Google Ads & SEA | French-speaking Switzerland

80% of Google Ads accounts waste a third of their budget. Yours probably does too.

On a budget of CHF 3’000.-/month, that is CHF 1’000.- going on useless clicks. Every month. We audit, restructure and optimise your campaigns so every franc is traced and accounted for.

CHF 800K+
Budget managed
350%
Average ROAS
+30
Accounts managed
Google Ads campaign performance analysis on a dashboard
The Diagnosis

Where your Google Ads budget really goes.

Most companies we audit in French-speaking Switzerland find that a significant share of their advertising budget is wasted. Not because Google Ads does not work, but because their campaigns suffer from structural problems nobody has taken the time to fix. Here are the three most common money sinks.

money_off

Budget burned on unqualified clicks

Without a rigorous negative keyword list, your ads appear on irrelevant queries. A law firm in Geneva bidding on “lawyer” without excluding “job”, “salary” or “studies” pays for dozens of clicks a day that will never generate a single instruction. It is the most frequent and most expensive problem we identify during our audits.

visibility_off

No reliable conversion tracking

You spend CHF 3’000.- a month, but you do not know how many leads or sales come from your campaigns. Without conversion tracking properly configured through Google Tag Manager and GA4, you optimise blind, on clicks rather than on outcomes. It is like flying a plane without instruments: you are moving, but you do not know where.

web_asset_off

Landing pages that do not convert

Your ads generate clicks, but your phone does not ring. The cause: you send traffic to your home page instead of a landing page built for the search intent. A visitor searching “emergency dentist Lausanne” who lands on your “About” page will not book. Every campaign needs a page designed to convert.

Investing in French-speaking Switzerland

Your competitors are already bidding. The cost of doing nothing is higher than the cost of acting.

A click on “lawyer Geneva” costs CHF 15.-. “Dentist Lausanne”, CHF 8.-. “Accountant Fribourg”, CHF 6.-. Costs per click in French-speaking Switzerland are among the highest in Europe. But that also means your prospects are actively searching and ready to convert. Every day without an optimised campaign is a day your competitors capture those leads.

Our team knows the market in French-speaking Switzerland: targeting by city and canton, bids adapted to Swiss office hours, ads in French and English. No generic strategy imported from France.

72%

Of commercial-intent searches in French-speaking Switzerland go through Google. Your clients look for you there

4.2×

Average ROAS on our campaigns in French-speaking Switzerland. Every franc invested returns CHF 4.20

-45%

Average cost per lead after our team optimised an existing account

J+1

Ads running the day after going live. No indexing delay as there is with SEO

Our Services

Transparent management. Separate media budget.

Our fees cover the strategy, the day-to-day management and the optimisation of your campaigns. The media budget is paid directly to Google from your account. We do not touch it and take no commission on it. You keep full real-time access to your Google Ads account.

search

Google Search Ads

from CHF 800.-/month

Campaigns on the Google search network, the most direct channel for reaching prospects in buying mode. Keyword research, ad copywriting, A/B tests, bid management and weekly optimisation. Ideal for B2B services, professional practices and companies that generate leads by form or telephone.

Recommended media budget: CHF 1'500.-/month

Typical outcome: 15 to 40 qualified leads/month on a total budget of CHF 3'000.-

shopping_bag

Google Shopping

from CHF 1'200.-/month

Shopping campaigns with optimised product listings, a configured Merchant Center feed and bids segmented by product performance. Your products appear with photo, price and reviews directly in Google results. Particularly effective for Swiss online stores with a catalogue of 50 products or more.

Recommended media budget: CHF 2'000.-/month

play_circle

Display & YouTube Ads

from CHF 600.-/month

Awareness and remarketing campaigns on the Display network and YouTube. Ideal for staying visible to visitors who have already engaged with your site without converting. Bespoke banners, custom audiences and interest targeting to reach your audience across French-speaking Switzerland.

Recommended media budget: CHF 1'000.-/month

fact_check

Account Audit & Takeover

from CHF 500.-

You already have a Google Ads account but the results have stalled. We audit your structure, your tracking, your negative keywords and your landing pages, then produce a detailed report with a prioritised action plan. Taking over management can start immediately once approved.

Delivery: 5–7 working days

Our Approach

What separates us from an “account manager”.

Most Google Ads agencies manage your campaigns but do not touch your site. When the landing page does not convert, they tell you “that is a site problem” and send you to a developer. Two more people to deal with, more time lost.

At Smart Impact, we build your landing pages, configure your tracking and optimise your campaigns. All under one roof. When ROAS drops, we do not look for someone to blame, we fix it.

account_tree

A surgical account structure

Most Google Ads accounts we audit have a catch-all structure: one campaign, a few ad groups, dozens of keywords mixed together. The result: it is impossible to put budget where it performs best. We restructure by search intent, by product or by geographic area for granular control of bids and budget.

ads_click

Dedicated landing pages

We never send advertising traffic to your home page. Every campaign has a landing page designed specifically for the search intent: a headline aligned with the ad, a clear value proposition, a single call to action. That is the direct lever Google uses to calculate the Quality Score, which in turn drives the cost per click.

monitoring

Tracking & Attribution

Full setup of Google Tag Manager, GA4, conversion tracking (forms, calls, purchases) and a data-driven attribution model. Without that measurement infrastructure, every optimisation is guesswork. Every franc spent is traceable through to conversion.

auto_fix_high

Continuous optimisation

Every week: search term analysis, negative keywords added, bid adjustments by device and by hour, ad A/B tests, audience optimisation. Every month: strategic review, Quality Score analysis, budget reallocation to the most profitable campaigns. We do not “manage” your campaigns. We actively improve them, week after week.

Our Method

How to turn a wasteful account into a lead machine.

troubleshoot
First step

Audit & Strategy

A full analysis of your market: search volume, cost per click by query, competitor positioning. If you have an existing account, we audit its structure, its tracking and its performance. On that basis we define the strategy: which campaigns to launch, what budget to allocate to each channel and what ROAS targets to aim for.

build
Second step

Structure & Creation

Building the account with a granular architecture: campaigns segmented by intent, thematic ad groups, negative keyword lists. All ads written (responsive search ads, extensions, sitelinks). Landing pages created or optimised. Full GA4 + Google Tag Manager tracking setup.

rocket_launch
Third step

Launch & Tracking

Campaigns go live with a controlled initial budget and daily caps to avoid surprises. Tracking verified in real time: every conversion (form, call, purchase) is correctly attributed. Daily reports during the first 2 weeks so we can adjust quickly if needed.

trending_up
Fourth step

Optimisation & Scaling

From week three, the optimisation cycle begins: search term analysis, negative keywords added, bid adjustments, A/B tests on ads and landing pages. Each month you get a detailed report with KPIs (CPC, CTR, cost per lead, ROAS) and strategic recommendations. Once ROAS is stable, we gradually increase the budget on the most profitable campaigns.

Google Ads campaign management
Our Results

Campaigns that generate business, with the figures to show it.

CHF 0K+
Of advertising budget managed in French-speaking Switzerland
0%
Average ROAS across all our live campaigns
-0%
Average cost per lead after optimising an existing account
0+
Google Ads accounts managed in French-speaking Switzerland

Medical clinic | Account takeover

Before Smart Impact, we were spending CHF 4'000.- a month on Google Ads for 8 appointment requests. After restructuring the account and building dedicated landing pages, we now get 35 requests a month on the same budget. The cost per patient acquired was cut by four in three months.

CPC before
CHF 12.50
CPC after
CHF 6.80
Leads/month before
8
Leads/month after
35
DC
Clinic director
Client, medical sector, Geneva

Accountancy firm | Campaign launch

We had never advertised online. Smart Impact configured our campaigns, built dedicated landing pages and put full tracking in place. Within 3 months we generate 12 qualified enquiries a month on a media budget of CHF 1’800.-. The cost per lead has fallen below CHF 150.-

Media budget
CHF 1’800.-
Leads/month
12
Cost/lead
CHF 150.-
ROAS
5.2×
AF
Founding partner
Client, accountancy, Lausanne
Included & Commitments

Full transparency. Your account belongs to you.

Too many agencies in French-speaking Switzerland create the Google Ads account in their own name, lock down access and charge exit fees if you leave. At Smart Impact it is the opposite: your account, your data, your freedom. Here is what every management retainer includes.

Included in every retainer

  • check_circleA full initial audit of your existing account (or its creation)
  • check_circleGA4 + Google Tag Manager tracking setup
  • check_circleKeyword research and competitor monitoring
  • check_circleAd copywriting and A/B testing
  • check_circleLanding pages created or optimised
  • check_circleBid and daily budget management
  • check_circleDetailed monthly reports (CPC, CTR, ROAS, cost/lead)
  • check_circleReal-time access to your Google Ads account
  • check_circleA 30-minute monthly strategy check-in

Our commitment

N°1

Your account belongs to you

The Google Ads account is created or kept in your name. You have permanent administrator access. If you decide to change agency, you leave with your entire history, your audiences and your conversion data. No exit fees, no lock-in.

N°2

Your budget is protected

Daily budget caps configured from launch, a negative keyword list enriched every week, real-time overspend alerts. If ROAS falls below the agreed threshold, we adjust immediately. Not next month.

N°3

No long-term contract

Our Google Ads management retainers are cancellable at 30 days. We recommend a 3-month horizon so the optimisation work can take effect, but you are free to stop at any time with 30 days' notice. Trust is earned through the work delivered, not through a contract.

Who this is for

Google Ads suited to your budget.

Whether you invest CHF 500 or CHF 50’000 a month, we get the most from every franc you spend.

SMEs and micro-businesses in French-speaking Switzerland

Targeted local Search campaigns to generate qualified leads in your catchment area, without wasting your budget.

Discuss my project

Growing startups

Aggressive acquisition campaigns and continuous A/B testing to scale your client base quickly.

Discuss my project

Institutions & major accounts

Multi-campaign strategies (Search, Display, YouTube) with detailed reporting and ROAS management.

Discuss my project
Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Google Ads in Switzerland.

Any other questions? Contact us directly for an initial scoping conversation.

01

How much does Google Ads cost in French-speaking Switzerland?

The cost of Google Ads has two distinct parts: the agency's management fee and the media budget paid directly to Google. Our management fees start at CHF 800.- a month for conventional Search campaigns. The media budget depends on your sector and your objectives. We recommend a minimum of CHF 1’500.- a month to obtain statistically meaningful data. Combining management and media, a total budget of CHF 2’500.- a month is a good starting point for an SME in French-speaking Switzerland.

02

What is the minimum budget for Google Ads in Switzerland?

For effective Google Ads campaigns in Switzerland, we recommend a minimum media budget of CHF 1’500.- a month. Below that threshold, the volume of data collected is not enough for meaningful optimisation of bids and audiences. That minimum varies by sector: in finance or healthcare in Geneva, where costs per click are among the highest in Europe, a budget of CHF 3’000.- a month is often needed to compete. We always adjust our recommendations to the reality of your sector.

03

How quickly do you see an effect with Google Ads?

Ads start running as soon as the campaigns go live, which is the main advantage of Google Ads over SEO. The optimisation work, though, spreads over 4 to 8 weeks. That period is needed to collect enough conversion data, refine bids, identify negative keywords and test ad variants. No serious agency can guarantee a level of performance: that depends on your market, your offer and the competition on your queries. We provide weekly reports from launch.

04

What happens if I stop Google Ads?

Unlike SEO, whose effects persist, Google Ads stops the moment you cut the budget. No more ads are shown, no more clicks are billed. No budget, no visibility. But that is also an advantage: you control your investment day by day. Your Google Ads account belongs entirely to you: history, audiences, conversion data. If you decide to start again, you keep all of it. Retainers cancellable at 30 days.

05

Why are my Google Ads not working?

The most frequent causes we identify during our audits in French-speaking Switzerland are: an account structure that is too generic (every query in a single campaign), no negative keywords (you pay for irrelevant clicks), conversion tracking badly configured or absent (you optimise blind), and landing pages that do not match search intent. Often all four problems coexist. Our first conversation pinpoints where your budget is going and which fixes we recommend.

06

Do you manage Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads as well?

Yes. If your acquisition strategy warrants it, we also manage campaigns on Meta (Facebook and Instagram Ads) and LinkedIn Ads. In practice, for most B2B companies in French-speaking Switzerland, Google Ads remains the most profitable channel because it captures active search intent. Meta and LinkedIn are more effective for retargeting and reputation. We define the optimal channel mix together based on your audience, your sector and your total available budget.

One partner

Google Ads performs better within a complete strategy.

Combine paid advertising, organic search and an optimised site to get the most from every franc invested.

Take the next step

Your advertising budget deserves a review before any proposal.

Tell us about your current campaigns and your objectives. We will look at your account and come back within 48 hours with a reasoned view: what is being wasted, what can be optimised, and on what conditions.

An answer within 48 hoursEvery project is reviewedA reasoned answer
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