Set up your first Google Ads campaign

Step 1: account and tracking before any ads

Create your account at ads.google.com with a business Google login you control. Avoid a personal address, or one a former web developer set up and still owns. When Google steers you into a guided setup, look for the link to switch to expert mode. It shows every setting, and you will want most of them.

Next comes conversion tracking. A conversion is the action you want after a click, such as a phone call or an enquiry. Without it, Google can't tell a good click from a wasted one, and neither can you.

Track these from day one

• Calls placed straight from the ad, using a call asset with call reporting turned on
• Calls from people who tap the number on your website
• Enquiry forms, counted when the thank you page or confirmation message appears
• Online bookings, if you take them

Test every one before launch. Fill in your own form and ring your own number from the site, then confirm Google logged each action. New conversions can take a while to show, so check again the next day.

Step 2: a handful of tight keywords

Keywords are the searches you are asking Google to show your ad for. A first campaign does better with a short list of close variations on your main service than with a sprawling one. Group them by service, one ad group each, so every group gets ads written for it.

Each keyword also has a match type, which sets how closely a real search has to line up with it.

• Exact match [locksmith geelong]: shows for that search and others with the same meaning. The most control, the least reach.
• Phrase match "emergency locksmith": shows when the search carries that meaning, such as "24 hour emergency locksmith near me".
• Broad match: shows for anything Google decides is related. Save it for later, once tracking has plenty of data to steer by.

On a modest budget, phrase and exact are the sensible place to begin.

Negative keywords

Negative keywords stop the ad appearing on searches you don't want. Build a starter list before you launch, then add to it each week.

Step 3: settings to change before launch

Several defaults suit Google more than a small advertiser. Work through these while building the campaign.

1. Choose a Search campaign

   Select the Search campaign type with leads as the goal. Other types spread spend across video, email inboxes and banner ads, which is much harder to read when you are learning.

2. Untick the Display Network

   In the networks section, switch off the Display Network. Leave search partners off to begin with as well, so every click comes from Google search itself.

3. Set the location with care

   Add the suburbs, towns or radius you actually service. Under location options, pick people in or regularly in those places, not people who have shown interest in them.

4. Add an ad schedule

   If nobody can answer the phone at night, limit the ads to hours when someone can pick up, or keep them running after hours with a form as the main way to reach you.

5. Keep bidding simple at first

   With no conversion history, a cap on the most you will pay per click stops a few pricey searches from eating the day. Move to a conversion based strategy once conversions are being recorded steadily.

Step 4: write ads that echo the search

Google builds each ad from headlines and descriptions you supply, mixing them to suit each search. You can enter up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Fill most of the slots, and make each one say something different.

• Use the service and the place in at least two headlines, such as "Locksmith in Geelong"
• Give a plain reason to pick you: licensed, years trading, same day callouts if you really offer them
• Say what to do next: call now, book online, request a quote
• Add assets: a call asset, your location, sitelinks to key service pages and short callouts like "Free quotes"

Write separate ads for each ad group so the wording follows the keywords inside it. An ad about rekeying shouldn't be the answer to a search about a car lockout.

Step 5: land people on a matching page

The page a click opens should carry on the conversation the ad started. If the ad mentions car lockouts in Geelong, the page should be about car lockouts in Geelong, with the phone number in plain view. Dropping every click on the homepage makes people hunt, and plenty of them give up.

Before pointing an ad at a page, check it has

• A heading that uses the same words as the ad
• A tap-to-call number near the top
• One clear next step, with a short form as the fallback
• Reviews or licence details close to the form
• Quick loading on mobile data
• Tracking that fires on the call button and the form

Our free website checker gives a quick read on a page's speed and basics before you send paid clicks to it.

Step 6: a starting budget you can sustain

Google asks for an average daily budget. Rather than choosing a round number, work backwards from your own figures.

• What a typical job is worth to you after costs
• How many enquiries it usually takes to win one job
• So, what you can afford to pay for a single enquiry
• Roughly what a click costs on your keywords, which Google's Keyword Planner can estimate

Pick a daily figure you can leave alone for a full month. Spend moves around day to day, and Google may go over the daily amount on a busy day while keeping the monthly total in line. Changing the budget every few days gives the campaign no steady stretch to learn from.

If money is tight, narrow the campaign instead of spreading it thin: fewer keywords, a smaller area, and your most profitable service.

What to check in week one

• Search terms report, every couple of days. Add anything irrelevant as a negative.
• Conversions. Confirm calls and forms are recording against the right ads.
• Locations report. Clicks should be coming from inside your service area.
• Ad status. Look for disapproved ads or limited policy notices.
• Your phone and inbox. Are the enquiries genuine, and is someone answering them quickly?

Hold off on big changes in the first week. Trim the waste, fix anything broken and let the rest run.

What to review after month one

By the end of the first month you have real numbers to work from.

• Which keywords brought enquiries, and which spent money without any
• Pause the ones that keep missing and shift budget to the ones that convert
• Compare your cost per enquiry with the figure you worked out in step 6
• Test one or two new headlines against the current set
• Note the days and hours enquiries arrive, and tune the schedule to suit

From here it becomes regular upkeep. If you would rather hand it over, Stackt can build and manage the campaign for you, and our free marketing review includes a look at any account you already run.