Google Ads for Small Businesses: The Account Structure That Won't Burn Your Budget

Google Ads isn't expensive. It's expensive when poorly configured. Here's the minimum set of decisions that make the difference between 200 lei thrown away and 200 lei that bring 3 clients.

Realistic Minimum Budget

Below 25-30 lei/day, you don't have enough data to optimise. For services with a cost-per-click of 3-6 lei, a budget of 900-1,500 lei/month is the threshold from which the campaign becomes manageable.

Account Structure

Keep it simple:

1. Search - Brand (company name) — cheap, protects your brand
2. Search - Commercial Services — one ad group per service
3. Performance Max only after Search is working and you have conversions

One ad group = one service = one landing page. No mixing.

Match Types

Start with phrase match and exact match. Broad match without conversion history quickly spends on irrelevant searches.

Negative Keywords from Day 1

The basic list for services in Romania:

• gratis, gratuit, free
• angajare, job, salariu, cariere (recruitment, job, salary, careers)
• pdf, curs, tutorial, "cum se face" (pdf, course, tutorial, "how to")
• second hand, ieftin (if you're not price-focused)
• names of competitors you don't want to pay for

Check the "Search Terms" report weekly in the first month. That's where you'll find lost money.

Ads That Get Clicks

• put the keyword in the first headline
• put a real differentiator in the second ("Intervention in 24h", "5-year Warranty")
• use all extensions: sitelink, call, location, prices

Conversions: Without Them, You're Blind

Set up tracking for:

• form submission
• click on phone number
• click on WhatsApp

Then switch to "Maximise Conversions" bidding only after 15-30 conversions per month.

The Landing Page Matters More Than the Ad

Send traffic to a dedicated service page, not the homepage. The same promise from the ad must appear in the page title. The conversion rate difference between a homepage and a dedicated landing page is frequently 2-3x.

What to Monitor Monthly

Cost per conversion, not CTR. And then cost per client, not per lead. If you know how much a client is worth, you know how much you can bid.