queryDNA: paid search optimization at the query level
queryDNA is SEMoptimize’s proprietary search-query optimization method. Instead of managing a few hundred keywords, it analyzes every search query an account actually receives, clusters those queries into hyper-segmented themes, pairs each theme with purpose-built ads and matched landing pages, and bids at the query level using custom algorithms. On mature accounts it consistently brings in more conversions at a lower cost per conversion.
Why platform defaults cap your growth
Google’s defaults push advertisers toward broad match, Performance Max, and hands-off automation. They have their place, but by themselves they bury the search query that drives paid search growth. When the search term is out of view, you spend real budget on the promise that the system will optimize eventually. Brand traffic covers up the wasted spend on non-brand terms, and the account coasts at minimum performance. That is fine for a cookie-cutter account, but not for a business that wants to grow. queryDNA keeps the query visible and under control.
How queryDNA works
Four steps, run as one connected system.
- Map every query. We work from the full set of search queries the account actually receives, not just the keyword list, so every decision is grounded in what people typed.
- Cluster into themes. Queries are grouped into tightly related themes by intent, so each theme can be managed as its own unit with its own economics.
- Build purpose-fit ads and pages. Each theme gets ads and landing pages written for that intent. The message matches the query, and quality signals go up.
- Bid at the query level. Custom algorithms set bids at the query level and feed clean conversion signals into Google’s bidding, so automation runs on a strong foundation instead of a black box.
queryDNA vs. a typical account
A typical account manages a few hundred keywords with limited visibility into the queries underneath them. queryDNA manages the full query set, organized into themes you can actually see and steer.
Does queryDNA work?
On mature accounts we keep seeing more conversions at a lower cost per conversion. On one national consumer-lending account, queryDNA rebuilt campaigns to produce 51% higher application volume year over year at a 22% more efficient cost per application, with brand search improving 47% and 43% on the same measures. The same pattern shows up in other verticals, insurance and healthcare among them. See the detail, including a 589% profitability lift in insurance and 701% five-year e-commerce growth, in our queryDNA case studies.
Where automation fits
queryDNA is not anti-automation. Google’s bidding algorithms are a genuine asset when they are fed clean conversion data and sit on a well-structured account. queryDNA builds that foundation, then lets automation do what it does well. In 2026, a human plus AI approach still beats AI on its own because the human sets the strategy and the structure and decides which signals the machine optimizes against.
queryDNA, answered
What is queryDNA?
queryDNA is SEMoptimize’s proprietary search-query-level optimization method: it analyzes every query an account receives, clusters them into hyper-segmented themes, builds purpose-fit ads and pages for each, and bids at the query level with custom algorithms.
How is queryDNA different from normal keyword management?
Keyword management works from a fixed list of keywords. queryDNA works from the full set of real search queries, which is a far larger and more honest picture of demand, and organizes it into themes you can control.
Does queryDNA work with Performance Max and Smart Bidding?
Yes. queryDNA gives those systems a strong structure and clean conversion signals to work from, which is when automated bidding performs best. It replaces blind reliance on the defaults, not the automation itself.
What kind of accounts is queryDNA for?
Mature accounts with enough query volume to cluster into themes, typically enterprise and high-growth advertisers who want scale, not just a serviceable cost per lead.
What results does queryDNA produce?
More conversion volume at a more efficient cost per conversion. On a national consumer-lending rebuild that meant 51% higher application volume year over year at a 22% more efficient cost per application, with larger lifts on some accounts, including a 589% profitability lift in insurance and 701% five-year e-commerce growth.
Is queryDNA a tool or a service?
It is a proprietary method run by SEMoptimize’s team and backed by our own tooling, so you are working with actual people rather than logging into a self-serve product.
See what query-level optimization would find in your account
We’ll look at your real query data and show you the growth hiding underneath the keyword list. Get a free audit.