Google Partner · Google Ads since 2011
Google Ads agencyEvery euro with a job to do
Anyone can buy clicks. We make sure your ad budget turns into enquiries and revenue: with a clean structure, honest numbers and optimisation that happens every week, not just in the monthly report.
Sponsored · your-company.com
Emergency plumber Wiesbaden: on site in 45 min
Fixed price before work starts · available 24/7 · 5.0 ★ on Google
Burst pipeBlockageHeating
Sponsored · competitor-a.com
You’re on top and pay €1.51 per click, although A bids €3.00.
Simplified example, try it yourself below
- Search
- Performance Max
- Shopping
- Demand Gen
- YouTube
- Display & remarketing
Where Google Ads budget quietly leaks away
Most accounts we take over don’t have too little budget, they have budget in the wrong place. These are the six leaks we find most often. Each one shows where you can check it in your own account.
- 460 €reaches real prospects
- 210 €search terms without buying intent
- 130 €outside the service area
- 120 €Display and partner sites
- 80 €own brand that would come anyway
Illustrative and rounded. The account check shows what it looks like in yours.
Search terms without buying intent
Broad match keywords also pick up searches like “jobs”, “free” or “DIY”. Each of those clicks costs as much as a real prospect.
Where to look“Search terms” report
Account-level negative lists, weekly review, exact and phrase match for core terms until there’s enough conversion data for broad match.
Ads outside your area
The default “Presence or interest” setting shows your ad to people in Hamburg who are “interested” in Wiesbaden. For trades and practices that’s pure waste.
Where to lookCampaign › Settings › Locations › Location options
Switch to “Presence”, radius based on real travel time rather than city limits, bids per region based on close rate.
Display hidden in Search
New Search campaigns often run on the Display Network and search partners by default. That brings cheap clicks, but rarely enquiries.
Where to lookCampaign › Settings › Networks
Remove Display from the Search campaign, use search partners only with a separate test and placement analysis.
Smart Bidding learns the wrong thing
If the account counts page views, phone number clicks or duplicate forms as conversions, Google optimises for exactly that. The numbers look great, the enquiries don’t come.
Where to lookGoals › Conversions › Summary
Only real enquiries and purchases as primary conversions, “One” counting for leads, values assigned, everything else observed as secondary.
Auto-applied recommendations
Google is allowed to add keywords, raise bids and rewrite ads without asking. Many accounts have this switched on without knowing.
Where to lookRecommendations › Auto-apply
Switch it off and review every recommendation individually. Some are good, many mainly increase spend.
Performance Max buys your brand
Without limits, Performance Max likes to serve searches for your own company name and report them as wins. Those customers would have come anyway.
Where to lookPerformance Max › Insights and channel performance
Set brand exclusions, check the channel report monthly, build asset groups by margin rather than category.
Why the highest bidder doesn’t win
Every search triggers an auction in a split second. Google combines bid and ad quality into an Ad Rank. Advertisers with good ads and relevant landing pages rank higher and pay less per click.
Try it yourself
Competitors bid a fixed amount: A €3.00 at quality 4, B €1.80 at 6, C €1.20 at 5.
Simplified teaching model: Ad Rank = bid × Quality Score, cost per click = rank of the next advertiser ÷ your Quality Score + €0.01. Google also factors in thresholds, search context and the expected impact of your assets.
Expected CTR
How likely your ad is to be clicked for this keyword. We test ad copy against each other and build out assets.
Ad relevance
How well the ad matches the search. That’s why we group keywords tightly by intent, not by gut feeling.
Landing page experience
Whether the landing page delivers what the ad promises and loads fast on mobile. This is often the biggest lever.
More on this: Why is my Google Ads Quality Score so bad?
Which campaign for which goal?
Google offers seven ways to serve ads. Not every one fits every business. Choose your goal to see where we’d start.
Search campaign by service and location, plus remarketing. Performance Max only focused on calls and Maps.
Performance Max and Standard Shopping with a solid feed, Search for brand and top categories, remarketing for cart abandoners.
Search campaign with exact terms, closed deals from the CRM fed back to Google, Demand Gen for longer decision paths.
YouTube and Demand Gen for reach, Search captures the demand that follows.
Search campaign
FitsShows when someone actively searches. The most direct route to enquiries.
- How we use it
- Almost always the foundation, clearly structured by service and region.
- Watch out
- Without negatives and clean conversions it gets expensive fast.
AI Max
FitsExtension of Search campaigns: Google finds additional queries and adapts ad text and landing pages.
- How we use it
- As a test alongside stable Search campaigns once there’s enough conversion data.
- Watch out
- We review the extra search terms weekly and restrict landing pages.
Performance Max
FitsOne campaign across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail and Maps. Steered by goals and assets.
- How we use it
- Often the revenue driver for shops with a good feed. For leads only with offline data.
- Watch out
- Exclude the brand and read the channel report, or it buys revenue you already have.
Standard Shopping
FitsProduct ads with image and price from Merchant Center.
- How we use it
- For full control of bids per product group, often alongside Performance Max.
- Watch out
- The feed decides: titles, GTINs, prices and availability must be right.
Demand Gen
FitsImage and video ads on YouTube, Discover and Gmail before anyone searches.
- How we use it
- To create demand and bring visitors back.
- Watch out
- Success often shows up later in Search. We measure with test groups.
YouTube
FitsVideo ads for reach and recognition.
- How we use it
- For brands with video content and a longer path to purchase.
- Watch out
- Without a clear goal the budget evaporates into views.
Display & remarketing
FitsBanners on millions of sites and apps, targeted at past visitors.
- How we use it
- As a low-cost reminder for visitors who didn’t enquire.
- Watch out
- Only with consent via Consent Mode v2 and with apps and games excluded.
Smart Bidding is only as smart as your data
Google’s automated bidding is powerful when it knows which click became a customer. We set up this chain so Google bids for deals, not clicks.
- 1
Click
Auto-tagging passes the click ID to your website.
- 2
Consent
Consent Mode v2 reports what the visitor allowed. Without it, data and audiences go missing in the EU.
- 3
Conversion
The Google tag counts the enquiry, enhanced conversions match it in hashed form.
- 4
Deal
The CRM reports back which enquiry became a deal, with its value.
- 5
Bid
Target CPA or target ROAS now bid for real customers instead of clicks.
Tracking isn’t an add-on for us, it’s part of every engagement. More on the strategy behind it on our SEM strategy page.
What we do in your Google Ads account
From the first audit to ongoing management. You decide whether we clean up once or look after it long term.
Audit
Account audit
We go through your account campaign by campaign, find wasted spend and tell you what to change right away. Without an account we analyse market, competition and click prices.
Build
Build & structure
Account structure by service, margin and region. Keywords, negatives, ads, assets and bidding strategy, all documented.
Management
Ongoing optimisation
Weekly search terms, bids, ad tests and budget allocation. Larger changes are agreed with you first.
E-Commerce
Shopping, feed & Performance Max
Merchant Center, product feed, campaign split by margin and sell-through. As for fashionette, where we manage the Shopping and Performance Max setup.
Tracking
Conversions & Consent Mode
Google tag, Tag Manager, GA4, Consent Mode v2, enhanced conversions and offline import from your CRM.
Reporting
Clear reporting
A report with the numbers that matter: cost per enquiry, revenue, ROAS, impression share. Live dashboard on request.
Your first 90 days with us
No six-month concept phase. After three to four weeks the new campaigns are live, after three months you know what an enquiry costs.
- Day 1–7
Access & audit
You give us manager access, the account stays yours. We check structure, search terms, tracking and landing pages and show you the biggest leaks.
- Week 2–3
Foundation
Set up conversions and Consent Mode properly, fix negative lists, locations and networks, prepare the new structure.
- Week 3–4
Launch
New campaigns and ads go live. We monitor daily until delivery is stable.
- Month 2
Learn & sharpen
Bidding strategies learn, we read the first real search terms, test ads and move budget to the best campaigns.
- Month 3
Scale
What works gets more budget. Your report shows what each enquiry costs and what it brings in.
Six questions to ask any agency
Whether you work with us or not, these questions separate good management from expensive administration. Our answers are right next to them.
Who owns the ad account?
1hold.deYou do. We work in your account via manager access. If we part ways, you keep the account, data and history.
Who actually manages my account?
1hold.deKilian Müller personally, working with Google Ads since 2011. No junior, no rotating team.
How long am I committed?
1hold.deTerms from 3 months. Enough time for results, short enough not to tie you down.
How often is it optimised?
1hold.deWeekly, not monthly. Search terms, bids and ads don’t wait for the monthly report.
What do I see in the report?
1hold.deCost per enquiry, revenue and ROAS instead of clicks and impressions. Plus what we changed and why.
And if Google Ads isn’t the right fit?
1hold.deThen we say so. Some terms are cheaper to win through SEO, some industries are better served by other channels.
From the local practice to the luxury brand
Local businesses
Trades, practices, law firms, buyers. Ads within your radius, calls and Maps in focus.
Among others for
- SH Kunsthandel
- Menz Naturbaustoffe
- Dr. Hollneck
E-commerce & brands
Shopping, Performance Max and feed. Scale revenue without losing sight of ROAS.
Among others for
- Gucci
- fashionette
- Her One
- Blue Farm
B2B & capital goods
Few, expensive clicks and long decisions. Exact terms and deals from the CRM.
Among others for
- CNC Törner
- GROSS Messe & Event
- Paul & Partner
How much of your budget is really working?
In the free account check we go through the six leaks with you, live in your account. Afterwards you know where you stand, even if you don’t work with us.
Frequently asked questions about Google Ads management
What does a Google Ads agency do?
A Google Ads agency (also called an SEA or PPC agency) plans, runs and optimises paid search ads. It builds the account structure, chooses keywords and campaign types, sets up conversion tracking and keeps improving bids and ads. Its fee is separate from the ad budget, which goes directly to Google.
How much does a Google Ads agency cost?
It depends on scope: number of campaigns, how often we optimise and how deep the tracking goes. In the intro call we look at your situation and you receive a written quote with no hidden costs. The ad budget, which goes directly to Google, is separate and starts at around €500 per month.
What budget makes Google Ads worthwhile?
For local businesses, €500 to €1,000 ad budget per month is often enough for first results. In e-commerce and B2B we recommend at least €2,000 to €5,000 so there’s enough data to optimise. Our free budget calculator gives a first estimate.
How quickly will I see results?
Clicks come from day one. The first learning phase with data collection and tests takes about four to six weeks. After that results improve steadily because we fine-tune every week.
Do you take over existing accounts?
Yes, that’s the most common case. We start with an audit and build on the account history instead of throwing it away. Good campaigns stay, weak ones get rebuilt.
Do I need Consent Mode v2?
If you have visitors from the EU, yes. Since March 2024 Google requires a valid consent signal for remarketing and personalised advertising in the European Economic Area. Without Consent Mode you also lose modelled conversions, and Smart Bidding works with less data.
Performance Max or Search campaign?
For service businesses and B2B, Search is usually the foundation because it shows what people actually searched for. Performance Max plays to its strengths mainly in online shops with a good product feed. Often a combination is right, with clear boundaries between the two.
What’s the difference between SEA and SEO?
SEA is paid advertising on Google: visible immediately, you pay per click. SEO is optimisation for the unpaid results: takes longer, no cost per click. The best strategy uses both and shifts budget to wherever a customer is cheapest to win.
Do you only work with Google Ads?
Our focus is Google: Ads, Merchant Center, Analytics and Tag Manager. Microsoft Advertising can be imported from Google and we manage it on request. For Meta ads we’ll tell you honestly whether a dedicated specialist is worth it.
Read more in our Google Ads guide10 answers
Related: Google Ads budget calculator · ROAS calculator · SEA vs. SEO comparison · Search engine optimisation
More enquiries from the same budget
In the free account check we look together at where your budget goes today and which three changes will help most. No sales pitch, just an honest assessment.
Sources: Google Ads Help on consent mode and Smart Bidding, EU user consent policy · Reviewed by Kilian Müller, 27 Oct 2026
