SEA - Search Engine Advertising
Paid search for online stores, outsourced and steered on profit instead of revenue.
Paid channels are the fastest way to pull demand to your store, and the fastest way to burn money. SEA usually gets equated with Google Ads, while there are now three places where you can catch a buying query. We manage all three from one strategy and one measurement setup, so you see per channel what's left after purchasing and shipping costs.
The problem
Advertising has become more automated in recent years, with fewer dials to turn. As a result, your results depend more and more on the data you feed in, and less and less on what you switch on in the interface.
- ROAS is calculated on revenue, so two campaigns with the same number can turn out completely differently once margins differ.
- Channels get managed in isolation, so nobody sees which channel is picking up orders you'd have gotten anyway.
- Click prices keep rising while the budget stays the same, and margin absorbs the difference.
- Without clean conversion data, every platform's algorithm optimises blind, and neatly towards the wrong goal.
The opportunity
Whoever links their margins to their campaigns is steering on a different number than most competitors. A campaign with a ROAS of 3 on products with a 50% margin earns fine, while a ROAS of 5 on a 10% margin costs money. Once that difference is visible, budget naturally shifts towards the orders that leave something over. On top of that comes channel choice: Bing picks up an audience you're missing on Google at lower click prices, and advertising in ChatGPT is new enough that being first means knowing something the rest of the market doesn't yet.
The building blocks
What falls under Advertising.
Three channels, one strategy and one measurement setup underneath. We're a Google Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner. In practice, almost everyone starts with Google Ads, and the rest gets added once that's in place.
In the Growth System
Stage 03: attracting profitable demand.
SEA runs on the measurement foundation from stage 01. The cleaner your conversion data, the more sharply the algorithms steer in your favour. And it's not separate from stage 04: Google factors the landing pages you build organically into the auction, and the search terms that generate revenue here determine what the organic content is about.
View the full Growth System- 01 Measure
- 02 Discover
- 03 Attract
- 04 Get found
- 05 Scale
What clients say
How it plays out in practice.
“Digital Bean offers excellent communication and thinks proactively about our Google advertising approach. They constantly look for new opportunities, keep a close eye on performance, and act immediately when needed. A reliable and pleasant collaboration!”
Frequently asked questions
What clients usually ask.
Missing a question? Email or call us, the lines are short here.
What exactly is SEA?
SEA stands for Search Engine Advertising: paid advertising in search engines. In the Netherlands it's almost always equated with Google Ads, while it's actually broader. Microsoft Ads falls under it just as much, and advertising in ChatGPT adds a place where people ask their buying questions. We handle all three from one strategy, because they share the same product data and the same measurement.
Which channel do we start with?
Almost always Google Ads, because that's where the most volume and the most buying intent is. Microsoft Ads often follows shortly after, since you can import your campaigns and it takes little extra work. We add ChatGPT Ads once the rest is in place and there's room to test.
Do you steer on ROAS or on profit?
We look at both. ROAS is useful for comparing campaigns, but it's calculated on revenue, so two campaigns with the same number can turn out very differently. That's why we put your margins alongside it and split the budget based on what's left per order. It's less a formula than a way of looking, and how far you can take it differs per store.
Do you also take over an existing account?
Yes, and that's usually the starting point. We begin with a review of your current structure, feeds and conversion measurement. That almost always turns up quick wins before anything new has even been set up.
What's the minimum budget I need?
That depends on your margin and your niche. Below a certain budget, Smart Bidding doesn't get enough conversions to learn anything, and you stay stuck in the test phase. In the growth session, we work out a sensible starting point for your situation.
Do I keep ownership of my accounts?
Always. We work in your accounts, you keep access and the full history. If the collaboration ends, you remove our access in two clicks.
Curious what your campaigns actually deliver after product costs?
In an hour, we'll work through your margins to see where budget is leaking and which product groups have room to scale.
Reply within 24 hours on working days