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Paid Ads

Guide

Set up your first Google Search ad

Reach people at the exact moment they're searching for what you sell, a $10/day starter campaign.

12 min read·8 steps
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  1. Create a Google Ads account

    Go to ads.google.com. Sign in with the same Google account as your Business Profile. Skip the 'Smart Mode' campaign setup Google pushes, click the small 'Switch to Expert Mode' link at the bottom.

  2. Choose 'Search' campaign type

    Campaign objective: Sales or Leads. Campaign type: Search (not Display, not Performance Max, yet). Location: your service area only, not 'United States'.

  3. Write 3 ad headlines and 2 descriptions

    Headlines: 30 chars each. Include your service, your city, and one benefit. Example: 'Wedding Photographer Austin', 'Free Consultation Included', 'Featured in Austin Monthly'. Descriptions: 90 chars, use both.

  4. Add 8–15 tight keywords in [exact match] brackets

    Not broad match, that spends your money on irrelevant clicks. Use [wedding photographer austin], [austin wedding photography]. Brackets tell Google to only show ads for exact matches. Broad match comes later, once you have data.

  5. Add 20+ negative keywords

    Negative keywords are the phrases you DON'T want to show for. Common negatives: 'free', 'jobs', 'course', 'diy', 'salary'. Google → your keyword → Search Terms. Kill anything wasteful weekly.

  6. Set a $10/day starting budget

    Google will offer $50–$100/day by default. Ignore. $10/day = $300/month = enough data to learn without catastrophic loss. Bidding strategy: 'Maximise Clicks' with a max CPC cap of $2–$3.

  7. Point ads at a specific landing page

    Never send Google Ads traffic to your homepage. Create a dedicated page (or use your best service page) with: the exact promise from the ad, one form/phone number above the fold, 3 testimonials. Higher relevance = cheaper clicks.

  8. Wait 7 days, then check Search Terms

    Google Ads → Keywords → Search Terms. This shows every phrase real people typed to trigger your ad. Move great new phrases into your keyword list; add irrelevant phrases as negatives. Repeat weekly.

That’s the whole thing.

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