PPC Management
Keyword & Intent Mapping
A search term is an active declaration of immediate consumer intent. We map every keyword to the exact moment in the buyer's journey — so every ad speaks to the right person at the right time.
Our Process
Not All Search Queries Are Created Equal
A search term is not merely a string of words. It is an active declaration of immediate consumer intent.
Placing every industry-related keyword into a single ad group is one of the fastest ways to destroy campaign efficiency. A user searching "what is enterprise accounting software" is in a completely different mental state than a user searching "buy enterprise accounting software demo." Bidding on both terms with the same ad copy, landing page, and bid price leads to poor Quality Scores, high bounce rates, and missed sales.
We map your target keywords to distinct buyer intent stages, ensuring that every ad group speaks directly to the searcher's specific moment in the decision-making process.
The intent spectrum
Informational
"what is enterprise accounting software"
Commercial
"best enterprise accounting software 2026"
Transactional
"buy enterprise accounting software demo"
Same industry. Completely different bid, copy, and landing page.
How We Map Intent
01
Informational Intent
Users searching for answers, guides, or definitions. We capture these searchers with targeted top-of-funnel messaging, low-friction offers, or tailored remarketing buckets rather than overbidding for an immediate direct sale.
02
Commercial Intent
Users actively comparing options, reading reviews, or evaluating solutions. We align ad copy to highlight key differentiators, comparison guides, and distinct value propositions.
03
Transactional Intent
Users ready to purchase, book, or request a quote. We capture high-intent queries with aggressive, hyper-focused ad copy leading to streamlined landing pages with friction-free calls to action.
04
Search Term Harvesting & Negative Lists
We continuously analyze search term reports to identify high-performing long-tail queries and graduate them into dedicated ad groups. Simultaneously, we apply proactive negative keyword lists to filter out non-converting, low-intent traffic before it costs you money.
The Quality Score Payoff
By pairing intent-mapped ad groups with tailored messaging, we maximize keyword Quality Scores. Higher Quality Scores mean lower cost-per-click (CPC) rates and better ad positions for your budget — so you outrank competitors while spending less.
Lower CPC
Higher Quality Scores reduce what you pay per click
Better Positions
Outrank competitors without outspending them
More Conversions
Relevant ads attract buyers, not browsers
Keyword economics
How Intent Stage Affects Cost Per Acquisition
Bidding the same CPC across all intent stages is one of the most expensive mistakes in paid search. Transactional keywords cost more per click but convert at 4–8x the rate of informational queries — making their true cost per acquisition dramatically lower. The chart below illustrates typical performance spreads we see across B2B and B2C accounts in the Los Angeles market.
Intent stage performance benchmarks — LA market averages
| Intent Stage | Avg CPC | CVR | Est. CPA | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | $1.20 | 0.4% | $300 | Exclude or cap |
| Commercial / Research | $3.80 | 1.8% | $211 | Nurture funnel |
| Transactional | $7.50 | 6.2% | $121 | Scale aggressively |
| Brand | $1.10 | 12.4% | $9 | Protect always |
Benchmarks based on LA PPC Pros managed account data. B2B services vertical. Individual results vary by industry, offer, and landing page quality.
Why Keyword Research Is Not a One-Time Task
Most paid search agencies do keyword research once — at account setup — and then let the list calcify. The problem is that search behavior evolves constantly. New competitor terms emerge. Industry language shifts. Seasonal intent patterns change the relative value of different query clusters. An account that was well-mapped in 2023 may be significantly misaligned by 2026.
Our keyword and intent mapping process is continuous. Every month, we pull the full search terms report and mine it for three things: new high-intent queries to add as exact match keywords, low-intent queries to add as negatives, and emerging patterns that signal a shift in how your buyers are searching.
For Los Angeles businesses specifically, we also layer in geo-modified intent signals — searches that include neighborhood names, "near me" modifiers, and LA-specific commercial intent phrases that national keyword tools often underweight.
Match Type Strategy in 2026: What Actually Works
Google's match type landscape has changed dramatically. Broad match today is not the broad match of 2019 — it now incorporates audience signals, landing page content, and historical account performance to determine relevance. In the right account with the right audience lists and conversion history, broad match can be a powerful expansion tool. In an account without those foundations, it is a budget incinerator.
Our match type strategy is tiered. We protect proven high-intent terms with exact match and set aggressive CPA targets. We use phrase match for mid-funnel expansion with tighter negative keyword coverage. We deploy broad match only in campaigns with strong conversion history and audience layering — and only after the account has accumulated enough data for Smart Bidding to make reliable decisions.
Match type deployment rules
- Exact match: proven converters, brand terms, competitor names
- Phrase match: mid-funnel expansion with tight negatives
- Broad match: only with 30+ conversions/month and audience lists
- Never mix match types in the same ad group
- Search term review minimum weekly for first 90 days
Stop bidding blind
Map Your Keywords to Intent
We'll audit your current keyword strategy and show you exactly where intent mismatches are costing you money.