Google Ads and PPC for Manufacturers
How We Run Google Ads for Manufacturers
Industrial buyers do not behave like consumers. An engineer may search a material and tolerance, download a spec sheet, loop in purchasing and submit an RFQ a month later, and the order might not close for another quarter. A Google Ads account that only sees the first click has no idea which searches produce revenue. Here is how we build campaigns for manufacturers, contract shops and industrial suppliers around that reality.
Keywords Built From Capabilities
We start with what you make and how you make it. Keywords come from processes, materials and specs: "precision CNC machining titanium," "custom metal stamping," "medical grade injection molding," "ISO 9001 machine shop" and "short run sheet metal fabrication." If you sell catalog products, part numbers and model numbers often get their own ad groups, because a buyer searching an exact part number is usually close to purchase.
Broad industry terms are used sparingly. Searches like "manufacturing companies" or "metal parts" pull in students, job seekers and consumers. Negative lists block "jobs," "salary," "careers," "how it's made," DIY and hobbyist terms, plus materials or processes you do not offer. If you hold registrations or certifications such as ITAR or AS9100, they go in ads and on landing pages where buyers look for them.
RFQ Forms and Landing Pages
The landing page is usually a capability page, not your homepage. It lists equipment, materials, tolerances, certifications, minimum order quantities and industries served, because engineers check those before they ever reach out. The RFQ form asks for part description, material, quantity, annual volume, a drawing upload and the required delivery date, which gives estimators what they need and quietly filters out one-off consumer requests.
Phone calls and emails are tracked too. Many industrial buyers call to ask whether a job is a fit before sending files, so calls from ads and the website are measured alongside forms. We also track spec sheet and catalog downloads as secondary conversions, which show what engineers are researching without letting those lighter actions drive bidding decisions on their own.
Offline Conversion Imports
This is the step most manufacturing accounts skip. When an RFQ comes in, the Google click ID is captured with the lead and stored in your CRM, whether that is HubSpot, Salesforce or another system. When the lead becomes a qualified quote or a purchase order, that stage is imported back into Google Ads, along with a value wherever you are comfortable sharing one.
With those imports, Google can tell the difference between a search that produced a large production order and one that produced a student's homework question. Google generally accepts imported conversions for up to 90 days after the click, so imports should run on a regular schedule, ideally automated. Enhanced conversions for leads can improve matching when a click ID is missing.
Bidding for Long Sales Cycles
Conversion data in manufacturing is thin and slow, so we do not rush into automated bidding. Early on, campaigns run on exact and phrase match with manual control while RFQs accumulate. Once qualified leads and imported quotes are flowing steadily, we test Maximize Conversions or target CPA, and later value-based bidding if the account has enough closed deals for Google to learn from.
Reporting is set to match your sales cycle. A month with few RFQs can still be a strong month if one became a large order, so we judge results over quarters, not days. Ad schedules usually follow business hours in your buyers' time zones, and geographic targeting follows where you can ship economically or support customers, which may be regional, national or select export markets.
