The First 60 days of a New Google Ads Campaign

The first 60 days of a new Google Ads campaign are the most important for any campaign.

Especially if this is a new client account because over this first 60 days the client will be reviewing your results as a Google Ads agency or freelancer to see if you can actually use Google Ads to help grow their business.

In this video I want to explain what is happening with the Google Algorithm in the first 60 days and the optimisations you need to complete, so that you can see success with your Google Ads campaign. 

The reality is that most Google Ads campaigns will take on average 60 days before they become profitable. I have had many Google Ads campaigns that started generating sales and conversions from the very first day and then I had some cases where it can take 3-4 months before the campaign becomes profitable. 

But over the last 12 years over 90% of the Google Ads campaigns I run become profitable in the first 60 days. 

Let’s start with a breakdown and timeline of what is happening the first 60 days. 

 In the first 14 days: Google is completing the testing period for your ads. This is where Google is starting to test your ads vs your competitors and starting to work out things like:

• Will your ads be clicked?
• What are the best times to show your ads?
• What are the best search terms to show your ads for?
• Who are the best people to show your ads too?

This is why you can see usually see a drop in the number of impressions and clicks that your new campaign will receive AFTER the first 2 weeks.

 The first 28 days: is where you as the Google Ads manager are collecting the first round of data to see

• What are the best performing keywords
• What are the best performing ad copies or products
• And what are the best performing audiences & demographics 

 After the first 28 days: is also when we make our first major optimisations because up until this point our main action has been to complete regular search term & product audits adding in extra negative keywords or excluding under performing products. With these actions helping to filter out keyword themes that are just wasting money. 

This is where we complete actions like reviewing the first round of Ad Copy results and set-up some new Ad copy split tests.

This is also the point where we might start to use an automated bidding strategy like ‘Maximise Conversions” or “Maximise Conversion Value”

•  And then at the 60 day mark: we take our first full review of the audiences and demographics to see if there are any emerging trends with the best performing

• Audiences
• Age or income demographics
• Location & device targeting trends

From that point it is all about continuing the Google Ads Optimisation process so that you can continue to see improvements in your 

• CTR
• Conversion Rates
• Conversion Acquisition costs