Setting up Google Ads isn't difficult. Setting it up well is another matter. Google makes it easy to launch a campaign in minutes, but many of the default settings are designed to spend your budget, not to protect it.

In this beginner's guide I'll walk you through how to create a Google Ads campaign step by step, from preparing your website to launching and optimising your first campaign. I'll also flag the settings that catch most beginners out. If you'd rather leave it to a specialist, our Google Ads management service can set it up and run it for you.

Before You Start: Get These Three Things Right

1. A clear goal

Decide what you want your ads to achieve. Phone calls? Contact form enquiries? Online sales? Your goal shapes every setting that follows.

2. A landing page that converts

Your ads are only as good as the page people land on. Make sure it's fast, mobile-friendly, relevant to the ad and makes it easy to call or enquire. A dedicated landing page for each service usually performs far better than your homepage.

3. A way to track results

You need to know which clicks turn into enquiries and customers. We'll set up conversion tracking in the steps below, but make sure you have access to your website to add tracking code.

Beginner's golden rule: never launch a campaign without conversion tracking. Without it, you'll know what you spent, but not what you got back.

How to Set Up Google Ads: Step by Step

Step 1: Create your Google Ads account

Go to ads.google.com and sign in with a Google account. Use a business account rather than a personal one if you can, and add your billing details. Make sure your business owns the account, even if an agency manages it later.

Step 2: Switch to Expert Mode

When you create a new account, Google may guide you towards a simplified Smart campaign. Smart campaigns are easy but offer very little control over where your money goes. Look for the option to switch to Expert Mode so you can create a standard Search campaign with full control.

Step 3: Set up conversion tracking

In the Goals section, create conversion actions for the things that matter to your business, such as form submissions, phone calls from ads, calls from your website and purchases. Install the Google tag on your website, or use Google Tag Manager. You can also link Google Analytics.

Step 4: Choose your campaign type

For most service businesses, start with a Search campaign. Online shops may want to start with Shopping or Performance Max. See our guide to how Google Ads works for an overview of campaign types.

Step 5: Choose your settings carefully

These settings trip up many beginners:

  • Networks: untick the Display Network for Search campaigns. Otherwise your search ads can show on websites where people aren't actively searching.
  • Locations: target only the areas you serve. Under location options, choose "Presence", people in or regularly in your targeted locations, rather than people who've simply shown interest in them.
  • Languages: choose the language your customers use.
  • Ad schedule: if you only answer calls during business hours, consider limiting your ads to those times.

Step 6: Set your budget and bidding

Set a daily budget you're comfortable with. For a brand-new account with no conversion data, many advertisers start with Maximise clicks with a maximum cost-per-click limit, or Maximise conversions, then move to more targeted bidding such as target cost per acquisition once enough conversions have been recorded.

Step 7: Create tightly themed ad groups

Group closely related keywords together. For example, a plumber might have separate ad groups for "boiler repair", "emergency plumber" and "bathroom installation". Each ad group can then have ads and a landing page that match exactly.

Step 8: Choose your keywords and match types

Focus on keywords that show clear buying intent, such as "boiler repair Sheffield" rather than "how do boilers work". Start with phrase match and exact match to keep control, and be cautious with broad match until you have strong conversion data.

How many keywords should you use in Google Ads? There's no fixed number, but quality beats quantity. A handful of highly relevant keywords per ad group usually outperforms long lists of loosely related terms.

Step 9: Add negative keywords

Negative keywords stop your ads showing for irrelevant searches. Common examples include "free", "jobs", "salary", "course", "DIY" and "how to". Build this list from day one and keep adding to it.

Step 10: Write your ads

Google's responsive search ads let you add up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, which Google combines automatically. Include:

  • Your main keyword
  • Clear benefits and what makes you different
  • Proof, such as reviews, years in business or accreditations
  • A strong call to action, such as "Call now for a free quote"

Step 11: Add assets

Assets (formerly called extensions) make your ads bigger and more useful. Add sitelinks to key pages, callouts for your selling points, a call asset with your phone number, a location asset linked to your Google Business Profile, and structured snippets for your services.

Step 12: Review and launch

Double-check your settings, budgets, keywords and tracking, then launch. New ads are usually reviewed by Google within one business day.

The First 30 Days: What to Do After Launch

  • Check your search terms report every few days and add irrelevant searches as negative keywords
  • Confirm conversions are being recorded correctly
  • Pause keywords that spend without results
  • Test different headlines and offers
  • Watch your cost per lead, not just your clicks
  • Resist big changes too early. Give campaigns enough data to learn before judging them.

Common Beginner Mistakes

  • Launching a Smart campaign and losing control of where ads appear
  • Leaving the Display Network switched on for Search campaigns
  • Targeting "presence or interest" and paying for clicks from outside your area
  • Using broad match without negative keywords
  • Sending all traffic to the homepage
  • Launching without conversion tracking
  • Applying every Google recommendation automatically
  • Judging the campaign after a few days rather than a few weeks

How to Make Google Ads Successful

Successful Google Ads accounts are built through continual improvement. Review your data regularly, keep refining your keywords and negatives, test your ads and improve your landing pages. The businesses that get the best results treat Google Ads as an ongoing process, not a one-off setup.

A fast, focused landing page is often the single biggest improvement you can make. It raises your Quality Score, lowers your cost per click and increases the number of visitors who get in touch. Our web design team can build landing pages designed specifically for paid traffic.

When to Get Professional Help

You can absolutely run Google Ads yourself. But if you're short on time, spending more than you'd like without clear results, or simply want to make sure your budget is working as hard as possible, a specialist can help.

At SERPentity, we set up and manage Google Ads campaigns with a focus on lowering your cost per lead and scaling what works. Because we also handle SEO and web design, your ads, landing pages and organic rankings all work together.

Final Thoughts

Setting up Google Ads properly takes a little more time upfront, but it saves a lot of money later. Get your goals, landing pages and tracking right first, choose your settings carefully, and keep optimising once your campaign is live.

Want your campaign set up properly from day one? Get in touch and we'll help you launch with confidence.