How to Run Google Ads: A 10-Step Guide

Your business could apt usage a boost to scope much imaginable customers. And quickly.

Google Ads tin help. 

When you decorativeness this article, you’ll cognize precisely really to tally Google ads that tin use your business.

Before we get to that, let’s spell complete immoderate inheritance information.

What Is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an online advertizing level that lets you show targeted advertisements crossed places like: 

• Google Search results pages
• Google-owned properties for illustration YouTube and Google Maps
• The Google Display Network (GDN): A group of third-party websites and apps that show ads
• The Google Search Network (GSN): A group of search-related partner sites 

For example, you tin create matter ads that look successful Google's hunt results erstwhile a personification types successful a applicable keyword:

Given each the places wherever your ads tin appear, it’s clear that you tin scope galore audiences utilizing Google Ads. And location are galore formats to take from.

Plus, Google estimates that for each $1 companies walk connected Google Ads, “they person $8 successful profit done Google Search and Ads.” 

How Do Google Ads Work?

Google Ads uses a real-time auction system. You and different advertisers spot bids to person your ads shown to imaginable customers. 

Every clip a personification searches connected Google, searches connected a partner site, aliases visits a site/app successful Google's network, the strategy runs an auction. And it considers advertisers’ bids arsenic good arsenic factors for illustration advertisement value and relevance to find whether your advertisement will look and wherever it will beryllium positioned.

This intends a well-crafted advertisement tin outperform 1 from a higher-bidding competitor. 

How to Run a Google Ads Campaign successful 10 Steps

Here’s really to get started pinch Google Ads:

1. Do the Necessary Prep Work

Take immoderate clip to hole earlier you commencement moving successful Google Ads, truthful you don’t person to extremity successful the mediate of mounting up your campaign.

For hunt ads, that usually intends creating a campaign-specific landing page, doing keyword investigation (finding position related to your business that your perfect customers are searching), and analyzing your competitors’ ads. 

To commencement uncovering valuable hunt terms, usage the Keyword Magic Tool.

Open the tool, participate a wide keyword applicable to your offering, prime the location you want to target, and click “Search.” 

The instrumentality will make a database of applicable keywords based connected your original term.

Review the database to find the champion keywords for your campaign. Consider factors like:

• Search intent: This reflects why a personification searches for a peculiar term. In astir cases, you’ll want to prioritize keywords pinch commercialized intent (researching brands aliases services) aliases transactional intent (ready to convert).
• Search volume: This is the mean number of monthly searches a keyword gets. Choose keywords that users often hunt for to guarantee capable group spot your ads.
• Cost per click (CPC): This is the mean value advertisers salary erstwhile personification clicks connected their hunt ads. And it tin thief you estimate really overmuch it will cost to tally Google Ads.
• Competitive density: This metric shows really galore advertisers are competing for a keyword. The little the score, the little title you’ll face.

Next, do a speedy Google Ads competitor analysis to find retired what keywords your competitors are bidding on. And what ads and landing pages they’re using.

Use Advertising Research for this.

Open the tool, participate a competitor’s domain, and click “Search.”

From the “Positions” report, scroll down to the “Paid Search Positions” section. 

Here, you’ll spot a database of keywords your competitor’s ads rank for and the corresponding landing pages. Along pinch accusation for illustration each keyword’s CPC and hunt volume.
 

Review this list  to look for valuable keywords that besides align pinch your planned campaign.

Next, navigate to the “Ads Copies” tab.

Here, you tin study the nonstop transcript this competitor has used. Which tin animate your ain advertisement copy

Further reading: How to Do PPC Keyword Research for Your Ad Campaigns

2. Create a Google Ads Account

First, log successful to the Google relationship you want to usage for your Google Ads—likely a business relationship tied to your company.

Next, click “Start Now” from the Google Ads homepage.

Confirm that you’d for illustration to create a caller relationship by clicking “New Google Ads account.”

Next, Google will punctual you to input your business information. 

At this stage, you mightiness spot an action to “Switch to Expert Mode.” If you do, prime this action since it gives you much power complete your campaigns.

But sometimes, Google Ads asks you to create your first run correct disconnected the bat.

In this case, click “Skip run creation” aliases “Create an relationship without a campaign,”depending connected what you see.  

Follow the platform’s instructions to decorativeness mounting up your account. This includes entering your costs specifications and confirming your relationship settings.

For much elaborate steps, travel Google’s charismatic guideline to setting up your account.

3. Choose an Objective and Campaign Type

After creating your Google Ads account and heading to your dashboard, click the “+” icon and prime “Campaign.”

You’ll beryllium prompted to prime an nonsubjective you want to execute pinch your Google Ads campaign. And the level will past tailor the settings based connected your objective.

Here’s what each nonsubjective means:

• Sales: Boost merchandise aliases work sales
• Leads: Generate leads to thrust much income aliases conversions
• Website traffic: Get group to sojourn your site
• App promotion: Increase app downloads aliases in-app actions
• Awareness and consideration: Get much group willing successful your offering aliases brand
• Local shop visits and promotions: Increase in-person visits to your section business

For this workflow, we’ll prime “Website traffic.”

The surface will now populate pinch run types that fresh your chosen objective. 

We’ll take “Search” (text ads that show successful Google’s hunt results):

But you besides person immoderate different options for your run type:

• Demand Gen: Image and video ads intended to thrust request that show crossed YouTube, Discover, and Gmail
• Display: Image and video-focused ads that look connected websites and apps wrong the GDN
• Shopping: Product listings that look successful Google Shopping and hunt results
• Video: Video ads that look connected YouTube and different sites
• Performance Max: Automated campaigns that usage AI to tally your run crossed each of Google's advertizing channels

Once you’ve chosen your run type, you’ll beryllium prompted to prime aliases participate immoderate applicable information. 

In this case, we request to specify that we’re trying to thrust website visits and bespeak the page we want to nonstop group to.

Finally, springiness your run a sanction and click “Continue.” 

4. Choose a Bidding Strategy

Now, prime what you want to attraction connected for your campaign.

Your options include:

• Conversions: This focuses connected actions that you've defined arsenic valuable to your business. Like purchases aliases sign-ups.
• Conversion value: This focuses connected the worth you subordinate pinch desirable actions users take
• Clicks: This focuses connected group who click connected your ads
• Impression share: This focuses connected the information of impressions your advertisement gets retired of the full number they could get

We’re trying to thrust group to our website, truthful we’ll take “Clicks” for this campaign. 

Then, cheque the container to group your maximum CPC and participate the worth you’re consenting to salary (revisit what you learned during your keyword investigation if you request help).

Or time off this container unticked, and Google Ads will automatically set your bids to maximize clicks without going complete your budget. This tin beryllium a bully starting constituent for gathering information connected your first campaign's performance.

Click “Next” erstwhile you’re ready.

Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads Bid Strategy (with Examples) 

5. Customize Your Campaign Settings

In the “Campaign settings” step, you'll specify who sees your ads and wherever your ads tin look to guarantee you scope the correct audience.

The first measurement is to prime your target network(s):

• Search Network: Your ads look connected hunt results pages
• Display Network: Your ads show connected a assortment of websites and apps

If your advertisement won't see an image, it's champion to untick the "Include Google Display Network" option.

That’s because the GDN is chiefly designed for ocular ads. And text-based ads mightiness not execute arsenic well.

Next, take your campaign’s location. 

If you don’t spot the location you want connected the list, prime “Enter different location” and type successful your desired area successful the hunt bar.

Google Ads automatically shows your advertisement to locals, predominant visitors, and group who simply show liking successful your target country.

To alteration this setting, click “Location options” and prime the circle adjacent to “Presence: People successful aliases regularly successful your included locations.” 

Next, prime the language(s) your imaginable customers speak.
 

Scroll down to the “Audience segments” conception to specify the group of group you’re targeting based connected things for illustration shared interests aliases behaviors. Which helps your ads scope the astir applicable people.

For example, if you're moving a section barbecue restaurant, you tin target group willing successful eating retired and barbecue cuisine wrong your area, which helps you debar wasting your advertisement fund by showing ads to vegetarians aliases group who seldom eat out.

Click “Next” to move connected to the adjacent step.

Further reading: Google Ads Audience Segments: Types, Tips, and Best Practices

6. Use Google Ads’ AI Assistant (Optional)

Google Ads offers an AI-powered instrumentality to thief make elements for illustration keywords and headlines, which tin beryllium peculiarly useful if you're caller to creating ads aliases looking for caller ideas.

To usage this tool, you'll request to supply the URL wherever group will onshore erstwhile they click your ad. 

Then, supply much accusation astir your offering, nether the “What makes your products aliases services unique?” section. 

Then, click “Generate.”

If you take to usage this feature, ever reappraisal the generated contented cautiously and make immoderate basal adjustments. 

You tin besides click “Skip” to move connected to creating your advertisement without utilizing AI.

7. Create Your Ad

The first measurement successful creating your run (if you didn’t get assistance from AI) is adding your Google Ads keywords. 

There are a fewer ways to do this.

The first is to participate your destination URL and the products aliases services you want to advertise. And click "Get keyword suggestions" to person Google Ads make a database of imaginable keywords for you.

You’ll spot your suggestions successful the “Enter keywords” box.

Otherwise, participate the position you discovered utilizing the Keyword Magic Tool and Advertising Research.

Then, scroll down to the “Ads” conception and participate your destination URL nether “Final URL.” 

You tin set really you want your URL to look successful the "Display path" section.

Modifying this tin supply a clean, easy-to-read URL that gives users a clear thought of what to expect erstwhile they click your ad.

Next, constitute your headlines. These are the large, bluish lines group usually spot first.

You tin participate up to 15 headlines that are each 30 characters aliases shorter. The much you add, the easier it is for Google to trial different combinations and understand which ones execute best. 

Google recommends keywords to include. But attraction astir connected creating compelling and applicable headlines.

And adhd 2 to 4 descriptions that tin beryllium up to 90 characters each. Use this abstraction to item what makes your offering typical and see a call to action (CTA).

You tin besides adhd sitelinks—additional links successful your advertisement to return group to circumstantial pages connected your site. This helps users quickly navigate to the astir applicable sections of your website. 

For example, a BBQ edifice proprietor mightiness adhd links to their menu, reservations, and typical offers pages.

When you’re done, click the “Next” fastener astatine the bottommost of the page.

In this step, determine really overmuch you want to walk connected your advertisement run each day. 

Google mightiness automatically urge an mean regular fund based connected your run settings. But you tin besides group up a civilization budget.

To cipher your regular budget, disagreement your full monthly Google Ads fund by 30.4 (the mean number of days per month). 

So, if your monthly fund is $1,378, your regular fund would beryllium astir $45.

Enter that number successful the container nether “Set civilization budget” and click “Next.”

9. Review Campaign Settings

At this stage, your run is fresh to publish. But earlier you do that, return a look astatine the “Recommendations” and see implementing them to optimize performance. 

Each proposal provides a percent estimate of really overmuch it could amended your campaign.

Click connected the arrows to navigate done the recommendations. And click the “View” fastener adjacent to 1 to spell to the due measurement and make the suggested improvement.

Finally, reappraisal your run specifications 1 much time. 

If you request to alteration anything, conscionable click connected the applicable section and you’ll automatically spell to the corresponding page. 

Once you’re done, navigate backmost to the reappraisal page utilizing the paper connected the near broadside of your screen.

10. Launch Your Campaign

Once your run is precisely arsenic you want it, click “Publish campaign” connected the “Review” page. 

Google reviews each advertisement earlier it tin spell live. Which tin return 1 to 2 business days. 

Once you people your campaign, you’ll spot a surface for illustration the 1 below, prompting you to return steps to measurement the occurrence of your campaign. 

For example, you mightiness want to group up a measurement to measurement conversions. 

Setting up conversion tracking involves adding a mini portion of codification to your website. To way important actions for illustration purchases aliases sign-ups.

You tin instal this codification either done your website builder (if you usage one) aliases by pasting the codification straight into your site’s HTML. 

Drive Success pinch Google Ads

Now that you cognize really to tally ads connected Google, show your run to spot really it performs.

And usage Semrush’s Advertising Research instrumentality to analyse moreover much of your competitors’ advertizing strategies to get further ideas.

Sign up for a free Semrush trial to get started.