Anthony McGrath

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How to set up Google Ads (the right way)

Live guide · Checked 26 October 2026 · Updated 26 October 2026 · Checked every week against Google Ads's own help pages

Create a Google Ads account in expert mode, add conversion tracking and launch your first Search campaign without wasting money.

Time
45 minutes
You will need
  • A Google account (Gmail or Google Workspace)
  • Your website with a contact form, phone number or checkout
  • A payment card
  • A monthly budget you are happy to test with
Stuck?
Troubleshooting or ask me a question

Step by step

  1. Start at ads.google.com

    Go to https://ads.google.com and sign in with the Google account you want to own the ads. Use a business account you will always have access to, not a staff member's personal Gmail.

  2. Skip the "smart" setup

    Google pushes a simple goal-based setup first. Look for Switch to Expert Mode or Create an account without a campaign at the bottom of the screen and choose it. This gives you full control over keywords, bids and settings.

  3. Confirm your business details

    Set your billing country, time zone and currency. You cannot change the time zone or currency later, so check them carefully (United Kingdom, London, GBP for most UK businesses).

  4. Add billing

    Go to Billing and add your payment card or set up invoicing. Ads will not run until billing is complete.

  5. Set up conversion tracking first

    Go to Goals > Conversions > Summary and create a conversion action for what matters: a form enquiry, phone call or purchase. Install it with Google Tag Manager or the Google tag on your site. Without this, Google cannot learn which clicks make you money.

  6. Link Google Analytics 4

    Go to Tools > Data manager (or Linked accounts) and link your GA4 property, so you can see what people do after the click.

  7. Create a Search campaign

    Click + New campaign, choose your goal (Leads or Sales) and pick Search. Untick Display Network and Search partners while you test, so your budget only goes on Google search results.

  8. Set location and budget

    Target the areas you actually serve. Under location options choose Presence: people in or regularly in your locations. Set a daily budget you are comfortable with for at least 30 days.

  9. Choose keywords carefully

    Build small ad groups around tight themes. Use phrase match and exact match for the searches that mean someone wants to buy, and add negative keywords such as -free, -jobs, -course, -salary and -diy to block wasted clicks.

  10. Write your ads

    Create a Responsive search ad with at least 8 to 10 headlines and 4 descriptions. Mention your service, location, a reason to choose you and a clear call to action.

  11. Add assets

    Add sitelinks, callouts, a call asset and structured snippets. They make your ad bigger and usually improve the click rate for free.

  12. Launch and check after 48 hours

    Publish the campaign, then check Search terms after a couple of days. Add any irrelevant searches as negatives. Review weekly and only scale budget once conversions are coming through.

Tips from 22 years of doing this

  • Never let Google "auto-apply" recommendations: turn auto-apply off under Recommendations.
  • Start with Maximise conversions or Manual CPC, and only move to Target CPA once you have 30 or more conversions a month.
  • Keep brand and non-brand searches in separate campaigns.

Troubleshooting: questions and answers

My ads are approved but getting no impressions. Why?

Usually the budget or bids are too low, the keywords have very low search volume, or the location is too small. Check the Status column on your keywords for "Low search volume", widen your match types slightly and make sure billing is active.

Conversions show as "Inactive" or "No recent conversions".

The tag is not firing. Use Google Tag Assistant (https://tagassistant.google.com) on your thank-you page or form. If you use Tag Manager, check the container is published, not just saved.

Google says my account is suspended.

Most new accounts are suspended for "suspicious payment activity" or "circumventing systems" by mistake. Go to the suspension notice and click Submit an appeal, verify your identity and business, and make sure your website clearly shows who you are and how to contact you.

I am spending money on irrelevant searches.

Open Insights and reports > Search terms, tick the irrelevant ones and click Add as negative keyword. Do this every week for the first month.

Official help pages

Want this done for you?

I have set these up for over 500 businesses in 22 years. If you would rather spend your time on the business, I can set it up properly, check your tracking and get it working for you.

Get a free consultation

Still stuck, or have a question?

Tell me where you got to and what you see. I read every message and reply by email, usually the same working day.