How To Set Up A Campaign In Google Ads (Step by Step)

Setting up a Google Ads campaign is easy. Setting one up so it does not waste money takes a little more care. Google's interface will happily guide you to "publish" within minutes, but many of the defaults are designed for reach, not for a small business that needs every pound to count.

This guide walks through setting up a standard Search campaign in 2026, step by step. Search campaigns show text ads on Google when people search for what you offer, and they are the best starting point for most UK service businesses and local firms.

Do these first and the rest of the set-up becomes much easier:

1. A clear goal. Decide what a conversion is for you: a phone call, an enquiry form, a booking or an online sale.
2. A landing page for each main service. Sending all your ads to the homepage almost always performs worse than a page that matches the search.
3. Tracking. You will need the Google tag on your site, or a Google Analytics 4 property you can link, so you can record conversions.
4. A budget you can test with. Allow at least two to three months to gather enough data to make good decisions.

Go to ads.google.com and sign in with a Google account, ideally a shared business account rather than one person's private email. Add your business name and website. Check that the time zone and currency are right, because you cannot change them later.

Google may suggest a simplified "Smart" campaign during sign-up. Smart campaigns can suit some very small advertisers, but they give you little control over keywords and search terms. For the method in this guide, choose to create a standard Search campaign.

Do this before you spend anything. Google gives you two main routes: create conversions directly from your Google tag, or import key events from Google Analytics. Either way, test it by submitting your own form or completing a test purchase.

If you have UK visitors, your tracking also needs to respect cookie consent. Our guide to cookie consent and Google Analytics in the UK explains how consent mode fits in.

Click Create, then Campaign, choose your objective (for example, leads or sales) and select Search as the campaign type. Attach the conversion actions you set up in step 2, so Google knows what success looks like.

Bidding decides how Google sets your bids in each auction. The main Smart Bidding strategies for lead generation are Maximise conversions and Target CPA, and for ecommerce Maximise conversion value and Target ROAS. Google notes that from June 2026 some strategy names are being simplified, so a target CPA strategy now appears simply as Target CPA and the labels you see may differ slightly from older guides.

A sensible starting point for a new account is Maximise conversions without a target. Once you have a steady flow of conversions, you can add a target cost per acquisition.

These settings cause more wasted spend than almost anything else:

• Networks. A Search campaign can also show on Google search partner sites and can include a Display Network option. Many advertisers start with Google Search only, then test the others separately.
• Locations. Target the areas you actually serve. Under location options, Google lets you choose between people who are in your area and people who have shown interest in it. For most local businesses, the "Presence" option, which focuses on people in your chosen locations, is the safer choice.
• Languages. English is usually right for UK campaigns.
• Ad schedule. If you rely on calls, consider showing ads only when someone can answer the phone.

You set an average daily budget. Google explains that a campaign can spend up to twice that amount on a busy day, but you will not be charged more than 30.4 times the daily budget over a month. So for roughly £600 a month, set about £20 a day.

Group your keywords into tight themes, one ad group per service. A plumber might have separate ad groups for boiler repair, bathroom installation and emergency call-outs. That way, each ad and landing page can match the search closely.

Google offers three keyword match types:

• Broad match reaches the widest range of related searches. Google says it works best alongside Smart Bidding.
• Phrase match shows your ad for searches that include the meaning of your keyword.
• Exact match shows your ad for searches with the same meaning or intent as your keyword.

Start with a focused list of keywords that show buying intent, such as "boiler repair Leicester", rather than vague research terms.

Negative keywords stop your ads showing for searches you do not want. Common examples are "jobs", "free", "DIY", "course" or competitor names you do not want to target. Add a starter list now and review the search terms report every week for the first month.

Responsive search ads let you add up to 15 headlines of 30 characters and 4 descriptions of 90 characters. Google then tests combinations. Good practice:

• Include your main keyword in at least a couple of headlines
• Mention what makes you different, such as prices, guarantees, reviews or speed
• Add a clear call to action, such as "Book a free survey"
• Write headlines that work in any order, as Google mixes them

Then add assets, such as sitelinks to key pages, callouts like "Free quotes", your phone number and your business location. Assets cost nothing extra to add and give your ad more space on the page.

Google now offers AI Max for Search campaigns, which can broaden matching and rewrite parts of your ads automatically. It can help some accounts, but it changes how much control you have. Our guide to AI Max for Search explains when to test it.

Add your payment details, check every setting one last time and publish. Google states that most ads are reviewed within one business day, though some reviews take longer.

The first month is about learning, not judging. Each week, check:

• Search terms: add irrelevant searches as negatives
• Conversions: confirm they are recording correctly and match real enquiries
• Locations and times: spot areas or hours that spend without converting
• Ads: pause clear underperformers once they have had a fair chance
• Landing pages: if clicks are healthy but enquiries are low, the page may be the problem

Avoid making big changes every day. Smart Bidding needs time and data to settle.

• Goal and conversion actions defined
• Conversion tracking tested and consent-aware
• Search campaign with Search network only, to begin with
• Locations set to "Presence" if you serve a local area
• Daily budget calculated from your monthly figure
• Tightly themed ad groups with intent-led keywords
• Negative keyword list added
• At least one strong responsive search ad per ad group
• Sitelinks, callouts and call assets added
• Weekly search term review booked in your diary

Plenty of businesses run their own Google Ads successfully. If you would rather spend your time running your business, or your account is spending without delivering, our team can help. Our Google Ads management packages are published on our site, and you can read more about how much PPC management costs. Already live? Our 10 simple ways to decrease your CPA is a good next step.

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