PPC for Managed Service Providers: Stop the Ad Waste

Q: How should MSPs split Brand vs Non-brand PPC?

Cap Brand so it doesn’t cannibalize Non-brand. Use Brand to protect your name; invest most in Non-brand where net-new intent lives.

Q: How do we prove PPC is working?

Optimize to real lead events and import Qualified/Closed-Won back to ads. Track non-brand share, Cost per SQL, and landing page conversion rate weekly.

Waste hides in five places in PPC for managed service providers: brand cannibalizing non‑brand, weak negatives, message mismatch, sloppy geography/scheduling, and junk conversion signals. Use this lean checklist to tighten spending in 14 days and keep it tight each month.

The MSP PPC checklist (run this monthly)

1) Split budgets and structure for intent

Separate campaigns: Brand, Non‑brand, Competitor, Retargeting.
Protect the Brand with a small cap; reserve most of the budget for Non‑brand intent.
One intent per ad group. No mixed categories inside a single ad group.
Make Non‑brand your visibility engine, then retarget to recover evaluators.

Pattern examples and setups live under PPC Advertising.

2) Keywords & negatives: the waste stopper

Match types on purpose: Exact for core revenue terms, Phrase to scale. Broad only with strong negatives and audience layers.
Global negatives: job, salary, career, internship, definition, tutorial, free, cheap, DIY, repair, Apple, printer repair, Wi‑Fi fix, “vendor support” terms you don’t sell.
Review the Search terms report weekly; add negatives relentlessly.

3) Message match & pages that convert

Each ad group → a matching landing page headline and offer.
Above the fold: plain‑English value, proof, and one primary CTA; repeat near the bottom.
On phones, make tap-to-call and scheduling impossible to miss, and keep load times fast.

Reuse patterns from Website Design & Optimization.

4) Geography, schedule, and devices

Locations: People in or regularly in your service areas (exclude “interested in”).
Schedule: run when a human can answer within five minutes, otherwise route to a scheduler and say so in ads.
Devices: don’t overpay on mobile if your form is desktop‑first; adjust after data.

5) Conversion signals: optimize to real leads

Include only real lead events in Conversions (form submit, schedule submit, qualified call).
Standardize UTMs and add hidden fields to capture source + landing page in the CRM.
Import Qualified and Closed‑Won back to ad platforms (offline conversion import) so bidding learns from revenue.

Use Marketing Automation for routing/alerts and keep your one‑page view current under Reporting & Analytics.

6) Retargeting that actually helps

Build 1–7, 8–30, and 31–90 day audiences; bid higher on the freshest window.
Exclude converters; cap frequency on Display/YouTube.
Use proof‑heavy creative: logos, quantified results, and onboarding steps.

14‑day fix order (do this first)

Clean Conversions: remove micro‑events; verify events and UTMs; add hidden fields.
Restructure: split Brand/Non‑brand; cap Brand; isolate Competitor and Retargeting.
Negatives: add global lists, sweep search terms, and remove obvious waste.
Message match: route every ad group to the best‑match page; fix mobile speed and CTA.
Signals: turn on offline conversion import; review weekly.

Mini‑dashboard to keep PPC honest

Non‑brand impression share (priority terms).
Cost per SQL on Non‑brand.
Landing page CVR for paid traffic.
% of spend on Brand (don’t let it cannibalize).
Wasted spend from irrelevant queries (last 30 days).

Next step

Run a 30‑day triage to stop leaks and prove lift, then roll into your monthly Growth Engine across PPC, Website, Automation, and Reporting.

Related pillars: PPC Advertising • Website • Marketing Automation • Reporting & Analytics • Local or National SEO

Start MSP Pipeline Triage

Fix the five biggest PPC leaks in 30 days—then scale what works.

FAQs

How should MSPs split Brand vs Non‑brand PPC?

Cap Brand so it doesn’t cannibalize Non‑brand. Use Brand to protect your name; invest most in Non‑brand where net‑new intent lives.

What negative keywords should we start with?

Add jobs, DIY/education, consumer repair, and vendor support you don’t sell. Sweep the search terms report weekly and keep adding.

Do we need new landing pages?

Match each ad group to a page with clear value, proof, and a single primary CTA. On mobile, make the phone and schedule obvious.

How do we prove PPC is working?

Optimize to real lead events and import Qualified/Closed‑Won back to ads. Track non‑brand share, Cost per SQL, and landing page CVR weekly.