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May 28, 2025, 15 min read

Video Title: Google Ads Beginners Tutorial for 2025 (Step By Step) Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch/i3-Dvy4Wjb4 Presenter: (Implied to be owner of a Google/Meta Ads agency for 9 years)

Overall Goal of the Video: To show beginners how to create a Google Ads campaign from scratch, covering every step to generate leads and sales.

KEY Metrics

  • Click Through Rate (CTR) - 8% and above
  • Impression Share - What percentage of the time my ads show up when they can be shown to a user?
    • You want your impression share and your top impression share to be close to each other.
  • Top Impression Share - What percentage of the time our ads showed up at the top of the page results?
  • Absolute Impression Share - what percentage of the time is our ad in the #1 position?
    • You want your top impression share and your absolute impression share to be close to each other.

I. Introduction & Prerequisites (00:00:00 - 00:01:10)

  • Presenter’s Credibility: Owns a specialist Google Ads and Meta Ads agency for 9 years. They “live and breathe this stuff.”
  • Core Requirement: Need a Google Ads account.
  • Prerequisite for Google Ads Account:
    • Must be signed into an existing Google Account (e.g., Gmail) on the browser you’ll use.
    • Most people likely have one due to various Google services.
    • If not, create one. Can even create a new one specifically for this.
  • Google Ads Account Creation Page: ads.google.com/home

II. Google Ads Account Setup (00:01:10 - 00:09:45)

  • Promotional Offers (00:01:10 - 00:02:17)
    • Google often has offers for new advertisers (e.g., “get up to £1,200 in ad credits”).
    • Examples given (in GBP, presenter is UK-based):
      • Offer A: £400 credit for £400 spend.
      • Offer B: £800 credit for £1,200 spend.
      • Offer C: £1,200 credit for £2,400 spend.
    • Important Notes on Offers:
      • Vary by time, location, and currency.
      • Select based on your likely commitment (e.g., smaller offer if just testing, larger if serious).
      • Presenter recommends taking the best possible offer if committed.
      • Click “Claim offer” after selecting.
  • Starting the Account Creation (00:02:17 - 00:02:42)
    • Click “Start now.”
    • Presenter’s screen shows existing accounts/manager accounts (due to agency work).
    • For demonstration, presenter clicks “New Google Ads account.”
  • Initial Onboarding Screen (00:02:42 - 00:04:22)
    • Google’s message: “Create your first campaign in a few simple steps: Add business information, create your ads, set your budget.”
    • Click “Create your first campaign.”
    • Google may auto-populate business name and website URL if associated with the Google account.
      • If not, enter manually.
    • Alternative destinations (besides website): Google Business Profile, phone number, app. Most will use “website.”
    • CRITICAL STEP (Presenter’s Advice):
      • Instead of clicking “Next” (which starts a guided campaign creation), select “Create an account without a campaign.”
      • Reason: The guided process isn’t the best way, especially when following a detailed tutorial. It’s better to set up the account first, then create a campaign with full control.
  • Account Settings Confirmation (00:04:22 - 00:04:47)
    • Verify/Correct:
      • Billing Country
      • Time Zone
      • Currency
    • Warning: Incorrect settings here can cause issues later (billing in wrong currency, account problems).
    • Click “Continue.”
  • Confirm Settings & Billing (00:04:47 - 00:07:32)
    • Review location, time zone.
    • Introductory offer selected should be displayed (presenter didn’t select one for demo).
    • Payments and Billing Section:
      • Much info may be pulled from the main Google Account.
      • Payments Profile: Can be changed or a new one added.
      • Purpose of Use: “Business” (vast majority). “Eligible non-business” (e.g., charity) is an option.
      • Tax Information: Optional, varies by location. Presenter recommends adding it.
      • Payment Method:
        • Can be pre-filled. Can change/add.
        • Options: Credit/Debit card, Bank account.
        • Recommendation: Set up more than one payment method.
          • Avoids issues if a card expires (failed payments can lead to ad suspension or even account disablement if Google suspects an attempt to get free ads).
        • Note: Temporary authorization charge (e.g., £10) may appear, usually removed within a week.
      • Google’s Charging Method (often frustrating):
        • Not simple (spend X, billed X).
        • Charged on the 1st of each month OR when balance exceeds the “billing threshold.”
        • Billing thresholds vary by location, account age, and spend.
        • Invoices may not perfectly match monthly spend.
  • Payment Verification (00:08:25 - 00:08:48)
    • Off-screen: Presenter had to verify the temporary charge (e.g., £10). This may happen.
    • Once done, “Your account was created.”
    • Click “Continue.”
  • Account Type Clarification (00:08:48 - 00:09:45)
    • Question 1: “Is your organization an advertising agency?” (managing ads for clients)
      • Yes -> Manager Account setup.
      • No -> (Most viewers) Advertising own business. Presenter selects “No.”
    • Question 2: “Who pays for your ads?” (related to payment profile)
      • Options:
        • “No, an agency pays and invoices us.”
        • “Yes, we pay Google Ads directly.” (Most viewers will select this).
      • Presenter selects “Yes, we pay Google Ads directly.”
    • Click “Save and continue.”

III. Campaign Creation (00:09:45 - 00:57:46)

  • Navigating to New Campaign (00:09:45 - 00:09:59)

    • Account dashboard appears.
    • From “Overview,” click “New campaign” (button or link).

  • 1. Choose Campaign Objective (00:09:59 - 00:11:50)

    • Crucial Step: Tells Google your primary goal, allowing AI to optimize. Getting this wrong leads to worse results.
    • Recommended for Beginners:
      • Sales: If people purchase/transact directly on your website (e-commerce).
      • Leads: If people submit forms, book calls, etc., and sales happen offline/later (e.g., service businesses).
    • Common Mistake: Choosing “Website traffic.”
      • Google will find “clickers” but not necessarily converters.
    • Other Objectives (less common for beginners):
      • Local store visits/promotions: For physical stores.
      • App promotion: For apps.
      • Awareness: For large brands, not for direct response.
    • Presenter selects “Leads” for the demo.

  • 2. Conversion Goals (00:11:50 - 00:12:40)

    • “Use these conversion goals to improve leads.”
    • Should reflect what was (or should be) set up during account creation.
    • Example: “Book appointments” (if that’s the lead action).
    • Presenter’s demo has a warning (“inactive conversion action”) due to using a dummy URL. Users should ensure no warnings or fix them.
    • Make sure Google knows exactly what action signifies a lead/sale.
    • Click “Continue.”

  • 3. Select Campaign Type (00:12:40 - 00:15:53)

    • Search: Ads on Google search results pages for specific keywords. Most common, what people think of as Google Ads. Recommended for beginners.
      • Reason: Easiest to understand, targets user intent (people actively looking).
    • Performance Max (PMax): Catch-all for all Google channels (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Shopping). Fantastic, but more complicated.
      • Recommended after a Search campaign is running and has conversion data (PMax relies heavily on AI and data).
    • Demand Gen: Mix of YouTube, Discovery, Gmail.
    • Display: Image/text ads across websites on the Google Display Network. Often used for remarketing.
    • Shopping: Product listing ads for e-commerce (images, prices at top of search). Many don’t realize these are ads.
    • Video: YouTube-specific advertising.
    • Presenter selects “Search” and mentions a separate PMax tutorial (link in description).

  • 4. Ways to Reach Your Goal (for Leads objective) (00:15:53 - 00:16:48)

    • Options: Website visits, Phone calls, Store visits, App downloads, Lead form submissions.
    • Presenter selects “Website visits” (most common for leads/sales).
    • Enter website URL (e.g., heathmedia.co.uk).
      • Google uses this info later for keyword/ad copy suggestions.
    • Click “Continue.”
    • Campaign Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Example Leads Campaign”).
    • Click “Continue.”

  • 5. Bidding (00:16:48 - 00:22:20)

    • Determines how Google allocates budget.
    • Default for Leads campaign: “Conversions.”
      • Aims to get as many conversions (leads/sales) as possible within budget.
      • Google bids more on keywords likely to convert, even if Cost Per Click (CPC) is higher for those.
    • Alternative: “Clicks.”
      • Aims for most clicks. Google will favor cheaper, often less valuable keywords. Generally not recommended if goal is conversions.
    • Alternative: “Conversion Value.”
      • Optimizes for the highest value conversions, not just quantity.
      • Crucial if different conversions have different values (e.g., Service A lead worth 500).
      • Especially important for e-commerce (Sales campaign objective).
    • Presenter selects “Conversions” for this demo (assuming one primary lead type).
    • Target Cost Per Action (CPA):
      • Option to set a desired cost per lead/sale.
      • Not recommended at the start. Let Google gather data first. (Separate video on Target CPA linked).
    • Customer Acquisition (00:20:54 - 00:21:35):
      • Checkbox: “Bid for new customers only.”
      • More advanced. For businesses concerned about spending on existing customers.
      • Not recommended for beginners to change. (Separate video linked).
    • Click “Next.”

  • 6. Campaign Settings (00:22:20 - 00:31:19)

    • Networks (00:22:20 - 00:22:56):
      • Default: Search Network AND Display Network.
      • CRITICAL: Deselect “Display Network.”
        • Keep Search campaigns focused on search intent. Display has different behavior.
        • Google will try to convince you to keep it for “more reach” – ignore for now.
      • Keep “Search Network” (includes Google Search Partners).
    • Locations (00:22:56 - 00:25:57):
      • Target geographical areas where you can deliver products/services.
      • Can be countries (e.g., United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia).
      • Can be more specific:
        • Enter city (e.g., Bristol).
        • Use “Advanced search” for radius targeting (e.g., 20 miles around Bristol).
        • Can exclude areas (e.g., exclude Wales if targeting a radius around Bristol that overlaps).
      • Advice: Don’t get too specific if you can serve a wider area. Let Google figure out where customers are.
      • Presenter sticks with “United Kingdom” for demo.
    • Languages (00:25:57 - 00:26:15):
      • Self-explanatory. Default: English. Add others if relevant to your target locations/ads.
    • Audience Segments (00:26:15 - 00:26:27):
      • More advanced. Skip for now. (Other videos cover this).
    • Broad Match Keywords Setting (00:26:27 - 00:28:47):
      • Setting to make all keywords in the campaign broad match.
      • CRITICAL: Turn this OFF.
        • Keyword Match Types Explained:
          • Broad Match: Google shows ads for very loosely related searches. Can waste budget on irrelevant traffic (e.g., “how to start a Google Ads agency” if you’re selling services).
          • Phrase Match: Search must include the keyword phrase, or close variants, with words before/after. (e.g., “best Google advertising services in UK”).
          • Exact Match: Search must be the exact keyword, or very close variants (synonyms, misspellings, plurals). (e.g., ”Google ad agency”).
        • Presenter is not a fan of broad match for beginners. Prefers more control with Phrase/Exact.
        • Google pushes broad match (makes them more money).
    • More Settings (00:28:47 - 00:31:19):
      • Ad Rotation:
        • Default: “Optimize: Prefer best performing ads.” (Good, leave as is). Google shows ads that get better results more often.
        • Alternative: “Do not optimize: Rotate ads indefinitely” (for strict A/B testing, not usually needed).
      • Start and End Dates:
        • Set if campaign needs to start/end on specific dates. Presenter usually doesn’t set end dates as they manage accounts actively.
      • Ad Schedule:
        • Default: All days, all times.
        • Can restrict to specific days/hours (e.g., Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm for B2B if immediate follow-up is needed).
        • Important for lead-gen businesses to ensure leads can be handled.
        • Less critical for sales campaigns (as checkout is automated), but data might show optimal purchase times.
        • Presenter leaves as “All day” for demo.
      • Campaign URL Options, Brands: Ignore for now.
    • Click “Next.”

  • 7. Keywords and Ads (Ad Group Setup) (00:31:19 - 00:53:46)

    • Google AI Initial Scan (00:31:19 - 00:32:28):
      • Google pulls info from website URL to generate keywords/ad copy. “Can be hit and miss.”
      • Click “Generate” to see suggestions.
      • Presenter notes AI is “better than a complete beginner but much worse than someone who knows what they’re doing.”
    • Products or Services to Advertise (00:32:28 - 00:33:24):
      • Input specific product/service for better keyword suggestions.
      • Presenter enters “Google advertising services.” Clicks “Update keyword suggestions.”
    • Ad Group Naming (00:33:24 - 00:34:08):
      • Change ad group name to be specific (e.g., “Google Advertising Services”).
      • Structure: Campaign -> Ad Group -> Keywords & Ads.
      • Ad group contains tightly themed keywords and related ads.
    • Keywords (00:34:08 - 00:39:45):
      • Google auto-generates keywords.
      • IMPORTANT: These will be Broad Match by default, even if the campaign-level setting was turned off.
      • Action: Modify match types:
        • Phrase Match: Add quotation marks. "google advertising services"
        • Exact Match: Add square brackets. [google ad agency]
      • Strategy for Beginners:
        • Start with a mix of Phrase and Exact.
        • If keyword is very precise to your offering: Phrase match (e.g., “Google advertising services”).
        • If keyword is relevant but could be misinterpreted: Exact match (e.g., [Google ad agency] to avoid “how to start a Google ad agency”).
        • Delete irrelevant/too broad suggestions (e.g., “Google service ads” or “Google AdWords advertising” if too vague).
        • Delete “Ad management services” (could be for TikTok, Facebook, etc.).
        • Add your own well-thought-out keywords (e.g., “PPC services” as phrase match).
        • Aim for 5-6 tightly relevant keywords.
        • If in doubt, go more towards Exact match.
        • Downside of being too specific: Low search volume. Easy to fix by adding more keywords or broadening match types later.
        • Google will try to push for more keywords and broad match – be cautious.
    • Ads (Responsive Search Ad - RSA) (00:39:45 - 00:53:46):
      • Final URL (00:40:00 - 00:40:31):
        • Destination after ad click.
        • CRITICAL: Don’t just use homepage. Send to a specific, relevant landing page (e.g., /google-ads-services page if advertising that).
        • Presenter enters heathmedia.co.uk/google-ads.
      • Display Path (00:40:31 - 00:41:11):
        • Customizable part of the URL shown in the ad (e.g., yourdomain.com/Google-Ads/Services).
        • Presenter adds /Google Ads.
      • Headlines (00:41:11 - 00:44:31):
        • Up to 15 headlines, 30 characters each. Google combines 2-3.
        • AI-generated headlines: Often “fine” but can be improved or nonsensical.
          • Examples of bad AI: “RoAS advertising prices” (doesn’t make sense), “View our case studies apply today” (confusing).
        • Presenter deletes AI headlines and adds their own, more focused ones.
          • Example: “Google Ads Agency,” “Generate More Conversions,” “Average 30% Improvement.”
        • Pinning Headlines:
          • Click the pin icon next to a headline.
          • Can pin to Position 1, 2, or 3, or “Show in any unpinned position.”
          • Useful to ensure a key message (like “Google Ads Agency”) always appears, or appears first, to provide context.
      • Descriptions (00:44:31 - 00:46:53):
        • Up to 4 descriptions, 90 characters each. Google shows 1-2.
        • AI-generated descriptions: Similar to headlines, can be hit-or-miss.
          • Example of bad AI: “We offer a complete range of services from paid media social media marketing” (too broad if ad group is for Google Ads).
        • Presenter deletes AI descriptions and adds better ones.
          • Example 1 (CTA-based): “Schedule a call to find out how we can help you today.”
          • Example 2 (Proof-based): “Take a look at our fantastic track record & case studies.”
        • Recommends 2-4 descriptions. (More info in separate video linked).
      • Business Name and Logo (00:46:53 - 00:47:07):
        • Less critical for Search. Google can pull from website. Can add manually.
      • Ad Assets (formerly Extensions) (00:47:07 - 00:52:19):
        • Make ads bigger, provide more info, more navigation options. Definitely add them.
        • Sitelinks (00:47:07 - 00:49:34):
          • Links to other relevant pages on your site (e.g., About Us, Contact Us, Case Studies, Specific Service Page).
          • AI generates these too. Review and edit.
          • Presenter deletes irrelevant AI Sitelinks (e.g., “Blog”) and keeps/adds relevant ones like “Case Studies,” “Google Ads” (page), “Contact Us.”
          • Need at least 2, recommend 4.
          • Ensure URLs are correct. Descriptions for sitelinks are optional (extra credit). (Separate video linked).
        • Callouts (00:49:34 - 00:51:13):
          • Short, snappy benefits/features (25 characters). Not clickable.
          • Examples: “Average 30% Improvement,” “An Agency That Cares,” “Outstanding Service.”
          • Add several; Google will test combinations. (Separate video linked).
        • More Asset Types (00:51:13 - 00:52:19):
          • Promotions, Prices, Calls, Structured Snippets, etc.
          • Presenter has videos on each (links in description).
          • Recommendation for Beginners: Focus on Sitelinks and Callouts first. Others are “extra credit” initially.
      • Ad Strength Indicator (00:52:51 - 00:53:40):
        • Google shows “Poor,” “Average,” “Good,” “Excellent.”
        • Presenter’s demo shows “Poor” because they didn’t add many headlines/descriptions or all asset types for brevity.
        • Don’t worry excessively about this initially. It doesn’t mean the ad will perform badly. Focus on relevance and clarity.
    • Click “Done” (for the ad creation).
    • Click “Next” (to move from Keywords & Ads section).

  • 8. Budget (00:53:46 - 00:56:39)

    • Google gives recommendations and estimates (weekly conversions, cost per conversion).
    • Estimates are often very inaccurate for new accounts. More accurate for mature accounts with data.
    • How to Set Budget:
      • Guideline: Spend an amount you can afford to lose. Campaigns may not work from day one.
      • Avoid financial difficulty if it doesn’t work.
      • If it works, scaling up is easy.
      • Don’t spend so little it’s meaningless (leading to “set and forget”).
      • Sweet spot: “Could afford to lose it, but it would sting a little bit” – encourages engagement.
    • Can use Google’s recommendation or “Set a custom budget.”
    • Budget is highly dependent on business size and financial situation.
    • Presenter uses recommended for demo but emphasizes user should adjust.
    • Click “Next.”

  • 9. Review Campaign (00:56:39 - 00:57:46)

    • Final chance to check all settings:
      • Campaign type, objective, goals, bidding, networks, locations, languages, keyword settings (broad match off), number of keywords, number of ads, budget.
    • Critical Reminder: Conversion Tracking.
      • Ensure it’s set up correctly (best via Google Analytics).
      • Presenter has a separate video on GA4 setup and linking to Google Ads.
      • Essential for Google to optimize and for you to see results.

IV. Publishing and Next Steps (00:57:46 - End)

  • Publish Campaign (00:57:46 - 00:58:08)
    • Click “Publish.”
    • Google reviews the campaign (for policy violations).
    • If approved, ads go live. Impressions and clicks should start appearing quickly.
  • Post-Launch Monitoring & Optimization (00:58:08 - 00:59:13)
    • CRITICAL: Do NOT “set and forget.”
    • Monitor data:
      • Which keywords perform best/worst? Pause underperformers, add similar to top performers.
      • Which ad headlines/descriptions work best? Add more similar to top performers.
    • This is the process of optimization.
    • Presenter has a video on optimizing campaigns (link in description).
    • Campaigns can be improved from unprofitable/okay to amazing with time and effort.
  • Further Learning (00:59:13 - 00:59:32)
    • Many other videos linked and on the channel to level up specific Google Ads skills.
  • Conclusion (00:59:32 - End)
    • Congratulates viewers who made it this far.
    • Call to Action:
      • Subscribe.
      • Comment with feedback (helps direct future video content).
    • Wishes luck.

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