Paid search for crypto operates within a narrow, policy-restricted lane most performance marketers have never encountered – Google's crypto exchange certification, rigid creative rules, and no cookie-based attribution after a user connects a wallet. We create compliant paid search programs that pass policy review and accurately track what happens beyond the click.
The Challenge
Google's crypto advertising policy catches out teams unfamiliar with the process
Google requires a separate certification for cryptocurrency exchange and wallet advertisers, with its own application process, approved-entity list, and country-by-country restrictions, and campaigns launched without going through it get suspended immediately, sometimes taking the whole ad account down with them. Teams that treat crypto paid search like any other vertical burn weeks in appeal purgatory before anything runs.
High CPCs for core keywords burn through budget quickly without a clear payback model
Keywords around exchanges, wallets, and yield products carry some of the highest CPCs in digital advertising because of both real competition and low advertiser eligibility, and teams that don't have a clear cost-per-acquisition target relative to actual user lifetime value end up burning budget on keyword auctions they can't win economically.
Wallet-connect conversions don't work with standard analytics attribution
The action that actually matters – a wallet connecting to the protocol, a transaction executing on-chain – happens outside the traditional page-view-and-form-fill conversion model that most paid search accounts are built to track. Teams running standard Google Ads conversion tracking end up optimizing toward landing page visits instead of the on-chain action that actually indicates a real user, and the algorithm optimizes toward the wrong signal as a result.
Creative and landing pages are rejected for the same promotional-language problems that cause issues in PR
Paid search ad copy and landing pages that imply guaranteed returns, describe token price upside, or use language that reads like investment solicitation get rejected by platform policy review and, separately, create the same regulatory exposure as any other promotional material. Teams iterating fast on ad copy without a compliance check built into the workflow burn cycles getting creative rejected or, worse, get it approved and create real liability.
How We Support You
We begin by assessing your current certification status, account history, and any previous policy strikes, because clean certification and account history are prerequisites for everything that follows in paid search.
Strategy development involves creating a keyword and campaign structure around a genuine cost-per-acquisition target linked to actual user value, rather than bidding on every relevant term, and implementing conversion tracking that records wallet connects and on-chain activity instead of only page views.
Execution includes managing the certification process when it isn't already complete, building and launching campaigns, and conducting a compliance review of every piece of ad copy and landing page content before launch, so creative isn't rejected or doesn't create liability afterward.
Measurement focuses on reporting cost per wallet connect and cost per genuine on-chain conversion, rather than only clicks and page views, so budget choices reflect what the campaign actually generated downstream.
What sets this apart from a standard performance marketing agency is our direct experience navigating Google's crypto certification process and policy review, plus our approach of building attribution around on-chain actions from day one rather than adding it after launch.
We also track policy changes continuously, because Google's crypto advertising rules change more often than those in most verticals, and a campaign that's compliant today may be flagged next quarter if no one is monitoring policy updates.
What we deliver
- Google Ads crypto certification process managed end to end
- Keyword and campaign structure built around real cost-per-acquisition targets
- Conversion tracking that captures wallet connects and on-chain activity, not just page views
- Compliance-reviewed ad copy and landing pages before launch
- Ongoing policy monitoring so campaigns stay compliant as rules shift
A page-view conversion from crypto paid search tells you very little. The number that matters is cost per wallet connect – because it's the first action associated with a user who may actually become a real one.
Our Methodology
Our paid search engagements for crypto and DeFi teams operate as a 90-day sprint that treats certification and compliance as prerequisites, rather than a parallel workstream. Phase one, covering the first 30 days, manages Google's crypto certification process when it isn't already complete, reviews any previous account history for policy risk, and creates the attribution plan for wallet-connect and on-chain conversion tracking.
Phase two, from days 31 through 60, builds and launches campaigns with keyword and bid structures connected to real cost-per-acquisition targets, while putting every piece of creative through compliance review before launch.
Phase three, from days 61 through 90, optimizes active campaigns using on-chain conversion data instead of surface-level clicks, then hands over an ongoing policy-monitoring process to keep the account compliant as Google's crypto advertising rules change. Unlike a generalist performance agency, each phase addresses the specific policy and attribution limitations that make crypto paid search fundamentally different from standard SEM.
Our Working Process
Initial engagements last 60 to 90 days, with the opening stage often shaped by Google's certification review timeline, which the team cannot fully control. Days 31 through 60 focus on building and launching compliant campaigns. Days 61 through 90 optimize using real on-chain conversion data.
Our team consists of a paid search lead responsible for campaign strategy and Google's certification process, an analyst who implements and maintains wallet-connect and on-chain attribution tracking, and a compliance-focused copywriter who reviews all ad and landing page creative before launch. From your team, we require access to your Google Ads account and billing, your on-chain analytics or wallet-connect infrastructure to configure attribution, and legal or compliance approval of ad copy when required.
Weekly working sessions assess campaign performance against genuine cost-per-acquisition targets and address any developing policy risks directly – if Google announces a change to crypto advertising policy, it's handled that same week, rather than after an account suspension. A midpoint checkpoint verifies certification status and account health before spend is scaled further.
Most teams have certified, active, compliant campaigns within 45 days, with optimization based on real on-chain conversion data fully established by day 90.
- A clean, certified Google Ads account with no policy exposure
- Attribution tied to wallet connects and on-chain activity, not page views
- Cost per acquisition measured against real user value, not just click volume
- Ongoing policy monitoring that prevents future account suspension
If your crypto / defi company needs paid search (sem) leadership, we should talk.
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Frequently asked questions
What does paid search cost for a crypto or DeFi company?
Management fees are generally scoped according to ad spend and campaign complexity, with a structure comparable to hiring a senior performance marketer but without the cost of full-time headcount. Media spend itself varies significantly because core crypto keywords are highly competitive and expensive, and we shape the budget plan around a realistic cost-per-acquisition target rather than an arbitrary figure.
How soon can campaigns actually go live?
When certification is already secured, campaigns can go live within two to three weeks. If certification must be completed from the beginning, the process can take several weeks based on Google's review timeline, which is beyond our control but managed proactively by our team.
How does your team work with our current marketing and analytics staff?
We collaborate directly with the person responsible for your marketing budget and with your on-chain analytics or engineering team to implement wallet-connect and on-chain conversion tracking. For companies lacking internal paid search expertise, we manage campaigns directly.
How is this different from a conventional performance marketing agency?
Most performance agencies haven't navigated Google's crypto exchange certification process or created attribution based on on-chain actions rather than page views. We have experience with both, which separates a campaign that keeps running from one suspended in its second week.
How do you evaluate the ROI of a paid search campaign?
Our primary metrics are cost per wallet connect and cost per verified on-chain action, rather than clicks or page views, and we connect those metrics to actual user retention and value wherever the data permits. The strongest ROI indicator is whether cost per real user declines as campaigns are optimized.
What kind of crypto or DeFi company is the best fit for this service?
The ideal fit is a protocol, exchange, or wallet with an effective scale between $5M and $100M that either hasn't successfully operated compliant paid search before or has active campaigns without meaningful visibility into whether that traffic becomes actual on-chain users.
