Step-by-step: Your First Google Search Campaign

Feeling ready to launch your first Google search ad campaign but unsure where to begin? Follow this step-by-step guide to set up and run Google Ads that bring in real, local customers.

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goal

First, decide what you want to accomplish with your ads. Are you trying to increase traffic to your website, generate leads, or do you want to encourage people to buy? Google Ads allows you to pick from a few primary goals, such as:

• Website traffic (drive visitors to your site)

• Lead generation (capture potential customers’ contact info)

• Store visits (encourage physical store traffic)

• Calls (get more phone inquiries)

How to do it:

1. Log in to your Google Ads account (or create one if you haven’t already).

2. Click the “New Campaign” button.

3. Choose your campaign objective from options like “Sales,” “Leads,” or “Website Traffic.”

4. Follow the on-screen prompts to set up your account and campaign structure based on your goal.‍

Why it matters: Setting a clear objective helps Google optimize your campaign to get the specific actions you want, like driving calls or website visits.‍

Step 2: Set Up Your Google Ads Account

What you’re doing: If you’re new to Google Ads, you’ll need to set up your account first. This involves entering basic business information, setting up billing, and linking your website or phone number.‍

How to do it:

1. Go to ads.google.com and click “Start Now.”

2. Follow the prompts to create your account by entering your business name, website, and payment details.

3. Set up conversion tracking. Google will guide you through adding a small snippet of code to your website, or if you don’t have a website, you can track phone calls or in-store visits.‍

Why it matters: With conversion tracking, you’ll see which ads are generating real outcomes like phone calls, visits, or purchases. This helps you measure success and refine your campaign for even better results.

Step 3: Keyword research

What you’re doing: Keywords are the words and phrases people type into Google when they’re searching for products or services. You need to choose keywords that match what your local customers are searching for.

How to do it:

1. In your Google Ads account, go to the “Tools & Settings” menu and click on “Keyword Planner.”

2. Enter your service or product (e.g., “plumber,” “bakery,” or “yoga studio”) and include your location (e.g., “near me” or your city). You want to focus on keywords that incluse 'near me' or the name of your city. If you, for example, have a permanent make up salon, and you include the word 'eyebrows', you will get a lot of unrelevant people that click on your ad. And that means wasted money.

3. The Keyword Planner will show you how often these terms are searched and how competitive they are. Pick relevant keywords with decent search volume but avoid overly competitive ones that might cost more.

4. Add negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic (e.g., if you don’t want to show up for “free yoga classes,” add “free” as a negative keyword). For example: if you have a fitness studio, you don't want to target people who are looking to become a fitness instructor. By adding the negative keyword 'instructor', you make sure you don't target these people.

Why it matters: Choosing the right keywords ensures your ads show up when local customers are actively searching for your services. Negative keywords help you filter out irrelevant traffic, saving you money and improving your ROI

Step 4: Set Up Local Targeting

What you’re doing: To avoid wasting your ad budget on people far away, you’ll want to focus on local targeting. Google Ads allows you to show your ads only to people in your specific geographic area.‍

How to do it:

1. In the campaign setup, choose the “Locations” section.

2. Enter your city, region, or set a custom radius around your business (for example, a 10-mile radius).

3. You can target people in specific zip codes or neighborhoods, or even exclude certain areas you don’t want to target.

Why it matters: This ensures your ads are only shown to people who are likely to visit your business, making your spend more efficient.

Step 5: Write Your Ad Copy

What you’re doing: Your ad copy is what people will see when your ad appears in search results. It needs to grab their attention and convince them to click.

How to do it:

1. When creating your ad, you’ll see fields to enter a headline and description. Make sure the headline includes your main offer and is clear and compelling (e.g., “10% Off All Repairs—Call Now!”).

2. Keep the description short and focused on what makes your offer valuable. Use a strong call to action (CTA) like “Book Now,” “Call Today,” or “Limited Time Offer.”

3. Ensure your copy mentions key selling points (e.g., “Family-owned bakery serving fresh bread daily”).

4. Make sure the ad copy aligns with the keywords you’re targeting. If your keyword is “best plumber in Chicago,” your ad should mention “plumbing services in Chicago.”

Why it matters: Your ad copy is the first thing potential customers see—make it engaging and relevant to their search to increase the likelihood of clicks. Don't want to wite the ad copy yourself? AI is there to help you, read this blog to see how you can simplify the writing process.

Step 6: Set Your Budget

What you’re doing: Google Ads works on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Setting a budget ensures you don’t overspend.

How to do it:

1. In the “Budget” section of your campaign setup, enter how much you’re willing to spend each day. If you’re new to Google Ads, start with $10-20 per day.

2. Choose your bidding strategy. For beginners, I recommend using “Maximize Clicks” to let Google handle bids for you while getting the most clicks within your budget.

3. You can also set a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) if you want to control how much you’re willing to pay for each click.

Why it matters: Setting a daily budget gives you control over spending and ensures you don’t overshoot your ad budget.

Step 7: Create a Relevant Landing Page

What you’re doing: When someone clicks on your ad, they’ll be taken to a landing page. This page needs to match the message of your ad and encourage visitors to take the next step, whether it’s calling you, filling out a form, or making a purchase. Read this blog for an explanation about everything you need to know about landing pages.

How to do it:

1. Ensure the landing page you’re sending users to matches the ad offer. If your ad is about a “20% discount on holiday gifts,” the landing page should prominently feature that discount.

2. Include a clear call to action (CTA) that matches the goal of your campaign (e.g., “Call now to book an appointment” or “Order online today”).

3. Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly, as many users will be clicking from their phones.

Why it matters: Consistency between your ad and landing page improves user experience and increases conversion rates.

Step 8: Use Ad Extensions to Add More Value

What you’re doing: Ad extensions are extra pieces of information that can appear below your ad, like your phone number, address, or links to other parts of your website. These extensions make your ad more informative and increase the chances of engagement.

How to do it:

1. In your Google Ads setup, click on the “Ad Extensions” section.

2. Add location extensions to show your business address.

3. Add call extensions to display your phone number and let people call directly from the ad.

4. You can also add sitelink extensions to include links to other parts of your website, like “About Us” or “Special Offers.”

Why it matters: Ad extensions make it easier for potential customers to contact you and find more information, which boosts your ad’s performance.

Step 9: Launch Your Ad and Track Performance

What you’re doing: After setting up your ad, it’s time to launch! But your job isn’t over—now you need to track how well it’s performing.‍

How to do it:

1. Once your ad is live, go to the “Campaigns” tab in your Google Ads account.

2. Use the reporting tools to monitor important metrics like click-through rate (CTR) (how many people are clicking your ad) and conversions (how many people are taking the desired action, like calling or submitting a form).

3. Google will show you real-time data on how your ad is performing.

Why it matters: Tracking your ad’s performance helps you see what’s working and make informed decisions on where to adjust.

Step 10: Optimize and Adjust

What you’re doing: Over time, you’ll need to tweak your campaign to improve its performance. This could mean adjusting your keywords, refining your ad copy, or reallocating budget based on what’s working.

How to do it:

1. Regularly check your Keywords tab to see which terms are performing best. Pause underperforming keywords and consider adding new ones.

2. Test new versions of your ad copy (A/B testing) to see which resonates better with your audience.

3. Reallocate your budget to focus more on high-performing

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to launching an effective Google search ad campaign that attracts real, local customers. Need help with ad creation? AI tools like Roya can streamline the process, handling everything from keyword research to ad optimization in just a few clicks. Click here to read more about Roya and how we can help grow your business.