# Hire the Top Paid Search Experts

Paid search is advertising bought against a person’s typed query on Google and Bing, capturing demand that already exists rather than manufacturing new demand. GTM 8020 assigns you a senior fractional paid search expert from its team who owns keyword tiers, ad copy, and landing page match — usually in 1–2 weeks.

_Source: https://www.gtm8020.com/services/paid-ads/paid-search_

- **Part of:** [Paid Ads](https://www.gtm8020.com/services/paid-ads.md)

## Key takeaways

- Paid search is the only major channel that captures existing buyer intent instead of creating it.
- Campaigns run on three keyword tiers — branded, commercial, and competitor — each needing its own bids and landing page.
- The branded-search debate (bidding on your own name) and Bing’s lower CPCs are two of the biggest levers most teams ignore.
- GTM 8020 assigns you a vetted senior paid search operator from its team in 1–2 weeks.

## What is paid search?

Paid search — also called PPC or search advertising — is advertising bought against a person’s typed query on Google Ads or Microsoft (Bing) Ads, so the ad appears only when someone is already searching for a related term. It is the only major channel inside [paid ads](/services/paid-ads) that **captures existing demand rather than creating it**.

Campaigns are built around three keyword tiers. **Branded** terms are searches for your own company name. **Commercial (generic)** terms describe the problem or category — “fractional CMO,” “paid search agency” — without naming a vendor. **Competitor** terms name a rival directly. Each tier converts differently and needs its own bids, ad copy, and landing page.

Paid search runs on both engines a buyer might use. Google Ads carries the largest volume; Microsoft (Bing) Ads often carries less competition and lower cost per click for the same terms, especially in B2B.

## Why paid search is different from SEO

Paid search buys placement instantly with a bid; SEO earns placement over months through content and authority. A campaign can be live within a day, but the traffic is rented — it stops the moment spend stops. SEO traffic is owned; it compounds after the work is done. A mature program treats paid search as the fast lane for demand you need this quarter, not a substitute for organic authority.

### The branded-search debate

One contested call is whether to bid on your own branded terms when you already rank organically for them. The case for bidding: you control the message and block competitor conquesting ads. The case against: you may pay for clicks you’d have gotten free. The right call depends on how aggressively competitors bid on your name.

## Paid search vs. organic search vs. paid social

These channels get lumped together as “marketing spend,” but they behave on different timelines and cost curves.

| Channel | Speed to results | Cost curve | Durability |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Paid search | Live in days; captures existing intent | Pay per click; scales with volume | Stops when spend stops |
| Organic search (SEO) | 3–12 months to rank | Upfront investment, low marginal cost after | Compounds after launch |
| Paid social | Live in days; interrupts, doesn’t capture intent | Pay per impression; rises as audiences fatigue | Stops when spend stops |

Most operators run all three: paid search to capture demand that exists, paid social to build awareness with people not yet searching, and SEO to reduce dependence on both over time.

## How do you measure paid search?

Paid search is measured on cost per acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS) against pipeline or revenue — not clicks or impressions. Click-through rate and Quality Score matter only as levers that lower conversion cost.

A senior operator tracks conversion rate by keyword tier, since branded, commercial, and competitor terms convert at different rates, and tracks impression share — the share of eligible auctions you appear in — since a capped budget means demand goes uncaptured.

Ad copy and extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets) get tested continuously, since small click-through gains compound into lower CPA. Landing page message match — whether the landing page repeats the ad’s exact promise — is its own lever; this overlaps with [landing page design](/services/landing-page-design), since a mismatch is a common cause of wasted spend.

## How to hire a paid search expert with GTM 8020

GTM 8020 is a go-to-market agency with only senior operators on its team — the 20% of talent that drives 80% of growth. Instead of sifting agency pitches, you tell us your challenge and we put the right operator from our team on it:

-   **1\. Book a free 30-minute call.** Walk us through your funnel, current spend, and which engines you’re running.
-   **2\. Meet your operator in 1–2 weeks.** We introduce a vetted paid search expert who has managed Google and Bing accounts at your stage.
-   **3\. Work together directly.** Your expert embeds fractionally — hands-on, and you can scale spend and hours up or down as you grow.

## Common paid search mistakes

-   **No branded-search decision.** Leaving your name undefended lets competitors bid on it and steal clicks you’d otherwise get free.
-   **Skipping negative keywords.** Without a negative list, budget leaks to irrelevant queries that never convert.
-   **Poor landing page message match.** Sending a click to a generic homepage instead of a page repeating the ad’s exact promise kills conversion rate.
-   **Testing headlines but not extensions.** Sitelinks and callouts move click-through rate and are rarely tested with the same rigor.
-   **Ignoring Bing entirely.** Microsoft Ads often carries lower CPCs for the same terms, especially in B2B.

GTM 8020’s bench includes operators who’ve run paid search across B2B and B2C. [Browse our experts](/experts) or [book a free call](/book-a-call) to get a senior operator from our team on it.

## FAQ

**What is paid search?**

Paid search (PPC) is advertising bought against a person’s typed query on Google Ads or Microsoft (Bing) Ads, so the ad appears only when someone is already searching for a related term — it captures existing demand rather than creating new demand.

**What are the keyword tiers in paid search?**

Branded terms are searches for your own company name, commercial (generic) terms describe the problem or category without naming a vendor, and competitor terms name a rival directly. Each tier converts differently and needs its own bids and landing page.

**Should you bid on your own branded search terms?**

It depends on competitive pressure. Bidding controls the message and blocks competitor conquesting ads on your name, but you may pay for clicks you’d have gotten organically for free — the right call scales with how aggressively rivals bid on your brand.

**Is Google Ads or Microsoft (Bing) Ads better for paid search?**

Google Ads carries the largest search volume, while Microsoft (Bing) Ads often carries less competition and a lower cost per click for the same commercial-intent terms, especially in B2B — most mature programs run both.

**How do you measure paid search performance?**

On cost per acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS) against pipeline or revenue, plus conversion rate by keyword tier and impression share. Click-through rate and Quality Score matter only as levers that lower conversion cost, not as end goals.

**How much does a fractional paid search expert cost?**

Engagements are monthly and fractional — far less than a full-time hire — and scale with your ad spend and stage. Book a free call and GTM 8020 will put the right operator from its team on it, at a budget that fits.

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_GTM 8020 — https://www.gtm8020.com. This is a Markdown rendering of https://www.gtm8020.com/services/paid-ads/paid-search for AI and agent readers._