, so the search terms report is the only reliable view of what you are buying.

• Start with phrase and exact on your commercial terms; add broad only with strong conversion signal and smart bidding.
• Review search terms weekly and build negatives relentlessly — jobs, DIY, free, courses, competitor names where they do not convert.
• Maintain shared negative lists across the account.
• Watch for close variants drifting into unrelated intent, particularly on generic service terms.

The negative keyword list is the cheapest optimisation in Google Ads and the first thing neglected accounts are missing.

Chapter 05

Bidding strategy

Manual bidding is largely obsolete, but smart bidding needs data. With fewer than roughly thirty conversions a month, Maximise Conversions without a target is usually more stable than Target CPA. Once volume is reliable, move to Target CPA, and to Target ROAS only where conversion values are genuine.

Change targets gradually — no more than fifteen to twenty per cent at a time — and leave a fortnight between adjustments so learning can settle.

Chapter 06

Performance Max without losing control

PMax can perform well for lead generation, provided you stop it from harvesting brand traffic and low-quality form fills and calling it success.

• Exclude brand terms with a brand exclusion list so you can measure incremental performance.
• Feed it qualified-lead conversions, not raw form submissions.
• Supply strong, varied creative assets — PMax performance is largely a creative problem.
• Use audience signals as a starting point, not as targeting.
• Check placement and search category reports for junk, and exclude aggressively.

Chapter 07

Ads and landing pages

Responsive search ads still reward specificity: name the service, the location, the price signal and the differentiator. Pin headlines only where compliance or clarity demands it.

Send traffic to a page that matches the search. A dedicated landing page with a single offer, visible phone number, proof, and a short form will beat a homepage almost every time. Page speed on mobile is a conversion factor, not a technical nicety.

Chapter 08

Budget, measurement and the review rhythm

1. 01Weekly: search terms, negatives, budget pacing, anomalies.
2. 02Fortnightly: creative and landing page tests, bidding target review.
3. 03Monthly: channel-level reallocation based on cost per qualified lead from the CRM.
4. 04Quarterly: structure review, competitor analysis, incrementality checks on brand and PMax.

Judge the account on cost per qualified lead and cost per closed-won deal. Platform conversions are a proxy, and proxies drift.