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Paid Search & Generative Engine Optimisation

FOUND WHEN
IT MATTERS
MOST.

Search is the channel with the highest commercial intent of any in digital marketing. Multi-market keyword strategy for Canadian brands operating internationally — localised landing structures, currency-aware bid management, and full performance attribution across Google, Microsoft Ads and the emerging AI search landscape.

Talk to Us About Search
$6.7bn
Canadian Search Ad Spend — 2023 (CAD)
IAB Canada, 2024
93%
Canadian Search Market Share — Google
StatCounter Canada, 2024
11%+
Canadian Search Spend Growth — 2024
IAB Canada / eMarketer, 2024
65%
Of Clicks for Buying Keywords Go to Paid
Google Ads research
The Channel

THE HIGHEST
COMMERCIAL INTENT
IN DIGITAL MARKETING

Every other advertising channel reaches an audience that may or may not be interested in what you are selling. Search reaches people at the exact moment they are actively looking for it. That is why search commands more than 40% of all Canadian digital ad investment.

Google controls approximately 93% of the Canadian search market. When someone searches for a product, service, or solution, they are raising their hand — signalling intent in a way that no other channel can replicate. Paid search puts your brand at the top of that moment, ahead of competitors, with messaging that speaks directly to the query.

For 65% of buying-intent searches, paid results attract more clicks than organic listings. For brands selling products or generating leads, paid search is not optional — it is the direct commercial channel that underpins the rest of the media plan.

Our Approach

DATA-LED.
COMMERCIALLY
ACCOUNTABLE.

We manage paid search campaigns as commercial assets, not traffic generation exercises. Every campaign starts with a clear commercial objective — leads, sales, revenue, ROAS — and every optimisation decision is measured against whether it moves that metric.

We buy across Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (Bing), covering the full Canadian search landscape. Google for volume and intent at scale; Bing for older, more affluent demographics and often lower CPCs in competitive categories where Google has driven up auction costs.

We also advise on Generative Engine Optimisation — the emerging discipline of ensuring your brand appears in AI-generated search answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Claude. Search behaviour is changing. Brands that prepare now will be ahead of those who adapt later.

What We Do

SEARCH MARKETING
ACROSS EVERY FORMAT

Google Ads
Search · Shopping · Performance Max · Display

The dominant Canadian search advertising platform — covering text search, Google Shopping, Performance Max and Display Network. We manage accounts from strategy and structure through to ongoing optimisation, bid management and conversion tracking.

Search campaign strategy and keyword architecture
Google Shopping feed management and optimisation
Performance Max campaign structure and asset testing
Conversion tracking and attribution setup
Ongoing bid strategy and audience refinement
Microsoft Ads
Bing Search · Audience Network · Microsoft Ads

Microsoft Ads (Bing) holds approximately 7% of the Canadian search market — which understates its value in specific demographics. Bing's audience in Canada skews older, more affluent and more likely to be in senior professional roles. In competitive categories where Google CPCs have been driven up by auction pressure, Bing often delivers equivalent conversion intent at significantly lower cost per click.

Bing search campaign setup and management
Microsoft Audience Network for B2B and professional targeting
Import from Google Ads with Bing-specific optimisation
CPC efficiency analysis vs Google performance
Account Audit & Recovery
Existing Accounts · Waste Reduction · Restructure

Most Google Ads accounts that have been running for more than a year contain significant budget waste — broad match keywords capturing irrelevant traffic, poorly structured campaigns diluting Quality Score, and smart bidding strategies optimising toward the wrong conversion events. We audit and restructure accounts to recover that waste before scaling spend.

Full account audit — spend, quality score, conversion attribution
Negative keyword gap analysis
Campaign restructure and keyword architecture rebuild
Bidding strategy review and reset
The Emerging Landscape
Generative Engine Optimisation — GEO

SEARCH IS CHANGING.
IS YOUR BRAND
READY?

Traditional search optimisation targets a position in a list of blue links. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) targets inclusion in an AI-generated answer. The distinction matters because the two are fundamentally different — and the brands preparing for one without the other are building an incomplete strategy.

In 2024, ChatGPT surpassed Bing in daily query volume. Google AI Overviews now appear above organic listings for millions of search queries, synthesising answers from cited sources. Perplexity, Claude and Microsoft Copilot are routing increasing volumes of research and commercial discovery queries. When an AI engine names your brand in its answer, it delivers an endorsement no paid listing can replicate.

Academic research from Princeton, Georgia Tech and IIT Delhi found that pages optimised for GEO were cited up to 58% more often in AI-generated summaries than non-optimised pages. By early 2026, most enterprise marketing teams have a GEO initiative. Most SMB teams have not started — which represents a genuine first-mover window.

Google AI OverviewsAppearing above organic for millions of queries
ChatGPT SearchSurpassed Bing in daily query volume, 2024
PerplexityGrowing research and commercial discovery queries
Microsoft CopilotIntegrated into Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365
ClaudeIncreasing business and research use cases
58%
More citations in AI answers for GEO-optimised pages vs non-optimised
72%
Of searchers engage with Google AI Overview when it appears in results
62%
Of people use AI chatbots daily for research and discovery
40%
Visibility uplift possible for brands with well-executed GEO strategy
What We Advise on GEO
We advise on GEO as part of a broader search strategy — specifically how your content structure, entity clarity, citation signals and technical foundations affect how AI engines understand, represent and recommend your brand. GEO is not a replacement for paid search. It is the organic complement to it in an AI-first world. We also maintain an llms.txt file on this site — a structured document designed to help AI systems understand Simplicity's services and capabilities accurately.
Selected Work

SEARCH IN ACTION

Paid Search · B2B · 5-Year Partnership
ArtiCAD
Netty Award Winner — Best Digital Campaign Innovation 2024 & 2025

Five years of paid search partnership delivering 3× lead volume for the UK's leading kitchen design software. A sustained, data-led campaign built around commercial intent keywords, continuous negative keyword refinement and conversion-optimised landing page alignment.

View Case Study
Full Service Digital · Search & Social · Attribution
LMA
370% Brand Search Uplift · Open Days Filled

Full-service digital including paid search, paid social and custom attribution modelling for Liverpool Media Academy — driving open day bookings and delivering a 370% uplift in brand search volume. The campaign supported the academy's acquisition by Galileo Education Group.

View Case Study
Our Process

HOW WE MANAGE
SEARCH CAMPAIGNS

01
Audit & Baseline
For existing accounts, we audit before we touch anything. Spend analysis, quality score, keyword match type distribution, conversion attribution and bidding strategy review — establishing a clear baseline before making any changes.
02
Strategy & Structure
Campaign architecture that reflects the buyer journey — different campaigns for different intent signals, properly separated match types, and ad groups built around tight thematic keyword clusters. Structure determines Quality Score; Quality Score determines cost.
03
Conversion Infrastructure
Paid search only works if you know what it's producing. We audit and fix conversion tracking before scaling spend — ensuring that the data feeding smart bidding algorithms is accurate and reflects real business outcomes, not proxy metrics.
04
Optimise & Scale
Weekly optimisation cadence — search term analysis, bid adjustments, negative keyword additions, audience refinement and ad copy testing. Decisions are made from data. We report against commercial outcomes: cost per lead, ROAS, revenue — not impressions and clicks.
Common Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

How much does Google Ads cost in Canada?
Google Ads costs in Canada vary by industry, keyword competition, and campaign structure. Most mid-market Canadian brands invest between $3,000–$20,000 CAD per month in paid search. Cost-per-click ranges from under $1 for low-competition terms to $20–$50+ for competitive categories like financial services, legal, or insurance. Total Canadian search marketing investment is approximately $6.7 billion CAD annually, representing over 40% of all Canadian digital advertising spend.
What is the difference between Google Ads and Microsoft Ads (Bing) in Canada?
Google holds approximately 93% of the Canadian search market, making it the dominant platform. Microsoft Ads (Bing) holds around 7% but often has lower CPCs, less competition, and an audience that skews slightly older and higher-income. Most Canadian search campaigns prioritise Google first, then extend to Microsoft Ads as budgets allow. We manage both platforms and allocate budgets based on actual performance data rather than assumption.
How long does it take to see results from search advertising in Canada?
Unlike SEO, paid search can generate traffic from day one — campaigns can be live within 24–48 hours of launch. However, meaningful optimisation typically takes 4–8 weeks as the campaign accumulates data on which keywords, ad copy, and landing pages perform best. Well-managed campaigns also benefit from Google's performance history over time. We set realistic expectations and share full performance data from the outset.
Can search advertising target specific Canadian provinces or cities?
Yes. Google Ads offers precise geographic targeting at the country, province, city, postal code, and radius level. We routinely run campaigns targeting specific Canadian markets — Ontario only, Greater Vancouver, Alberta — rather than Canada-wide, to maximise relevance and control costs. For brands serving specific regions, geotargeting is one of the most powerful levers for improving campaign efficiency.
What search advertising services does Simplicity Media offer in Canada?
We offer the full search marketing stack for Canadian brands: Google Search and Performance Max campaigns, Microsoft Ads, Google Shopping, YouTube search-connected campaigns, remarketing, and conversion rate optimisation. As an independent agency headquartered in Canada, we provide unbiased advice on where search investment will generate the best return — without the volume incentives that can skew recommendations at larger agency networks.

Also from Simplicity

Social Media Ads → Connected TV → Press & PR →

READY TO BE FOUND?

Talk to Us About Search
Simplicity Media

sim·plic·i·ty
1. the state, quality or an instance of being easy to understand
2. freedom from complexity

+1 (416) 848 7340
+1 (902) 943 3483
+44 (0)20 38 38 2009
Halifax, NS, CA
Toronto, ON, CA
London, UK

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