New Dashboard - Google Search Campaign Set Up Guide

Google Ads is currently in the process of switching over to a new dashboard, and while everything that was in the old dashboard is still available, the design and layout are different.

So as requested by many people in this video, I am going to take you through the process of how to set up a Google Ads search campaign.

Please take a moment to watch my YouTube video below for a comprehensive set-up guide.

For those of you who prefer reading, the rest of this article will guide you through the process.

Campaign Structures and Budget Allocation

Creating a successful Google Ads campaign begins with a clear understanding of your business goals and how to structure your campaigns to achieve them. In Google Ads, each campaign you create should be thoughtfully aligned with a specific aspect of your business, whether it's targeting a unique product line, service offering, or a particular geographic market. This tailored approach not only enhances the relevance of your ads but also provides you with granular control over your advertising spend and performance metrics.

Why Separate Campaigns?

Geographical Segmentation: You might have the same product, but your market segments in different regions, like New York and California, might have varying needs and behaviors. By creating separate campaigns for different locations, you can allocate budget efficiently and tailor your messaging to resonate with each unique audience.

Product or Service Diversity: Businesses with multiple product lines or services need to approach each segment with a unique strategy. For instance, a hotel might run distinct campaigns for one-bedroom villas and two-bedroom villas. Such separation allows for more targeted advertising and better budget management.

Budget Considerations

Once you've defined your campaign structure, it’s time to determine how to allocate your budget across these campaigns.

• Aligning Budget with Business Objectives: Your budget should reflect your business priorities. Higher priority segments, whether defined by profitability, market share goals, or strategic importance, should typically receive a larger portion of the budget.
• Flexibility in Budgeting: It's important to remain flexible with your budget allocation. Market conditions change, and so do consumer behaviors. Regularly review and adjust your budget to ensure it aligns with current trends and campaign performance.
• Tracking and Adjustments: Utilize Google Ads' tracking tools to monitor how your budget is being spent and how effective it is in achieving your desired results. Don’t hesitate to reallocate funds between campaigns based on their performance.

Campaign Structuring Tips

• Keep It Organized: Use descriptive names for your campaigns to easily identify and manage them, especially when dealing with multiple campaigns.
• Test and Learn: Start with a conservative budget to test the waters. Use the data gathered to understand what works best for your audience and scale up accordingly.
• Stay Goal-Oriented: Each campaign should have clear goals. Whether it's increasing brand awareness in a new market or driving sales for a specific product, your budget should be allocated in a way that supports these objectives.

Ad Groups and Keyword Management

After establishing your campaign structure and budget, the next crucial step is to dive into the details of ad groups and keyword management. This is where the precision of your Google Ads campaign comes into play, enabling you to target your audience more effectively and utilize your budget efficiently.

Ad Groups

An ad group is a container for your keywords, ads, and landing pages – all centered around a common theme. Think of it as a sub-category within your campaign, designed to target a specific set of keywords and cater to a particular aspect of your audience's interests or needs.

For instance, in a campaign promoting a hotel, you might have separate ad groups for 'one-bedroom villas' and 'two-bedroom villas.' Each ad group would contain keywords, ads, and landing pages specific to that offering, ensuring that your ads are highly relevant to the user's search query.

The more relevant your ad group is to the search query, the higher your chances of earning clicks, which can lead to conversions. Google also rewards relevancy with a higher Quality Score, potentially lowering your cost per click and improving your ad rank.

Effective Keyword Management

Keywords are the foundation of your search campaign. They are the terms and phrases that users type into Google when they are looking for information, products, or services.

• Keyword Research: Begin with thorough keyword research to understand the terms your potential customers are using. Tools like Google's Keyword Planner can provide insights into search volume, competition, and even suggest related keywords.
• Keyword Types: Understand the different types of keywords - broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Each type offers different levels of targeting precision and reach. For example, exact match keywords will trigger your ads for searches that are very closely related to your keyword, whereas broad match can trigger ads for a wider range of search queries.
• Organizing Keywords in Ad Groups: Group your keywords into ad groups based on their similarity or theme. This ensures that the ads and landing pages linked to each ad group are as relevant as possible to those keywords, enhancing the user experience and your campaign's performance.

Linking Keywords to Landing Pages

• Relevance and Consistency: Ensure that the landing page for each ad group is directly relevant to the keywords and ads within that group. For example, if your ad group targets 'luxury spa services,' the landing page should specifically highlight your spa services, not general hotel amenities.
• Optimizing Landing Pages: A well-optimized landing page can significantly improve your conversion rate. It should provide the information or services mentioned in your ad, be easy to navigate, and have a clear call-to-action (CTA).

By carefully organizing your ad groups, meticulously selecting and managing your keywords, and linking them to relevant, optimized landing pages, you set the stage for a more effective and efficient Google Ads campaign. Next, we will explore the step-by-step process of setting up your Google Ads search campaign, where these principles come into play to help you achieve your advertising goals.

Setting Up a Google Ads Search Campaign: Step-by-Step Guide

Having established a solid foundation with well-structured campaigns, ad groups, and a strategic approach to keyword management, it’s time to delve into the actual setup of your Google Ads search campaign. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process, ensuring that you create a campaign that is not only aligned with your business objectives but also optimized for performance.

Step 1: Accessing the New Campaign Options

Navigate to Google Ads Dashboard: Log into your Google Ads account and access the dashboard. Here, you'll find the tools and options needed to create your campaign.

Starting a New Campaign: Click on the 'Create' button. This action will prompt you with options to create a new campaign, ad group, keywords, or conversion action. For our purpose, select 'New Campaign'.

Step 2: Selecting Campaign Objectives

Choosing the Right Objective: Based on your business goals, choose an objective like 'Sales', 'Leads', or 'Website Traffic'. This choice guides Google Ads in optimizing your campaign for the best results.

Importance of a Defined Objective: Having a clear objective allows Google’s algorithms to tailor your campaign settings for better performance, whether you aim to generate direct sales, gather leads, or simply drive traffic to your website.

Step 3: Naming Your Campaign

Descriptive Naming: Give your campaign a name that clearly describes its purpose or target audience, like 'One Bedroom Villas Promotion'.

Internal Reference: Remember, the campaign name is for your reference only; it won’t be visible to your audience.

Step 4: Setting Your Budget

Determining the Budget: Decide on a daily budget for your campaign. This will be the average amount you’re willing to spend each day.

Flexibility and Adjustments: You can always adjust this budget later based on the campaign’s performance and your changing business needs.

Step 5: Targeting and Languages

Geographic Targeting: Choose the locations where you want your ads to appear. This could range from broad geographic areas like countries to more specific locations like cities or ZIP codes.

Language Settings: Select the language of your target audience. Ensure your ad copy and landing pages are in the same language for consistency and effectiveness.

Step 6: Audience and Keyword Selection

Building Your Audience: Add relevant audiences to your campaign. This includes defining characteristics like interests, demographics, or past behaviors.

Keyword Inclusion: Insert the keywords you’ve researched and organized into your ad groups. This step is crucial as it determines when your ads will appear based on user searches.

Step 7: Creating Ads

Responsive Search Ads: Create responsive search ads with multiple headlines and descriptions. Google will automatically test different combinations and show the most effective versions.

Ad Relevance: Ensure that your ad content is closely aligned with your keywords and landing pages for better Quality Scores and ad performance.

Step 8: Review and Launch

Final Check: Review all the settings and content of your campaign. Look for any errors or areas of improvement.

Publishing Your Campaign: Once satisfied, publish your campaign. Google will review your ads before they go live, a process that can take a few days.

Step 9: Monitoring and Optimization

Track Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your campaign. Pay attention to metrics like click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per conversion.

Make Adjustments: Based on performance data, make necessary adjustments to your campaign settings, keywords, or ad content.

By following these steps, you can set up a Google Ads search campaign that is well-positioned to reach your target audience and achieve your marketing objectives. Remember, the key to success with Google Ads lies in continuous testing, learning, and optimizing.

Budgeting and Bidding Strategies for Google Ads

Once your Google Ads search campaign is up and running, a crucial aspect to focus on is effectively managing your budget and choosing the right bidding strategies. This section delves into how to allocate your budget wisely and select bidding options that align with your campaign objectives, ensuring optimal use of resources and maximizing return on investment (ROI).

Budget Allocation

Setting the Right Budget: Your campaign budget should reflect your business goals and the potential return from each campaign. It's a balance between spending enough to get meaningful data and results, without overshooting your overall marketing budget.

Daily vs. Lifetime Budgets: Google Ads allows you to set a daily budget which is the average amount you'll spend each day, or a total budget for the lifetime of the campaign. Choose based on your campaign duration and flexibility.

Monitoring and Adjusting: Regularly monitor your budget performance. Be prepared to adjust budgets based on the performance of each campaign. If a campaign is performing well, increasing its budget can amplify success.

Selecting Bidding Strategies

Types of Bidding Strategies: Google Ads offers various bidding strategies, like cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-mille (CPM), cost-per-acquisition (CPA), and more. Choose based on what you're trying to achieve - clicks, impressions, conversions, etc.

Conversion-Focused Bidding: If conversions are your primary goal, consider using CPA bidding where you pay for each acquisition, or Smart Bidding strategies like Enhanced CPC (ECPC) or Target CPA, which use machine learning to optimize bids for conversions.

Balancing Cost and Performance: The ideal bidding strategy balances cost-efficiency with campaign performance. Start with a conservative approach, then gradually adjust as you gain more insights from your campaign data.

Tips for Effective Budgeting and Bidding

• Start Small and Scale Up: If you're new to Google Ads or testing a new campaign, start with a smaller budget. Increase your spend as you gain confidence in the campaign’s effectiveness.

• Use Data-Driven Decisions: Make changes to your budget and bids based on performance data. Look at metrics like conversion rates, cost per conversion, and ROI to guide your decisions.

• Consider Seasonality and Market Trends: Be aware of seasonal fluctuations or market trends that might affect your campaign performance. Adjust your budget and bids to capitalize on high-demand periods or to scale back during slower times.

• Utilize Automated Bidding for Efficiency: Automated bidding strategies can save time and optimize your bids in real-time based on the likelihood of conversion, but they require good historical data to work effectively.

• Test Different Bidding Strategies: Don’t hesitate to experiment with different bidding strategies to see what works best for your specific goals and target audience.