Running a successful Google Ads campaign isn’t just about hitting ‘launch’ and hoping for the best. It requires a well-thought-out strategy, continuous optimization, and a clear understanding of the client’s goals. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up and managing a PPC campaign that delivers real results.
Step 1: Understanding Your Client
Before diving into the technical setup, you need to understand the client and their business. Ask these key questions:
Who are they? What do they offer, and what sets them apart?
Who is their target audience? Consider demographics, interests, and purchasing behaviour.
What’s their budget?
Are there seasonal trends? Identify peak and off-peak periods.
What are their goals? Are they looking for more leads, sales, or brand awareness?
What are they tracking? Does their tracking align with their PPC objectives?
How do they measure success? Are they focused on CPA, ROAS, conversions, or another metric?
How is the company structured? This can affect how campaigns are set up and who needs to approve changes.
What’s the account history? Look for trends, past changes, and areas of improvement.
Step 2: Setting the Budget
Once you understand the client’s business, the next step is allocating the budget effectively:
Confirm the monthly budget with the client before proceeding.
Monitor pacing regularly to ensure steady ad spend throughout the month.
Adjust budgets strategically, ensuring any increases align with performance and client approval.
Allocate budgets based on performance—high-performing campaigns should be a priority.
Step 3: Crafting High-Performing Ads
Your ads are the first thing potential customers see, so they need to be compelling and well-structured:
Use Responsive Search Ads (RSAs).
Maximize the character limit by using all 15 headlines and 4 descriptions.
Include strong CTAs and location targeting (e.g., “Book Your Free Consultation In Birmingham”).
Ensure ad copy aligns with the website’s messaging for consistency.
Use keyword-rich headlines (aim for at least 5) and 2 CTAs to boost ad strength.
Review landing pages—they should be relevant, functional, and optimized for conversions.
Check assets – use a mix of sitelinks, callouts, and images.
Disable automatically created assets for better control over messaging.
Step 4: Defining Campaign Targets
A campaign without clear targets is destined to fail. Define:
The campaign’s purpose—lead generation, brand awareness, or sales?
Tracking and conversion goals—which actions matter most?
Primary vs. secondary conversions—prioritize high-quality actions.
Conversion lag time—how long does it take for a lead to convert?
Conversion value tracking—assign value where possible.
Step 5: Choosing a Bidding Strategy
Your bidding strategy should evolve as the campaign gains data:
Best practice: start with Manual CPC.
After 30 conversions, switch to Maximize Conversions.
Once you have 20 more conversions, apply a Target CPA.
Set the Target CPA slightly higher than historical CPA for smoother optimization.
Step 6: Selecting and Managing Keywords
Choosing the right keywords is crucial for reaching the right audience:
Start with Exact Match for precise targeting.
Review match type performance—adjust as needed.
Use negative keywords strategically to refine targeting.
Monitor Impression Share and Click Share to gauge competitiveness, looking at the auction when necessary.
Regularly check the Search Term Report—add high-performing search terms.
Review the website for important words/phrases to incorporate.
Optimize for Quality Score—higher scores lead to better rankings and lower CPCs.
To summarise:
Launching a successful Google Ads campaign requires a blend of strategy, data analysis, and ongoing optimization. By understanding your client, setting the right budget, creating engaging ads, defining clear goals, and choosing the best keywords, you can build a campaign that not only meets but exceeds expectations.
Need help setting up your next PPC campaign? Let’s talk!