How to create a Google Ads campaign
This guide explains the main Google Ads campaign types, then walks you through building a first Search campaign from objective to publish, with the settings that matter most called out along the way.
Google Ads has several campaign types. Search shows text ads on Google search results to people looking for what you sell. Performance Max runs across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps from one campaign. Shopping shows product listings and needs a Google Merchant Center feed. Demand Gen runs image and video ads on YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and the Display Network. Standalone Display campaigns are moving into Demand Gen in phases that started in June 2026.
For most first campaigns, Search is the clearest place to start. You choose the keywords, you can read the search terms that triggered your ads, and results connect directly to intent. The steps below build a Search campaign. Campaigns save as a draft automatically, so you can stop and come back.
Start a new campaign and pick an objective
Open Campaigns from the Campaigns menu and select the plus icon. Choose an objective such as Sales, Leads, or Website traffic, or choose Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance if you want every setting available. The objective shapes which options Google suggests, not what you can change later.
Choose Search and confirm conversion goals
Under the campaign type options, select Search. Google then shows the conversion goals the campaign will optimize toward. A Search campaign needs at least one conversion goal, so make sure the right one is selected, such as purchases or lead form submissions, and remove goals that do not represent real business results. Select Continue and give the campaign a clear name.
TipName campaigns by type, offer, and location, for example Search, Brand, US, so reports stay readable.
Set networks deliberately
Under networks, Include Google search partners extends ads to partner search sites, and Display Network extends a Search campaign onto websites and apps. For a first Search campaign, many advertisers turn off the Display Network so results reflect search intent only. You can test search partners later once you can measure their results separately.
Choose locations and languages
Add the countries, regions, cities, or radius you serve and exclude any you do not. Under Location options, Presence or interest includes people who show interest in your locations, while Presence limits ads to people located in or regularly in them. Local service businesses often prefer Presence. Then select the languages your customers use.
Decide how to use AI Max
New Search campaigns have AI Max turned on by default. It can include search term matching beyond your keywords, text customization that generates ad text from your site, and Final URL expansion that sends people to other pages on your domain. Google notes these work best with conversion-based bidding. If you want tight control while you learn, review each feature and URL exclusions before publishing.
Watch outFinal URL expansion can send traffic to pages you never meant to advertise, so exclude pages such as careers or support if you leave it on.
Build ad groups and keywords
Keep the default Standard ad group type. Group keywords by theme, one product or service per ad group, and enter one keyword per line. Use quotation marks for phrase match, brackets for exact match, and leave keywords without symbols for broad match. Add obvious negative keywords with a minus sign, such as free or jobs, so you do not pay for irrelevant searches.
Write a responsive search ad
Enter the final URL and up to two display path fields of 15 characters each. Responsive search ads need at least 3 headlines and allow up to 15, each up to 30 characters, plus 2 to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters. Google mixes them in different combinations. Write distinct headlines that cover your offer, proof, and next step rather than rewording one idea.
Add assets such as sitelinks and callouts. Google recommends at least two ads per ad group with Good or Excellent Ad Strength.
Set the budget and bidding, then publish
Choose your bid strategy and enter an average daily budget, or a campaign total budget with start and end dates. The budget guide in this series explains both. Review the summary, select Fix it on any issues, then select Publish. Ads go through Google’s policy review before they serve, and you can edit everything afterward from the campaign’s overview.
Before you move on
- Conversion goals reflect real business results
- Networks and location options are what you intended
- AI Max features and URL exclusions are reviewed
- Each ad group has a tight keyword theme and negatives
- Ads point to the most relevant landing page
Official resources
- Google Ads Help: Create a Search campaign
- Google Ads Help: About responsive search ads
- Google Ads Help: Set up AI Max for Search campaigns
- Google Ads Help: About Demand Gen campaigns
- Google Ads Help: About Performance Max campaigns
Ad platforms update their tools often. This guide was last reviewed against the official documentation above in October 2026. If your screen looks different, the official help pages have the latest steps.
At a glance
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- What you need
- A Google Ads account with billing set up
- At least one conversion action, or a plan to add one
- A clear landing page for the product or service you are advertising
- A short list of the searches your customers type
- A daily budget you are comfortable with
Rather have it done for you?
Active Digital Marketing builds and manages Google Ads accounts for businesses doing $25,000+ a month in revenue.
Apply to work with usOr get an ad account auditWhere DIY setups go wrong
The most common problems with self-built Google Ads setups, and what they cost.
Launching without conversion tracking
Without conversions, Google can only optimize for clicks, and you cannot tell which keywords produce customers. Set up tracking before launch.
Leaving Display Network on in a Search campaign
Display placements behave very differently from search results. Mixing them makes a Search campaign's numbers hard to read and can spend budget on low-intent traffic.
Broad keywords with no negatives
Broad match and search term matching can reach loosely related searches. Without negatives and regular search term reviews, spend drifts toward queries that never convert.
Wrong location setting for a local business
Presence or interest can show ads to people outside your service area. Service businesses that only work locally often waste budget this way.
Too many ad groups with too little budget
Spreading a small budget across many themes leaves each one with too little data to learn from. Start focused and expand on what works.
What this guide doesn't cover
A published campaign is not a finished one. The results come from what happens next: reading search terms, refining match types and negatives, testing ad copy, choosing when to add Performance Max or Shopping, and making sure Search and Performance Max are not competing for the same traffic.
ADM builds and manages Google Ads across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, YouTube, and Demand Gen for established brands, and that ongoing work is where most of the value sits.
- Search term analysis and negative keyword strategy
- Ad copy and asset testing at scale
- Shopping and Performance Max with a clean Merchant Center feed
- Brand versus non-brand separation and measurement
- Landing page alignment with keywords and offers
- Campaign type mix as budgets grow
Common questions
Should my first campaign be Search or Performance Max?
For most advertisers, Search is easier to read and control at the start. Performance Max can work well, especially for eCommerce with a product feed, but it needs solid conversion tracking and enough budget to learn.
How long does Google take to review ads?
Ads go through policy review before serving. Timing varies, and Google may take longer for some ads, so plan launches with a buffer.
Can I run ads without a website?
Some formats and Smart campaigns can work with a Business Profile or call goal, but a Search campaign as described here needs a landing page you control.
What happened to Display campaigns?
Google is moving standalone Display campaigns into Demand Gen. A migration tool began rolling out in June 2026, and Google says new Display campaigns will later be created only within Demand Gen.
From the blog
Strategy and context to go with this guide.
Keep learning
How to Create a Google Ads Account
Step-by-step: sign up for Google Ads without a forced campaign, set billing and time zone, add users, and complete advertiser verification.
Read the guideHow to Set a Google Ads Budget
How Google Ads daily and total budgets work, the 2x daily and monthly charging limits, beginner bid strategies, and how to change budgets safely.
Read the guideHow to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking
Install the Google tag, create conversion actions, turn on enhanced conversions, add consent mode, and confirm it works with Tag Assistant.
Read the guideHow to Set Up Google Merchant Center for Shopping Ads
Create a Merchant Center account, verify your store, add products from Shopify or a feed, set shipping and returns, and link Google Ads for Shopping.
Read the guideHow to Create a Meta Ads Campaign
Build your first Facebook and Instagram campaign in Ads Manager: objective, Advantage+ settings, audience, placements, the ad itself, and launch.
Read the guideHow to Create a TikTok Ads Campaign
Build your first TikTok campaign: pick an objective, choose manual or Smart+, set targeting and placements, upload your ad, and submit it for review.
Read the guideHow to Create a LinkedIn Ads Campaign
Build your first LinkedIn ads campaign in Campaign Manager: objective, audience, ad format, placements, budget, ads, and launch, step by step.
Read the guideRather have it built right the first time?
If your business does $25,000+ a month in revenue, apply and Mitch will review your accounts personally. Earlier than that? An ad account audit gives you a senior-level fix list you can work through yourself.