From Average to Awesome: How to Master the Art of PPC Account Management

Whether you’re in B2B lead generation or e-commerce, the principles of high-performance PPC are largely the same. This article shares what I believe separates an average PPC account manager from an awesome one, and outlines four core strategies to help you level up.

The Difference Between Average and Awesome

Let’s rewind to 2017. Snapchat filters were everywhere, and I was working agency-side as a PPC lead. My accounts were clean, results were steady, and clients were satisfied, but they weren’t amazed. I was doing everything by the book, and while that made me adequate, it didn’t make me awesome.

Fast forward to 2025, and the game has changed. The best PPC managers today don’t just follow best practices,they challenge them. They understand how platforms actually work, not just how to use them. They’re nimble, data-led, and humble enough to be proven wrong.

Let’s explore how you can become one of them.

1. Master Smart Bidding—Don’t Just Use It

Smart bidding isn’t going anywhere. But there’s a big difference between saying you use it and understanding how it works. Average managers enable smart bidding and walk away. Awesome ones treat it like a self-driving car: they still need someone to take the lead.

Key takeaways:

Stop using manual bid adjustments with automated strategies like Max Conversions. You’re wasting your time—the system ignores the majoryt of manual bid adjustments when applied to automated bid strategies
Embrace portfolio bidding, especially for advanced needs like setting min/max bid limits with Target CPA. It’s no longer as intimidating as it once was. I promise!
Feed the system high-quality data. Garbage in, garbage out. If you’ve got broken tracking, unrealistic conversion windows, or skewed date ranges (e.g., a PR spike), the system won’t perform well—and that’s on you.

Smart bidding is only as smart as the data you give it. Respect the algorithm, but guide it wisely.

2. Focus on Metrics That Truly Matter

Clicks, impressions, and CPCs are easy to track, but they often don’t give you the full picture of the true value of PPC for the business. An average PPC manager says, “My clicks are up, so things must be good.” An awesome one asks, “Am I actually generating valuable leads or revenue?”

Tips for shifting your mindset:

Go beyond ad engagement. Focus on lead-to-sale rates, revenue per lead, or customer lifetime value. For those in e-commerce, focus more on metrics such as the average order value and ROAS.
Redefine your KPIs. Think less about ad engagement, and more about what delivers value for the business
Educate your stakeholders. If you’ve optimized for quality over volume, CPCs may rise,but that could be a good thing if your lead quality and sales are improving. Make sure that you communicate these changes to relevant stakeholders, who may be concerned when they see MoM changes in your reports.

In short, always tie your metrics back to business outcomes,preferably ones measured in cold, hard cash.

3. Structure Beats Negativity—Literally

Back in the day, I started every morning combing through search term reports and adding dozens of negative keywords. It felt like control, but now I know better.

Here’s what awesome managers do differently:

Rely on structure, not band-aids. If you need thousands of negatives to make your broad match keyword work, your structure is broken. A strong campaign structure is worth a thousand negative keywords.
Use STAGs (Single Theme Ad Groups) not just for keyword grouping, but across your whole funnel,from ad copy to landing pages to nurture flows.
Choose keywords with intent. Don’t just chase cheap CPCs. Ask yourself: “Would someone searching this phrase actually want what I’m offering?”

And yes,broad match is getting broader which is something as advertisers we must accept and adapt for. That’s why having the right structure, targeting, and messaging in place is critical.

4. Think Long-Term, Plan Strategically

Average managers live week-to-week, with neatly color-coded task lists in Monday.com. Awesome ones zoom out. They know where they’re going next quarter, next year, maybeeven beyond.

How to adopt a strategic mindset:

Set meaningful goals. For me, it’s always improving conversion rates. What’s yours?
Audit ruthlessly. Identify weak spots,bad landing pages, poor targeting, irrelevant leads. It’s not about ego or personal preference, it’s about results.
Have a plan for your plan. Know your what, how, and when. It’s not enough to just know what you want to achieve, you need to be able to work out how you’re going to get there.

Most importantly, awesome PPC pros stay curious. They watch for platform updates, new features, and industry shifts. They’re not just managing accounts,they’re future-proofing them.

Final Thought: Learn From Your Peers

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last decade, it’s this: you cannot grow in a vacuum. Drop the ego. Forget the agency rivalries. Ask questions. Show your work. Let someone else critique your account.

You’ll become a better PPC professional by learning from others, just like you’re doing today.