Most Google Ads campaigns fail not because of budget, but because of structure. This is the exact framework I use with every new client — and what generated a 3.5× ROI for an e-commerce client in their first 60 days.
The Setup: What Most Agencies Get Wrong
The most common mistake I see: dumping all products into one campaign, using broad match keywords, and letting Google "optimise" with Smart Campaigns.
Google's automation is powerful — but only once you've given it good data to learn from. You can't automate your way out of a bad foundation.
Step 1: Segment Campaigns by Intent
I structure every account with three campaign types:
Brand campaigns — capture people already searching for you by name. These are your highest-intent, cheapest clicks. Always run these, even if you rank #1 organically.
Category campaigns — target people searching for what you sell, not who you are. "Women's running shoes under £100" not just "running shoes".
Competitor campaigns — optional but powerful. Bid on competitor brand names with messaging focused on your differentiators. Only do this if you have a clear competitive advantage.
Step 2: Match Types Matter
In 2025, keyword match types work differently than they did three years ago:
- Broad Match — only use with Smart Bidding and at least 30 conversions/month in the account. Before that, it'll burn your budget.
- Phrase Match — good default for most campaigns. Captures intent without being too restrictive.
- Exact Match — use for your highest-value, proven keywords once you've identified them from phrase match data.
I start with phrase match, mine the search term report weekly for the first month, add negatives aggressively, and promote winning terms to exact match.
Step 3: Ad Copy That Converts
Every ad needs three things:
- Relevance — the headline should echo the search term
- Value prop — what makes you different in 30 characters
- Urgency or specificity — "Free shipping over £50" or "Ships in 24h" outperforms generic claims
For this client, the winning headline combination was:
- H1: [Product Category] — Exact match to search
- H2: "Free Next-Day Delivery · Easy Returns"
- H3: "4.9★ · 2,000+ Happy Customers"
No clever wordplay. Just clear, specific, trust-building copy.
Step 4: Bidding Strategy
Start with Maximise Clicks to gather data if you have fewer than 20 conversions per month. Once you hit that threshold, switch to Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and set it slightly below your actual ROAS to give the algorithm room.
For this client:
- Week 1–2: Maximise Clicks, build search term data
- Week 3: Switch to Target CPA (cost per acquisition) with a conservative target
- Week 6: Shift to Target ROAS once conversion data was solid
- Month 2: ROAS hit 3.5× — held it there
Step 5: The Negative Keyword List
I maintain a master negative keyword list I apply to every account on day one. It includes:
- "free", "cheap", "DIY", "how to" (informational searches)
- Competitor names (unless running competitor campaigns intentionally)
- Irrelevant adjacent categories
- Job-related terms: "jobs", "careers", "salary"
This alone typically reduces wasted spend by 20–30% in the first month.
What Made the Difference
The 3.5× ROI wasn't magic — it was:
- Tight campaign segmentation so every pound went to high-intent searches
- Aggressive negative keywords from week one
- Simple, specific ad copy with social proof
- Patient bidding strategy that gave Google's algorithm time to learn
The mistake most brands make is changing too much too fast. Set up correctly, then wait. Google's algorithm needs 2–3 weeks of data before it starts optimising properly.
If your Google Ads account isn't hitting at least 2× ROAS, let's look at it together. I can usually identify the core issue in 30 minutes.