If you want to set up & run Google Ads with clarity and ease, this comprehensive guide might prove to be handy.
First, let’s start with the main reason why many struggle to get a proper grasp of Google Ads which is:
You should know what buttons NOT to
click to succeed in Google Ads
Google Ads is always changing.
They roll out new features almost every month with new campaign types, AI tools, Bidding Strategies, attributions, targeting and the list goes on.
It’s not easy to keep up with all these changes.
Let alone being able to say which of those features are handy, useless or even detriment for your campaign.
I created this guide to help you understand the features that matter, those that don’t and those that are dangerous and you should under any circumstances stay away from.
Let’s start.
Step 1. Login to your Google Ads account and you’ll be redirected to the dashboard that looks like the one below. Now, click the Plus create button. From the dropdown menu, choose campaign.
Step 2. Choose the campaign goal. Click on the ‘Create a campaign without guidance’ objective’. If you click any of the other objectives your campaign is going to have limitations in optimisation.
Step 3. Choose the Campaign Type. This example shows how to set up and run a Google Search campaign. That’s why you need to click ‘Search’. If you want to create a Youtube campaign click on Video.
Step 4. Choose the campaign goal. Don’t overthink this step too much as it doesn’t matter much. If your goal is to get Website visits check the ‘Website visits’ box. If you want to get ‘Phone calls’ check the ‘Calls’ box. Choose a campaign name and click Continue.
Step 5. Choose your Bidding Strategy. This is a crucial step; your Bidding Strategy can make or break your campaign. Many advertisers pick Conversions as their Bidding Strategy when they start their Google Ads campaign.
I don’t blame them, it sounds cool.
The problem is, if your account is new and doesn’t have Conversions from past campaigns, the chances of your success with Google Ads are slim.
Step 6. Warning. Warning. Warning. Uncheck the two boxes of ‘Google search partners network’ and ‘Google Display Network’. The quality of traffic you’ll get from these two is low, ending up burning your budget on traffic that you won’t get anything back. .
Step 7. Choose the Location. Choose the country or region you want Google to show your ads. In this example, I typed ‘USA’ in the search bar. Similarly, you type in the country or region You want Google to show your ads.
It’s better to to go for ‘Presence: People in or regularly in your included locations’. Google will show your ads that live in the area that you chose.
The other option (Presence or interest) applies if you are in the travelling or leisure industry or similar to this. For example, if you offer city tours, it’s good to choose ‘Presence or interest’ since people who aren’t yet in the region but willing to travel soon are going to be informed about your services.
Step 8. Choose Language. This step is pretty straigthforward, you choose the language users speak. If you target English-speaking users you choose English.
If you want Spanish-speaking users, pick Spanish. If you only run Politcal Ads, pick the ‘Yes, this campaign has EU political ads’.
When it comes to Audience segements it’s better to not use them and run your Google Ads without adding any audiences. Resaon being, you might pick audiences with few people in them limit the campaign’s Impressions and overall performance.
Step 9. Choose the start dates. When it comes to Ad rotation it’s better to leave at the default option as shown below. You can choose the Start date you prefer but I advise you to NOT pick an end date. When you want to stop your ads, simply stop them.
If you’re not sure how to do it send an email to: lefteris@lefterisads.com.
If you want to show your ads only a specific time of day edit the Ad schedule. Don’t bother too much about ‘Page feeds’. When you’re done, click Next.
Step 9. AI Max option. It’s better to leave it off as is. I know gurus are preaching about AI tools and never stop worshipping. The reality is, it’s a new tool and we don’t know yet how good it is. I suggest you leave it off as shown below. Click Next to go to the next step.
Step 10. Keep these boxes Unchecked. When you allow Google to create assets for your ads. most of the times, it creates pointless Assets that simply waste your budget. For this reason it’s better to keep these features OFF.
You can also skip this step leaving the URL box blank. One more time, Google isn’t going to create the best Assets or Ads for your campaign.
Step 11. This is one of the most crucial steps of your Google Ads campaign. First, leave the ‘Final URL’ and ‘Enter products or services to advertise’ blank. The way both work is if you add your Final URL, Google is going to suggest keywords for your campaign. Similarly if you type in the industry you’re in in the box below ‘Final URL’ Google will also give you keyword suggestions for your campaign. It’s better to only use them if you CANNOT come up with any keyword ideas at all.
How many keywords should your Ad Group have?
I see advertisers mess up this step all the time. They add dozens of keywords to their Ad Groups overcomplicating the whole thing.
I suggest you start with maximum 5 keywords per Ad Group. This way you keep the campaign simple. Plus, you achieve cohesion with your Ad Groups which matters to Google as it’s going to reward you with better Quality Score and lower average CPC (Cost per Click).
Try your best to use keywords that contain 3-4 words. 1-word keywords are too vague and they will attract generic traffic.
Also try to use keywords that have a pretty similar meaning like ‘near me’ or ‘next to my house’ etc, so you build Ad Groups that have a clear theme. In the below example, the theme is: plumbers who are based near the house to the user who performs the search.
What about the Ad Groups? How many of those a campaign should have?
It’s good to have 2-3 Ad Groups. But it depends on how many services you want to promote through Google Ads.
For example, if you’re a plumber looking to get leads for your ‘sink pipe fixing’ and those prospects are close to your office, then it’s wise to have only 2 Ad Groups.
But if you have more services to promote, it’s better to create more Ad Groups. So, create 1 Ad Group per service.
Step 12. It’s time you added your Final URL which practically means where users are going to be redirected when clicking your ads.
The Display path is what your URL is going to look like when users see your ad on Google. You can add pretty much anything you think that will make your ad more appealing. For example, you can say ‘proservice’ or ‘quickservice’ and the list goes on.
Next on the list is to add Headlines to your Ad. Headlines are key as the vast majority of users only read the ad headlines before clicking. It’s wise to write as many headlines as you can. Google is going to shuffle them to find out what works better.
What sort of headlines should you write?
Write 2-3 that contain a keyword. If you use ‘plumber services near me’ as a keyword, use this as a headline. Then you can write another 2-3 with a Call to Action. It can be something like: ‘Get a Quote’ or ‘Call Us Now’ or ‘Fix It Today’.
You can also write a couple of headlines that highlight the features or benefits of your service. For example, it could be ‘Fixed Sink Same Day’ or ‘No Stress About Your Sink’.
The next step is to write descriptions. Like we said, it’s not too important to write super compelling descriptions since very few users are going to read them. It’s good to write a sentence or two about your service.
When it comes to Images, you should use an image that clearly displays the kind of service you provide. For example, if you provide plumbing sink fixing as a service, I suggest you show an image of a plumber fixing a sink.
We’re almost there with the ads section. Now you need to add your business name, logo and assets. The business name and logo are pretty straightforward – it’s good to add them as they make your campaign look more appealing.
When it comes to Sitelinks, it’s better to skip them and leave them blank. The problem is that many times they waste your budget and bring clicks that don’t win you business.
Out of all the below Assets, the only one you need when you start your Google Ads campaign is ‘Calls’. You can add your phone number and receive calls from prospects.
Step 13. We reached the final step where you now need to set your budget. Pick ‘Set custom budget’ and choose your daily budget based on what you can really afford.
Many times people ask what should the right budget be in Google Ads?
My answer to this question is, start with the budget you can afford. If it’s $10 a day go with it. If you can afford more go for more. Obviously, the higher the budget the more data your campaign is going to collect and you’ll be able to optimise it faster. If your budget is low though it might take longer to see results.
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You can also get in touch if you have any questions or need further explanation on how to start and run your Google Ads campaign.
Email me at: lefteris@lefterisads.com
Or text me at: +306983227198