Restructure before you optimize
Most underperforming accounts are not bad at optimization - they are badly structured. Campaigns crammed with mixed intent produce mixed signals, and the algorithm optimizes toward whichever conversion happens to be cheap, not whichever is valuable. The fix is a restructure that separates intent before any bid touches.
The intent hierarchy that works
Layer one: brand and navigational - defend your name. Layer two: commercial - 'best X', 'X alternatives', comparisons. Layer three: transactional - 'buy X', 'X price', 'X near me'. Layer four: informational - 'how to X' - which belongs in SEO and content, not the CPC auction, unless you have a retargeting play attached.
Each layer gets its own campaign, its own budget and its own landing page. Search quality then compounds because the algorithm sees clean signals per campaign.
Match types, negative lists and the weekly scan
Exact and phrase carry the core budget; broad is reserved for experiments with heavy negatives. Negative-keyword hygiene is a weekly discipline - search-term reports are mined for the queries that burn budget and never convert. In our restructures this work alone cuts cost per conversion an average of 32% within 60 days.
The honest headline: Google Ads has no tricks. It has structure, data hygiene and weekly iteration. Brands that do the boring work win the cheap clicks.
