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Google search ads that drive commercial growth

Google search ads should do more than capture demand, they should create measurable commercial value.

Connected combines deep Google ads expertise with data, AI, automation and continual optimisation to find more opportunities, make budgets work harder and drive the outcomes that matter to your business.

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Google search ads are changing, the fundamentals haven’t

Google search ads have evolved from keywords, bids and text ads into an increasingly automated, AI-powered platform. But the fundamentals still matter: understanding your customers, matching their needs with the right message, sending them to the right experience and measuring the business outcome. Connected combines these fundamentals with the latest Google Ads capabilities, using AI, machine learning, first-party data and automation to find new opportunities, improve relevance and optimise performance, while keeping experienced specialists in control of the strategy and executional excellence.

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The work we've done with Connected Media has changed how we think about performance marketing. It’s not just about volume - it’s about value. Together, we’ve built a model that aligns sales and marketing around commercial outcomes. Their ability to translate complexity into clarity - and action - is what makes them a true strategic partner. Our teams are more aligned than ever, and we’re seeing the results where it matters.
Sevag Sarkissian Australian Institute of Management (AIM)

How we improved ROI by 29% through smarter data, targeting and strategic alignment

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Google search ads by the numbers

$8

Google estimates businesses receive $8 in profit for every $1 spent on Google Search and Ads.*

14%

Google reports advertisers activating AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS.*

27%

Search campaigns using Smart Bidding Exploration see an average of 27% more unique converting users.*

What partnering with Connected means for your business?

Google gives advertisers access to the same powerful technology. The difference is knowing how to use it. Connected combines decades of Google Ads experience with deep platform expertise, commercial understanding, and a relentless focus on performance. As a Google Premier Partner, we stay close to the latest product developments, testing new capabilities, learning from global platform insights and knowing when to embrace automation and when human expertise needs to take the lead.

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What to expect from Connected

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Commercial strategy and campaign foundations

We start with your commercial objectives, not blindly accepting platform recommendations. We establish revenue, margin, customer value, sales cycles and acceptable acquisition costs, then translate them into the right campaign structure, conversion goals and bidding strategy. We also assess search demand, competition and first-party data to build campaigns around the opportunities that matter most.

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Data, measurement and Google expertise

Strong Google Ads performance starts with strong inputs. We make sure tracking is accurate, conversion signals are meaningful and, where possible, real business value is fed back into Google. We connect first-party data with Google's signals, build the right audience and conversion foundations, and use experimentation to understand what is genuinely driving incremental performance.

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Smarter optimisation, powered by AI and expertise

We use Google’s automation and AI where it creates an advantage, combining it with human expertise to guide, test and challenge performance. We continually analyse search, auction, conversion and creative data while testing new capabilities. As Google expands across AI Max, Performance Max, Shopping, YouTube and Demand Gen, we focus on where each can add value - not simply adding more channels.

Partner with us to transform your Google search ads

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Frequently asked questions

Google Search Ads are paid ads that appear when people search Google for relevant products, services or information. They give businesses access to one of the strongest forms of commercial intent in digital advertising, reaching people at the moment they are actively looking for an answer, product or service. Google’s auction considers factors including bid, ad and landing-page quality, context, competition and expected impact when determining which ads appear.
Google Search Ads enter an automated auction each time a relevant search takes place. Google considers the search, context, targeting, ad quality, landing page, bid and other signals to determine whether an ad appears and where. Connected Media combines these platform capabilities with commercial strategy, first-party data, compelling creative and continual optimisation to ensure Google's automation is working towards the outcomes that matter to your business.
Google Search Ads don't have a fixed price. Costs vary according to competition, search demand, industry, targeting, quality and the commercial value of the audience you're trying to reach. Google uses an auction system where both bid and ad quality influence eligibility and position. Connected Media starts with your commercial objectives, margins and acceptable acquisition costs, then works backwards to determine what level of investment and efficiency makes sense for your business.
There is no universal “right” Google Ads budget. It depends on the size of the opportunity, search demand, competition, customer value, conversion rates and the cost at which your business can profitably acquire customers. We assess the available search opportunity alongside your commercial targets and use performance data to determine where additional investment can create incremental value, rather than simply spending to an arbitrary budget.
We measure Google Ads against the commercial outcome, not just platform metrics. Depending on the business, that can include revenue, qualified leads, customer acquisition cost, margin, profit, customer value or sales volume. Metrics such as CTR, CPC, Quality Score and impression share are useful diagnostics, but they aren't the end goal. Where possible, we connect Google Ads to real conversion and first-party business data so optimisation is based on the value of customers generated, not simply the number of clicks or conversions. Google supports enhanced conversions using first-party data to improve measurement.
Yes, when the campaign has the right foundations and enough reliable conversion data to support it. Google's Smart Bidding uses AI to set bids for individual auctions based on the likelihood of achieving the selected conversion or value goal. Connected doesn't avoid automation, we use it where it creates an advantage. Our role is to establish the right objectives, data and guardrails, then continually test whether Google's automation is delivering the right commercial outcome.
AI Max is an optimisation layer within existing Search campaigns rather than a separate campaign type. It uses Google AI to expand search-term matching, optimise ad assets and improve landing-page relevance, helping campaigns find additional opportunities beyond traditional keyword management. Connected Media actively evaluates new Google capabilities such as AI Max, testing where they can create incremental reach or performance while maintaining the strategic and commercial controls your business needs.
AI is changing almost every part of Google Ads, from bidding and search-term matching to creative, audience signals and campaign optimisation. Google's automation can now make decisions at a scale and speed that manual management cannot replicate. That makes expertise more important, not less. Connected combines automation with human judgement, using strong commercial strategy, quality data, testing and experienced oversight to determine what should be automated, what should be controlled and what should be tested next.
Increasingly important. First-party data can help Google understand which customers, leads or transactions are most valuable and improve both measurement and optimisation. Google supports products such as Customer Match and enhanced conversions that use customer-provided first-party data within its advertising ecosystem. Connected Media helps connect this data with Google Ads, ensuring campaigns are optimising towards the customers and outcomes that matter to the business, not simply the easiest conversions to generate.
Keywords remain important, but they are no longer the whole story. Google increasingly uses AI and broader signals to understand the meaning and context of searches and identify opportunities beyond the exact keywords an advertiser has selected. AI Max, for example, can expand matching beyond existing keywords using broad match and keywordless technology. Connected Media combines strong keyword and search fundamentals with the broader signals now available, giving Google's systems room to find opportunities while maintaining the strategic controls that matter.
Google Search campaigns are designed primarily around people actively searching on Google, while Performance Max uses Google's AI to access a much broader signals and range of Google inventory, including Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps. The choice isn't simply about which campaign type is “better”. Connected Media considers the role each product can play against your objectives, available data, audience and customer journey, and how different Google products can work together.
Paid search, SEO and emerging AI search experiences increasingly influence the same customer journey. We look at them together to understand where paid visibility can capture demand, where organic visibility is already strong and where changing search experiences create new opportunities. The objective isn't simply to maximise paid or organic visibility independently, but to create a stronger overall presence across the ways customers now discover, research and choose brands.
Google Ads can begin generating traffic as soon as campaigns are approved and eligible to serve, but meaningful performance optimisation takes longer. The time required depends on search volume, conversion rates, budget, competition, tracking quality and the amount of data available to learn from. Connected Media focuses on establishing the right measurement and campaign foundations first, then using early performance data to test, learn and optimise rather than judging success on clicks alone.
The biggest gains rarely come from one setting or optimisation. They come from connecting the fundamentals: the right commercial objectives, accurate conversion data, campaign structure, search strategy, compelling creative, landing-page experience, bidding and ongoing optimisation. Connected Media continually tests and improves these inputs, while staying close to Google's latest products and capabilities. The aim is not simply to improve platform metrics, but to find more valuable opportunities and make every dollar work harder.
Yes, but the way Google Ads works is changing rapidly. Search remains powerful because it can connect brands with people expressing active demand, while Google's AI, automation, first-party data and expanding product ecosystem are creating new ways to find and influence customers. Google continues to position Search campaigns around sales, leads and website traffic, with AI increasingly integrated into campaign delivery. The opportunity is no longer simply to “run Google Ads”. It is to understand how the platform is evolving and use that evolution to create better commercial outcomes.

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1: Google, 2026

2: Google, 2025

3: Google, 2026