Setting Up Your First Google Ads Search Campaign

I am going to show you the step-by-step process I use to create profitable Google Ads search campaigns.

This process is the exact process that I use for both small & large Google Ads search campaigns with budgets ranging from as little as $300 a month all the way up to $200,000 a month.

The best thing about Google Ads is that if you use the correct campaign structure and settings, you can increase and scale your budgets as your sales & business continue to grow.

Before we get into the step-by-step process of setting up your Google Ads search campaign, I want to quickly take you through the correct account structure that you need to use - because if you don’t have the correct account structure, you will waste money on Google Ads with your campaign no generating any sales or conversions.

You can get your copy of my Google Ads search campaign set-up guide Here!

Below is a complete beginner's guide to Google Search Ads.

What are Google search ads?

Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is a digital advertising platform that allows businesses to create and run ads on Google's search engine and other websites. These ads can appear in search results, on Google Maps, and on websites that are part of the Google Display Network, including millions of websites partnered with Google to display ads.

Google Search Ads uses a pay-per-click (PPC) model, which means that businesses only pay when a user clicks on their ad. This makes it a cost-effective way to reach potential customers and drive traffic to your website.

These ads allow businesses to target their ads to specific users based on factors such as keywords, location, and interests. This helps to ensure that the right people see your ads and increases the likelihood of generating leads and sales.

Why should business owners use Google search ads?

There are several good reasons. First, Google search ads can help increase your business's visibility and drive more traffic to your website. When people search for keywords related to your business on Google, your ads will appear at the top of the search results, which can help to make your business more visible and attract more potential customers.

Second, Google search ads can help to increase the relevance of your ads. By targeting your ads to specific keywords, locations, demographics, and interests, you can make sure that your ads are shown to the right people at the right time. This can help to increase the chances that people will click on your ads and visit your website.

Third, Google search ads can help increase your marketing efforts efficiency. With Google search ads, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, so you can control your advertising costs and make sure that you are getting a good return on your investment. 

You can also use tools like the Google Ads experiment feature to test different versions of your ads and see which ones perform best, so you can continually optimize your campaign to improve its performance.

Overall, Google search ads can be a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes to increase their visibility, relevance, and efficiency and drive more website traffic and sales.

How to set up a Google Ads search campaign?

To set up a Google Ads campaign, follow these steps:

Create Your Account

The first step to setting up a Google Ads campaign is to create an account.

Here's how to do it:

• Go to the Google Ads website and click on the "Start now" button.
• Enter your email address and create a password to create your Google Ads account.
• Fill out the rest of the form with your business information, including your business name, website, and contact information.
• Click on the "Continue" button to proceed to the next step.
• Read and accept the Google Ads terms and conditions, and then click on the "Create account" button to complete the process.

Choose your campaign type

When setting up a Google Ads campaign, it's important to choose the right campaign type for your business and marketing goals. Google Ads offers several different campaign types, each for a different goal.

• Search: Search campaigns allow you to place text ads in Google search results when users search for keywords related to your business. These ads are targeted based on the keywords that users search for and can appear at the top or bottom of the search results page.
• Display: Display campaigns allow you to place banner ads on websites that are part of the Google Display Network. These ads can be targeted based on factors such as a user's interests, location, and demographics.
• Video: Video campaigns allow you to place video ads on YouTube and other video websites. These ads use targeting options such as a user's interests, location, and demographics.
• Shopping: Shopping campaigns allow you to create ads that showcase your products and link directly to your website. These appear near the top of the search results page and on Google Shopping.

When choosing your campaign type, consider your marketing goals and the type of audience you want to reach. 

For example, a search or display campaign might be a good option if you want to drive traffic to your website. A shopping campaign might be a better choice if you want to promote a product.

Set your budget and bidding strategy

A budget is the amount of money that you are willing to spend on a Google search ad campaign. Your budget will determine how often your ads are shown and how many clicks or impressions they receive.

A bidding strategy is an approach that you take to determine how much to bid on a particular keyword or group of keywords. There are two main bidding strategies that you can use, including manual bidding, where you set the bid amount yourself, and automatic bidding, where Google's algorithm sets the bid amount for you based on factors such as the competition for the keyword and the expected click-through rate.

The right bidding strategy for you will depend on your goals for the campaign and the amount of control that you want to have over your ad spend. If you are a beginner, use the automated bidding option to gather some data. If you want more control, you can learn how to adjust the bidding range and switch to manual later.

Create your ad groups

An ad group is a set of ads that share the same targeting and keywords. Creating ad groups within a Google Ads search campaign allows you to organize your ads and keywords more effectively.

By grouping related keywords and ads together, you can make sure that your ads are shown to the right people at the right time. This can help increase your ads' relevance, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions.

Ad groups also allow you to set separate bids for each group of keywords, which can help you to control your ad spending more effectively.

Additionally, ad groups make it easier to track the performance of your ads and keywords, so you can see which ones are working well and which ones may need to be adjusted.

Set your targeting options

Decide who you want to see your ads based on factors like location, language, and interests. The targeting options within a Google Ads search campaign allow you to specify a certain group of people who will see your ads. There are several targeting options that you can use:

• Keywords: You can target specific keywords that people are searching for on Google. This allows your ads to be shown to people who are looking for products or services related to your business.
• Locations: You can target people in specific countries, regions, cities, or zip codes. This is useful if you only want to reach people who are located in a particular area.
• Demographics: You can target people based on their age, gender, parental status, and other demographic information. This helps you to reach people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.
• Interests: You can target people based on their interests, such as sports, travel, or technology. This can help you reach people more likely to be interested in your ads.
• Custom Audiences: You can target people who have already visited your website, interacted with your app, or subscribed to your email list. This allows you to reach people who are already familiar with your business and are more likely to convert.

Choose your keywords

These are the words and phrases that will trigger your ads to appear in search results. Choosing the right keywords carefully is the secret sauce of search ad success. If you can find keywords your competitors are not using, you can significantly lower the cost for those clicks and can even have a better conversion rate. Here are some tips for choosing the right keywords:

• Start by listing keywords relevant to your business and the products or services you offer. You can use tools like the Google Keyword Planner to help you generate ideas for keywords.
• Consider the intent of the person who is searching for each keyword. Are they looking for information, or are they looking to make a purchase? Keywords with commercial intent, such as "buy" or "discount," are more likely to lead to conversions.
• Look for keywords that have a high search volume and low competition. This will give you a better chance of having your ads shown to a large number of people, and it will also help to keep your costs down.
• Use long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific than short-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are often less competitive and can help you to reach a more targeted audience.
• Use negative keywords to exclude certain terms from your campaigns. This can help to prevent your ads from being shown to people who are not interested in your products or services.
• Use different keywords for each ad group in your campaign. This will help to make sure that your ads are more relevant to the people who are searching for them.
• Monitor the performance of your keywords and make adjustments as needed. You may need to add new keywords, remove underperforming keywords, or adjust your bids to get the best results from your campaign.

Write your ad copy

Writing good ad copy for a Google Ads search campaign is a mixture of art and skill. This is why the best copywriters are earning big bucks for their work. As a basic rule, you will want to match your ad copy with the keywords you choose in your ad targeting options. 

Start by understanding your target audience and what they are looking for. Consider their needs, pain points, and interests, and use this information to craft a message that will resonate with them.

Make your ad copy clear, concise, and compelling. Use simple, straightforward language and avoid using jargon or complex words. Include a call-to-action in your ad copy to encourage people to take the next step, such as clicking on your ad or visiting your website.

Use keywords in your ad copy to make your ads more relevant to the people who are searching for them. You will increase the chances that your ads will be shown to the right people at the right time and that you will win their clicks.

Use ad extensions to provide additional information about your business, such as your location, phone number, or business hours. This can help to improve the visibility and relevance of your ads. Additional visual real estate is usually a good thing.

Test different versions of your ad copy to see which ones perform best. You can use the Google Ads experiment feature to test different headlines, descriptions, and calls to action to see which ones drive the most clicks and conversions.

Monitor the performance of your ad copy and make adjustments as needed. You may need to update your ad copy to reflect changes in your business or the needs of your audience.

Review and launch your campaign

Once you've set everything up, review your campaign to make sure it's correct, and then click "Launch" to start running your ads.

Here are the key steps in this process:

1. Review your campaign type: make sure you have selected the right campaign type for your business goals and entered the correct settings, such as your budget and bid strategy.
2. Review your ad groups: double check if you have created ad groups for your keywords and set the right bids for each group. You should also make sure that you have selected the right targeting options, such as location and demographics, to reach the right people.
3. Review your keywords: make sure that you have selected the right keywords for your campaign and that you have set the right bids for each keyword. You should also ensure that you have added any negative keywords you want to exclude from your campaign.
4. Review your ad copy: ensure that you have written effective ad copy for your campaign and set the right display settings, such as the ad headline and description. You should also ensure that you have added any ad extensions you want to use to provide additional information about your business.
5. Review your tracking: check that you have set up tracking for your campaign, so you can monitor its performance and make any necessary adjustments. You should also ensure that you have set the right conversion tracking settings, so you can track the actions people take on your website after clicking on your ad.

After you have reviewed all of these settings, you can launch your campaign and start running your ads on Google.

Monitoring and adjustments

Remember to regularly monitor and optimize your campaign to ensure that it's performing well and achieving your desired results. To monitor Google search ads, you can use the Google Ads dashboard to track the performance of your campaigns. 

The dashboard provides a range of metrics and reports that you can use to see how your ads are performing, including the ones below.

• Impressions: The number of times that your ads have been shown on Google.
• Clicks: The number of times that people have clicked on your ads.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that resulted in clicks. A high CTR indicates that your ads are relevant and appealing to the people who are seeing them.
• Cost per click (CPC): The average amount that you are paying each time someone clicks on your ad. A high CPC can indicate that you are bidding too much for a particular keyword or that the competition for that keyword is high.
• Conversions: The number of times that people have completed the desired action on your website, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

You can use these metrics to evaluate the performance of your ads and make any necessary adjustments. For example, if you notice that your ads are not getting a lot of impressions or clicks, you may need to adjust your targeting options or add new keywords to your campaigns. 

If your CPC is too high, you may need to adjust your bids or change your bidding strategy. And if your conversion rate is low, you may need to update your ad copy or make changes to your website to improve the user experience.

By regularly monitoring the performance of your ads and making adjustments as needed, you can improve the effectiveness of your Google search ad campaigns.