How to Start Google Ads: A Beginner’s Guide to Building Effective Campaigns

Starting with Google Ads can feel overwhelming, but with the right setup, it can be a powerful tool for driving targeted traffic to your website.

Whether you’re a small business or an established site looking to gain visibility, the best place to begin is with Google’s Performance Max campaigns.

Performance Max offers a cost-effective, holistic approach to reaching potential customers across Google’s entire network, from Search to YouTube and Display Ads.

And the good news? You don’t have to be an ad expert to get started; you just need a bit of prep and about two to three hours of focused work.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started with Google Ads management, the Performance Max way.

To start, head to ads.google.com and set up an account if you don’t already have one. Google often offers promotions for new accounts, such as matching your first month’s ad spend. Look out for these deals to give your initial budget an extra boost.

Before diving into campaign setup, having these essentials ready will make the process smoother:

• 15 Short Headlines: Up to 30 characters each. These will be combined with other ad assets to create various ads. To make the most of this, use strong, direct language that highlights your main value points.
• 5 Long Headlines: Up to 90 characters each. These are often the first line in larger ads, so they need to stand out. Focus on value-driven messages that highlight key benefits, keeping them relevant to the audience’s intent.
• 5 Descriptions: Up to 90 characters each. These add extra context to your ad. Use this space to provide specific details or benefits that can entice clicks—think of it as your “why” statement.
• Images: Google allows you to add 20 images in various sizes (landscape, square, and portrait). Make sure your images are clear and relevant, and that they represent your brand effectively. Recommended sizes:
  
  
  • Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 x 628 pixels
  • Square (1:1): 1200 x 1200 pixels
  • Portrait (4:5): 960 x 1200 pixels
• Logo & Business Name: This helps build brand recognition across Google’s network.
• Videos: If you have them, great—add 5 to increase engagement. Google also lets you create videos directly within the ad setup, using your existing assets like images and headlines.

Google’s AI works best when it understands what’s important to you. Set clear goals for your campaign, whether it’s driving sales, increasing inquiries, or generating leads. If possible, give each conversion a value. For example, if a contact form submission is worth £100 to you, this helps Google prioritise high-value actions. Don’t worry if you’re not ready to share exact values - relative values work well, too.

While Performance Max casts a wide net across Google’s channels, it’s still useful to know which keywords will connect you with potential customers. Use Google’s Keyword Planner tool (this will be available to you under Tools->Planning->Keyword Planner in your Google Ads account) to find around 25 search terms that are relevant to your business and indicate strong buyer intent. For example, terms like “emergency plumbing services” for a plumber or “SEO agency near me” for a digital marketing company are high-intent terms likely to attract serious inquiries.

Audiences are key to getting your ads in front of the right people. Start with In-Market Audiences, which target users actively searching for services like yours. You can also add a list of competitor websites as part of your audience setup, allowing you to reach people interested in similar services. Google’s Performance Max lets you layer audiences to ensure you’re targeting high-potential users effectively.

With your content prepped, it’s time to create your ad assets. Google requires a mix of short and long headlines, descriptions, images, and videos. Aim for an “Excellent” ad strength rating, which maximises the reach and performance of your campaign. An “Excellent” rating is achieved by filling in every possible field with varied, relevant content.

Additional assets help expand your ad’s footprint and provide more context for viewers. Key assets to include:

• Sitelinks: Add direct links to specific pages on your website, such as “Services” or “Contact Us.”
• Structured Snippets: Highlight categories or services you offer, such as “Website Redesign, SEO Optimisation, Content Creation.”
• Call to Action: Examples include “Get a Free Quote,” “Learn More,” or “Contact Us Today.”
• Google Business Profile: Connect your business profile to include address and phone number, boosting local visibility.

Link your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts to Google Ads. These tools provide additional insights and help you track conversions accurately. Adding a phone number to your ad also counts as a conversion goal, which signals Google to prioritise people who are likely to make contact.

Once everything is set up, it’s time to launch! Performance Max campaigns use Google’s AI to optimise placement and bidding across Google’s network, reaching users wherever they’re most active.

While traditional search campaigns focus on single-click costs (which have skyrocketed), Performance Max is more budget-friendly by spreading your reach across multiple Google platforms. For a smaller budget, Performance Max provides the best return by combining search, display, YouTube, and more, targeting your audience holistically.

Creating a Google Ads campaign requires a solid initial setup, but the potential rewards are well worth it. By choosing Performance Max with clear goals, well-defined assets, and targeted audiences, you’re setting your campaign up for success. However, it’s important to remember a few key points:

First, set a realistic budget that aligns with your business goals. While Performance Max spreads your budget across multiple Google platforms for maximum reach, it still takes time for the AI to understand and optimise your bid strategy effectively. Be prepared for a learning phase during the first few weeks, as Google’s AI fine-tunes the campaign based on your budget and goals.

Secondly, be patient and give the campaign time to stabilise. Performance Max works best when it has data to learn from, so allow the campaign to run consistently as the AI refines its approach to find the best-performing combinations.

With a bit of patience and steady optimisation, your Google Ads campaign will gradually drive the targeted traffic and conversions you’re aiming for.