Before you start

Have these ready before you build the campaign:

• your website landing page

• the main service or offer you want to promote

• a list of keywords people would search

• your budget

• a way to track leads or sales, if possible

Google also recommends defining your goal and campaign type first, since those choices shape the rest of the setup. (Google Support)

Step 1: Sign in to Google Ads

Go to your Google Ads account and start a new campaign. In the current flow, you click the plus / create button and choose New campaign. (Google Support)

Step 2: Choose your goal

Select the goal that best matches what you want:

• Sales

• Leads

• Website traffic

• Or Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance

Google notes that your selected goal helps determine the best campaign type and setup path. (Google Support)

Step 3: Choose the campaign type

Pick Search if you want text ads to appear in Google search results when people look for what you offer. Google’s official Search campaign setup specifically walks through this type for lead and traffic-focused advertising. (Google Support)

Step 4: Set your campaign basics

In campaign settings, fill in the core items:

• campaign name

• networks

• locations

• languages

• audience segments if desired

For most beginners running Search ads, it is often cleaner to keep the setup focused and avoid expanding too broadly too early. Google’s Search campaign instructions include campaign settings before ad groups and ads. (Google Support)

Step 5: Choose your locations

Select the cities, states, regions, or countries where you want your ads to show. If you only serve a specific area, keep this narrow so your budget is not wasted on irrelevant clicks. Location targeting is part of the Search campaign setup flow. (Google Support)

Step 6: Choose your language

Select the language your customers use when searching and reading your ads. Most businesses in the U.S. start with English unless they actively market in additional languages. This is part of campaign settings in Google’s setup flow. (Google Support)

Step 7: Set your budget

Enter your average daily budget. Google’s campaign preparation guidance includes setting a budget early in the process. Start with an amount you are comfortable testing for at least a couple of weeks so the system can gather data. (Google Support)

Step 8: Choose a bidding strategy

Google includes bidding during campaign setup. Common options are focused on clicks, conversions, or conversion value depending on your objective and tracking setup. If you have conversion tracking in place, conversion-focused bidding is often stronger than optimizing only for clicks. (Google Support)

Step 9: Create your ad groups

Build ad groups based on closely related keyword themes. For example:

• “homes for sale in tampa”

• “tampa real estate agent”

• “sell my home tampa”

Google’s official Search setup places ad groups before creating the actual Search ads. Keeping keywords tightly grouped helps your ads match search intent better. (Google Support)

Step 10: Add keywords

Enter the search terms you want to target. Use keywords that are highly relevant to the service or page you’re promoting. Avoid dumping too many unrelated keywords into one ad group. Google includes keyword/ad group setup as a core part of campaign creation. (Google Support)

Step 11: Write your Search ads

Create your ads for each ad group. Google uses Responsive Search Ads, where you provide multiple headlines and descriptions and Google tests combinations to improve performance over time. (Google Support)

A good starting structure is:

• several headlines with your service and location

• one or two headlines with a benefit

• one or two headlines with a call to action

• descriptions that explain what makes you different

Example:

• Headline: Tampa Real Estate Agent

• Headline: Buy or Sell With Confidence

• Headline: Book Your Free Consultation

• Description: Local guidance for buyers and sellers. Get expert help and fast answers today.

Step 12: Add assets

Google recommends adding assets because they can improve visibility and click-through rate. Useful assets may include:

• sitelinks

• callouts

• phone number

• location info

These are part of Google’s campaign prep best practices. (Google Support)

Step 13: Set up billing

To actually run ads, your account needs active billing. In Google Ads, go to Billing and complete your billing information and payment method. Google states that ads require an active billing setup to run. (Google Support)

Step 14: Review and publish

Review everything:

• goal

• campaign type

• locations

• budget

• bidding

• keywords

• ads

• billing

Then publish the campaign. Google’s official flow ends with budget/review before the campaign begins serving. (Google Support)

Step 15: Watch performance after launch

Once live, keep an eye on:

• impressions

• clicks

• click-through rate

• conversions

• cost per lead or sale

• search terms

Do not judge performance too quickly from only a handful of clicks. Google’s help materials emphasize ongoing optimization after the campaign is created. (Google Support)

Best beginner tips

For a first campaign, these habits usually help:

• send traffic to one strong landing page, not your homepage if possible

• keep each ad group tightly focused

• use clear calls to action

• start with a modest test budget

• add assets

• make sure billing and conversion tracking are working

Those recommendations align with Google’s campaign prep and Search campaign setup guidance. (Google Support)