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      Google Ads (training)

      Learn how to launch high-ROI Google Ads campaigns—step by step.

      Overview

      Google Ads is a powerful platform that brings client websites to the top of search results through paid advertising—offering immediate visibility and potentially higher lead volume than organic SEO alone.

      However, effective campaign management is essential. While Google Ads can drive significant results, it can also become expensive quickly if not optimized. As a digital marketing agency, we act as fiduciaries for our clients’ advertising budgets—meaning we must steward their resources responsibly and with measurable return.

      How Google Ads Works

      1. A user enters a search query on Google.
      2. Google identifies whether advertisers have bid on that keyword (or similar ones).
      3. Google conducts an ad auction to determine:
        • Which ads show
        • In what order
        • How much each advertiser will pay per click

      This auction process determines what is called the Ad Rank.

      Ad Rank Formula

      Google calculates Ad Rank using two major components:

      1. Quality Score (1–10)

      This multiplier heavily influences how often and affordably an ad shows up. It is based on:

      • Landing Page Experience – Does the destination page offer high-quality, relevant content that matches the ad?
      • Keyword Relevance – Does the ad text closely match the user’s search intent?
      • Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) – How likely the ad is to be clicked compared to others in the auction?

      2. Max Bid

      The maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for a click.

      Google prioritizes ads that offer better user experiences—not just those with the biggest budget.

      Ad Rank Formula (Visual)

      The following illustration demonstrates how this process works:

      STEP 1

      The Most Important Metric: ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

      ROAS measures how much revenue you earn for every dollar spent on ads.

      ROAS = Revenue from Ads ÷ Ad Spend

      Example: If you spend $500 and generate $2,000 in revenue, your ROAS is 4.0 (or 400%).

      Key Performance Levers (Supporting Metrics)

      While higher ROAS is the goal, there are certain levers we can pull to achieve it. These metrics help drive that progress:

      • Click-Through Rate (CTR): Are people clicking when they see the ad?
      • Cost-Per-Click (CPC): How much are you paying per visitor?
      • Conversion Rate: Are those visitors becoming leads or customers?
      • Cost per Conversion: How efficiently are you turning budget into leads?
      • Lead-to-Customer Close Rate: Are those leads actually becoming paying customers?

      Always prioritize ROAS, even if some other metrics fluctuate.

      Getting Started: Campaign Setup

      Step 1: Download and Launch Google Ads Editor

      1. Download Google Ads Editor
      2. Sign in with the client’s Google Ads account
      3. Click “+ Add” (top left corner)

      Step 2: Keyword Research

      1. Visit the client’s website and copy the services page URL
      2. Go to Google Keyword Planner > Tools > Keyword Planner
      3. Click “Use only this page” and paste the URL
      4. Set location targeting (e.g., United States, Utah)
      5. Review the keyword list and remove irrelevant terms
        • For example, “air conditioner repair” may be a high-volume keyword, but if we are targeting RV air conditioner repair, this would not be a good match.

      Be aware: Google often treats similar terms (e.g., RV air conditioner repair vs. RC AC repair) as the same keyword. If two different keywords have the same search volume and search trends, this means they are grouped from a Google perspective. In this case, choose one or the other.

      Step 3: Build Your Campaign in Google Ads Editor

      1. Click “Add campaign”
      2. Name the campaign using existing naming conventions (or come up with your own)
      3. Budget (USD):
        • Estimate potential monthly spend using: Search Volume × Top of Range CPC
        • Divide by 30 for daily budget, which is what you will enter
        • Avoid setting bids too low (ads may not show)

      Remember: A lot of this is approximation, and you will need to adjust over time!

      1. Bid Strategy: Choose one:
        • Manual CPC (Recommended for control)
        • Maximize Conversions (Advanced; works well with strong data history)
        • Do not use Maximize Clicks!!
      2. Customer Acquisition: Leave Bid equally for new and existing customers selected
      3. Include Search Partners: Off
      4. Include Display Network: Off
      5. Broad Match Keywords: Off
      6. Ad Schedule: Align with client's availability so they can respond
      7. Location Targeting:
        1. Target: People in or regularly in your scheduled area
        2. Exclude: People in excluded locations

      Step 4: Create Ad Groups

      Use Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) to improve quality and control. Create separate ad groups for variations (e.g., "RV AC repair" vs. "RV AC repair near me").

      This allows for more relevant ad copy, higher quality scores, and A/B testing for optimization.

      1. In Google Ads Editor, click “Make multiple changes”
      2. Label your rows under “Ad Group”
      3. Click “Process” to create multiple ad groups

      Step 5: Create Keywords

      1. Create two different keywords for each ad group created:
        1. Keyword: "Replace broad"; Match type: "Broad"
        2. Keyword "Replace phrase"; Match type: "Phrase"
      2. Copy the keywords for each ad group and put them into a Google Sheet
      3. Using Copy and Paste, replace the Keyword column with the corresponding Ad Group column (it should also stay in the Ad Group column).
      4. Copy the columns only through the Criterion Type column
      5. Paste into Editor via:
        • Account > Import > Paste text
        • You will notice the keywords have been divided between their respective ad groups and each now contains a duplicate for Broad and Phrase
      6. Confirm Add or Update is selected
      7. Click Process and Keep All

      Step 6: Add Negative Keywords (Ad Group Level)

      To prevent keyword overlap and increase precision for broad keywords:

      1. In Editor, go to Keywords, Negative > + Negative Keyword
      2. Select Ad-group level negative keyword 
      3. Write "near me", Match type: Phrase
        1. This ensures "near me" searches will not be ranking in searches for broad keywords
      4. Repeat as needed for other broad keywords

      Step 7: Clean Up & Formatting

      1. Select your ad groups
      2. Click Edit > Change Capitalization > Ad Group Name > Title Case

      Step 8: Create Responsive Search Ads

      1. Ask ChatGPT to analyze the client’s landing page with this prompt: 
        Analyze this page and generate 15 Google Ads headlines and 3 responsive search ad variants
      2. In Google Ads Editor:
      3. Go to Ads > + Responsive Search Ad
        1. Select Ad Groups you want to make ads for and click OK
        2. Paste content from ChatGPT into the following boxes:
          • Headlines (aim for all 15)
          • Descriptions (2–4)
        3. For the Final URL box, link to the client's landing page where there is contact information

      Video Instructions