Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your First Google Ads Campaign
Ready to dive into Google Ads? This snapshot guide provides a simple starting point. The guide has been written by an expert, who has managed 100's over campaigns over the past 15 years. The guide focuses on the basics, from setup in expert mode to crafting and managing campaigns that aim to maximizes ROI. Let's get started with step one. This guide assumes that you have at the very least setup your Google account. If you haven't already visit ads.google.com to login to get started.
Step 1: Activate Expert Mode
To get started with your Google Ads, switch over to Expert Mode immediately after you log in. This is crucial because Expert Mode unlocks advanced features and settings that are otherwise unavailable in the simplified version. This mode ensures you have comprehensive control over your campaign settings, allowing for more precise and customized campaign management. This step is akin to choosing to drive a car with manual transmission over an automatic one—it gives you more control, but requires a bit more effort and understanding.
After switching to Expert Mode, opt to create a campaign without a goal's guidance. This option allows you to configure all the elements of your campaign manually and avoids the limitations imposed by predefined goal settings. Here, you'll choose the type of campaign you want to run. For beginners, a Search campaign is advisable because it focuses on text ads that appear on Google’s search results page, which are straightforward and effective. These are the ads that show up when someone searches for relevant keywords related to your products or services.
Next, set the specific parameters for your campaign:
1. Campaign Name: Choose a name that clearly describes your campaign for easy identification.
2. Networks: It’s important to deselect the Display Network to prevent your ads from appearing on third-party websites, which can dilute the effectiveness of your campaign and lead to unnecessary expenditure. Focus instead on the Search Network to appear directly in Google search results.
3. Locations and Languages: Specify where your ads should be shown by selecting the appropriate countries or regions. This ensures your ads are only displayed to your target demographic. Also, set the language to match the language your potential customers speak.
4. Additional Settings: Here, you can set start and end dates for your campaign, which is especially useful if you don't plan to monitor your ads continuously. Setting an end date prevents ongoing charges if you forget to manually stop the campaign.
Determine your daily budget to control how much you spend on ads each day. For example, a $10 daily budget caps your monthly spending at approximately $300, based on a 30-day month. This helps prevent overspending and allows you to test the effectiveness of your ads without committing a large amount of money upfront.
When setting up bidding, choose a strategy that focuses on maximizing clicks. This means you are bidding for your ad to be clicked on, rather than for impressions or conversions, which is more suitable for advanced users. Set a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) to ensure you never pay more than a certain amount for someone clicking on your ad. Starting with a cap, like $1 per click, helps manage costs while testing ad performance.
By carefully following these initial steps, you will establish a solid foundation for your Google Ads campaign, enabling more effective management and optimization
Step 5: Insert Keywords and Define Target Audience
For your campaign to reach its intended audience, you need to carefully select and insert relevant keywords. Start by creating ad groups; these should each focus on a specific theme or product to enhance ad relevance. For example, if your campaign is for an online store selling office furniture, one ad group might focus on "standing desks" while another might target "ergonomic office chairs."Each ad group should contain:
• Exact Match Keywords: Ensuring your ads appear for searches that match your keywords exactly. Place these keywords in brackets [standing desk].
• Phrase Match Keywords: Target searches that include your exact phrase in the order you specify. Use quotes for these, like "height adjustable desks".
• Modified Broad Match: Useful for extending reach, where your ad shows on searches that include any order of the words in your keywords. Place a plus sign before each keyword that must appear in the search query, such as +standing +desk.
Consider the intent behind the keywords to ensure they align with the users’ needs that your product or service can fulfill.
This step is where you convert interest into action. For each ad group, you will create specific ads that are designed to attract clicks. An effective ad includes:
- Headlines: You have three headline slots where the main keywords should appear at least once to ensure relevance. For instance, "Buy Standing Desks Online."
- Descriptions: Use two description lines to elaborate on the value proposition and call to action, like "Explore top-quality standing desks that boost productivity. Free shipping on first orders!"
- Display Path: This doesn’t affect the destination URL but serves as additional visual keyword reinforcement in the ad display
- Use the ad preview tool to see how your ads will look on different devices, ensuring they are appealing and clearly readable.
Ad extensions enhance your advertisement by providing additional information and ways for potential customers to interact with your ad.
Types of extensions include:
- Sitelink Extensions: Direct links to specific pages on your site, such as product categories or special offers.
- Callout Extensions: Additional descriptive text like "Free delivery" or "24/7 customer support."
- Structured Snippets: Highlight specific aspects of your products or services, such as 'Types: Desks, Chairs, File Cabinets.'
Extensions make your ads larger and more visually impactful, improving visibility and click-through rates.
Before your ads go live, double-check all settings. Review your budget, bidding strategies, keywords, ad copy, and extensions. Ensure everything is aligned with your campaign goals and the audience you intend to reach. Once you’re satisfied, click "Save and Continue" to submit your campaign for review.
After launching, closely monitor the performance of your campaign using Google Analytics and Google Ads reporting tools. Quick tip: Keep an eye on key metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversion rate. Based on these insights, make necessary adjustments to keywords, ad copy, or bidding strategies to continuously improve the campaign's effectiveness.