Key takeaways
- Search captures the highest-intent traffic and often drives over 40% of leads and conversions in NZ campaigns.
- Segment by intent, keep ad groups tight and set up conversion tracking before launch.
- Match your bidding strategy to your conversion volume and goals.
- Split branded and non-branded reporting so brand terms do not flatter your results.
- Plan budget by funnel stage, roughly 30% awareness, 40% consideration, 30% conversion.
Why does search still dominate performance marketing?
Search captures the highest intent signal of any channel, because people are actively looking for a solution. In New Zealand campaigns it often drives over 40% of leads and conversions, even on modest budgets.
The platform mechanics are also complex, which creates efficiency gains for teams who understand them. Small improvements in bidding, keyword selection and ad copy can lift results noticeably.
Search also works across industries. Tertiary advertisers target programme types, open days and scholarships. Finance advertisers target KiwiSaver comparisons and first home buyer grants. Health advertisers target plan comparisons and ACC provider searches. Travel, retail and automotive each have their own high-intent query patterns, such as tour operators, click and collect, and WOF providers.
What does a well-built search account look like?
Four foundations separate a strong account from a wasteful one.
- Segmentation: separate brand, generic and competitor campaigns so you can control budget, bidding and reporting by intent.
- Tight ad groups: group closely related keywords, around 10 to 20 per group, so ad copy stays relevant and Quality Score improves.
- Match types aligned to budget and funnel: broad match with smart bidding for discovery, phrase for balance, exact for high-intent terms.
- Conversion tracking from day one: track macro conversions such as sales and leads, and micro conversions such as add-to-carts and form starts.
Housekeeping matters too. Use consistent names, for example [Region]_[Product]_[Goal]_[Channel] for campaigns. Tag with UTMs for GA4 and Looker, verify conversions, and add value tracking for ROAS. Keep account-level negative keyword lists and review search term reports regularly. Set ad schedules and device adjustments from performance data, and use city-level geo targets where needed.
Which keywords suit each funnel stage?
| Stage | Keyword type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Category, broad | how health insurance works |
| Consideration | Comparison, review | best health plans NZ |
| Decision | Product-specific | family health insurance coverage |
| Conversion | Branded, transactional | buy health insurance online |
| Loyalty | Support, service | how to claim health insurance |
Adjust bids and budgets based on how each stage performs against your business objectives.
How should you use broad, phrase and exact match?
Each match type trades control for reach.
- Broad match uses Google's AI to find relevant traffic you did not target explicitly. Paired with smart bidding, it suits discovery and scale.
- Phrase match needs words in the same order, with extra words allowed either side. It balances control and reach.
- Exact match targets the exact meaning of the keyword. It usually converts better and suits bottom-funnel campaigns.
Most successful accounts combine all three. If you run broad match, review search term reports and use shared negative keyword lists to stop wasted spend.
How do you write search ads that perform?
Use a simple framework. Headlines combine the keyword, a benefit and a call to action. Descriptions pair a feature with a differentiator. Use keyword insertion with care, always with a strong default. Add numbers, prices or urgency where you can, but keep every claim truthful and policy compliant.
Ad assets lift visibility and performance. Aim for at least six sitelinks with unique descriptions, eight or more callouts, and structured snippets for categories or services. Call and location assets help service businesses. Image assets can improve click-through rate by 5 to 10% on average compared with text-only ads. Aim for at least four assets per ad group and fix any Poor or Average ad strength rating promptly.
For testing, run at least two to three responsive search ad variants per ad group. Track CTR, conversion rate and asset impression share. Refresh headlines monthly and archive low performers after 30 days rather than deleting them.
How do you choose a bidding strategy?
| Strategy | Best for | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Maximise Conversions | New accounts, lead generation | Conversion tracking, flexible budget |
| Target CPA | Consistent cost per lead | 15+ conversions in 30 days |
| Target ROAS | Ecommerce, value-based goals | Conversion values, 15+ conversions in 30 days |
| Maximise Conversion Value | Ecommerce with variable product values | Accurate values, enough budget |
| Manual CPC | Niche or small budgets | Hands-on management |
| Maximise Clicks | Traffic and awareness | Max CPC limits |
Smart Bidding relies on good conversion data. Allow two to four weeks of learning when you change strategy.
Strong tracking underpins all of this. Track form fills, sales, calls and downloads, set up through Google Tag Manager or gTag. Import offline conversions from your CRM using GCLID, assign a value to each action, and implement enhanced conversions using first-party data.
How should you split budget, and what benchmarks apply?
A funnel-based split keeps spend balanced:
- Awareness, about 30%: broad and phrase match on high-volume terms.
- Consideration, about 40%: exact and phrase match on competitive and comparison terms.
- Conversion, about 30%: brand terms and retargeting through RLSA.
Indicative NZ benchmarks are a CTR of 4 to 7%, a lead generation conversion rate of 3 to 10%, B2C CPA of $20 to $60, CPC of $1.20 to $3.50, ecommerce ROAS of 400% or more, Quality Score of 7 or more and branded impression share of 70% or more. Treat these as guidance, as they vary by industry and season.
Common mistakes include running broad match with no negatives, leaving responsive search ads on two headlines when 8 to 15 work best, combining branded and non-brand reporting, and using the same ads for every segment.
How does search work with other channels?
Device and time of day also deserve attention. Adjust bids by device only where the data supports it, use ad scheduling reports to suppress consistently weak hours, and consider separate mobile and desktop campaigns when intent or conversion paths differ. Review day-part reports quarterly and record the effect of each change.
Search data is useful well beyond search. Build social audiences from search retargeting, use top search terms to shape display copy, and use query patterns to improve landing pages. Share conversion path data across channels, and use search trends to time email campaigns.
For reporting, build Looker dashboards with funnel KPIs, monitor Quality Score and auction insights, and break results down by audience, device, geography and match type. Blend GA4 and Google Ads data and review weekly. Shared KPIs and regular team communication make all of this work.
Frequently asked questions
How many conversions do I need before using Target CPA?
Target CPA and Target ROAS both need at least 15 conversions in the past 30 days. Below that, Maximise Conversions is a safer starting point.
Why should branded and non-brand results be reported separately?
Branded terms usually have higher CTR and conversion rates. Combined reporting can make non-brand campaigns look better than they are.
How often should search ad copy be refreshed?
Review headlines monthly and replace weak ones. Archive creatives that underperform for 30 days so the account stays clean but history is kept.