How do I run a Google Ads Campaign?

How do I run a Google Ads Campaign?

Creating a Google Ads Account

Before you start creating ads using our Google Ads Manager, you must create a Google Ads account using your Gmail email address. Once you’ve created your account in Google Ads, select “Switch to Expert Mode”. This gives you more control over your budget, target audience, etc. 



Select “Create an account without a campaign”. You’ll create your campaign directly from our dashboard using our easy 5-step wizard.



Confirm your business information and select “Submit”. 




Select “Explore your account”




This will direct you to your Google Ads dashboard. From here, select Tools & Settings > Billing Settings




Add your billing and credit card information. Google will charge this card for your campaigns. 




Creating Your Campaign
To start creating your Google Ads campaign, log in to your dashboard and select the Ads Management tile. 



Select “Get Started”. 



Sign in with your email. 



Enter your password.



Select “Allow”. 



To create a campaign, select “Create Campaign”. 



Complete all the fields on the business info screen, and then select “Next”.



On the Target Audience screen, select the locations you want to target.


Tip: If you’re a brick and mortar store, think about how far customers would travel to get to you. If you are a mobile service, like a plumber or landscaper, select “Set up specific areas” and target the cities you service. 




Select the languages you want your ads to display in. 




Select the network(s) you want your ads to appear on. 




Select “Next”.





Select suggested keywords or search for your own keywords. 


Tip: Keep your budget in mind here. You want to make sure you’re paying for keywords that match your business and your products/services.  




Next to the keywords you select, you’ll see the estimated reach per month and suggested bid per click. 


Tip: The “Suggested Bid/Click” column estimates how much it will cost when a customer clicks your ad. Try selecting keywords that have a large reach with a low suggested bid per click. You can also try keyword synonyms that might have a lower bid per click. 




You’ll also see your total estimated reach. 




Select “Next” to build your ad.  




Complete all the fields on this screen. You’ll see a preview of your ad to the right. 


Tip: When writing your ad, keep your customer’s goal in mind. What solution are you giving them? How are you going to do this better than your competitors? Explain this in as few words as possible. Your ad should be attention grabbing and direct. 




If you want to learn more about a specific field, hover over the question mark icon. 




Tip: Here’s an example of a good ad for a business that offers pet services: 

Headline 1
Dog Walking & Pet Sitting

Headline 2
First Walk Free

Headline 3
Call Now For Special Pricing

Description 1
Affordable dog walking, pet sitting (day and night), and waste removal services. 

Description 2
Serving Los Angeles and Orange County. 

In very few words, it sums up their services and service area, and gives viewers an incentive to take action.


Select “Done” to save your ad. 


From here, you can write another ad, edit the existing add, or duplicate the existing ad. 




Select “Next” to continue to the budget screen. 




Set max cost per click and your max daily budget. Use the slide bar to adjust the 

amount.




Tip: Select your max price per click based on your most expensive keyword. Your max daily budget should be how much you’re willing to spend per day should that highest priced keyword get clicked. 
For example, if your keyword’s suggested bid/click is $1.76, and you’re willing to spend up to $8 dollars a day, that means you’ll spend $8 dollars a day and get about 6–7 clicks each day. 
Some days you may spend more than your daily budget and other days you may spend less, but you’ll never pay more than your daily budget times the average number of days in a month. 


Select “Finish & Review”. 





Here you can review and edit all the info you’ve provided. 






Select a start date for the ad. You can also select an optional end date. 




Once you’ve reviewed all your info, select “Submit Ad”. 
Note: New or modified campaigns are usually approved by Google within 1–3 days.





Your campaign has now been submitted to Google for review!

. 


Adding Tracking to Your Campaign
Once you’ve created your campaign, it's time to track its success. Log in to Google Ads. Select Tools & Settings > Conversions





Select the plus icon.




Select the Website tile.





Complete the following fields according to what you want to track from your campaign. 


Tip: After a visitor lands on your site, you should track the action you want them to take. If you have an online store, you want to track purchases. If you are trying to capture leads, select Submit Lead Form. If you want people to just view the content on your page, select Page View.





Enter a conversion name and select a value.


Tip: Leave the dollar amount blank unless you are selling online. If you are selling online, add the dollar value of the item you’re selling. If you’re selling different items at different prices, you can set a “default” price. This will be used instead of the individual values.





Select a count.




Select a time frame for your conversion window.




Select a time frame for your view-through-conversion window.




Leave the last two fields as is.





Select Create and Continue. On the next page, select “Install the tag yourself”.




Select the first option, and then select “Download Snippet”. 




Navigate back to your dashboard and select the Make Your Own Design Changes tile.




Select Menu > Website Settings > Custom Code





Add the entire snippet to the Header Code field and select Save.




You can now track the activity from your Google Ads traffic!




Adding a Conversion “Event Snippet” To Your Site

Another way to track your campaign’s success is through conversion tracking. A conversion is when someone clicks on your ad and then takes the action you’re encouraging them to complete, like filling out your contact form.

The best way to differentiate leads you are getting from your Google Ads vs organically (through SEO, local directories, social media, etc.) is to create a dedicated SEM landing page that includes a contact form and a thank you page. This landing page should only be accessible through your Google Ads campaign and should be hidden from search engines.  

We recommend that your landing page look similar to your website’s homepage, but any links directing people to other pages of your site should be removed. This way people are encouraged to take the action you want them to and they don’t get lost on your site. 

Your landing page should include your phone number, a lead form, and a description of your products/services. Your “event snippet” should be placed on the final destination URL or “Thank You” page. This is the page your visitor will see after they’ve taken action, like completing your contact form. 



Scheduling Your Campaign
To schedule your campaign, log in to your Google Ads account and select “Campaigns”.




Select the campaign you’re currently running. Select “Ad schedule” and then select the pencil icon.



Edit your campaign schedule.


Tip: Schedule your campaign during the days and times that you’re available to respond quickly to inquiries, like during your business hours.  




Editing an Active Campaign
Once your ad is live, you can preview the campaign, edit the campaign, pause the campaign, or remove the campaign. 



If you need to make edits to your campaign, select “Edit campaign”. Select a pencil icon to make changes.





Adding an Ad Extension to Your Campaign
Ad extensions give your ads more prominence and can get you more clicks and valuable user interactions. To add an extension, log into your Google Ads account and select “campaigns”.



Select the campaign you’re currently running, and then select Ads & extensions > Extensions.


Select “Create ad extension.”



Select the extension you’d like to create.




Tip: We recommend the Call extension and Location extension. A call extension lets visitors call you directly from the ad and a location extension displays your address.




Call Extension Example:




A location extension needs to be connected to your Google My Business account. This is how businesses appear in Google Maps and the local pack through paid search.


Example of Location Extension:





Google Local Pack:




If you don’t have a Google My Business account and are looking for an easy way to create and manage directory listings, check out our Local SEO upgrade.



Notifications

Select the Notifications tab to manage email notifications about ad performance, completion, pause, and start. 





Google Ads Campaign Analytics

To view your campaign’s performance, select the Ads Management tile. 






Select “View Performance Details”.




Select a date range to filter analytics. 


Tip: Track your clicks, impressions, conversions, and cost. This gives you a good idea of how much you have to spend in order to get the results you want. It will also show you how many impressions it takes to get clicks and conversions.




You’ll also see your performance per keyword.  


Tip: Remove keywords that are not getting many impressions and replace them with alternatives. You can always pause and activate keywords. 



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