How to set up a Google Ads account for exponential scalability

The chaos of a standard Ads account

By far most Google Ads accounts we audit look like a chaotic grab bag. Large ad groups with 50 different keywords, broad match types, and generic ad texts. This costs unnecessarily much money and makes scaling impossible.

Single Theme Ad Groups (STAGs)

We used to use SKAGs (Single Keyword Ad Groups), but due to the shift in Google's algorithm towards intent-based search, STAGs are now the standard. Here you exclusively group keywords with exactly the same search intent (the 'theme').

Example:

• Ad Group 1: "Hire web design agency" (Intent: agency search)
• Ad Group 2: "Cost custom website" (Intent: price orientation)

Relevance is King

The big advantage of STAGs is that you can match the ad text (and the landing page!) 100% to the search term. If someone searches for costs? You immediately mention prices or ROI in the ad-copy. If someone searches for an agency? You show authority and case studies.

This increases your CTR (Click-Through Rate), leading to a higher Quality Score, which in turn leads to lower cost per click (CPC). That is the flywheel strategy of Google Ads.