Learn how paid ads actually get set up.
Free, step-by-step guides to the basics on every major ad platform: creating the account, launching a first campaign, setting a budget, and installing tracking. Each one is checked against the platform’s own documentation.
How these guides work
- Who it's for
- Business owners and marketers setting up ads themselves
- What's covered
- Accounts, first campaigns, budgets, and tracking on 13 platforms
- How it's kept current
- Reviewed against each platform's official help docs
- Guides
- 52 step-by-step walkthroughs
Meta Ads
Business portfolio, first campaign, budgets, and the Meta Pixel.
Create an ad account
Set up a Meta business portfolio, create an ad account, add a payment method, and give your team the right access, step by step.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first Facebook and Instagram campaign in Ads Manager: objective, Advantage+ settings, audience, placements, the ad itself, and launch.
Read the guideSet a budget
Learn how Meta ads budgets work: campaign vs ad set budgets, daily vs lifetime, bid strategies, spending limits, pacing, and safe budget changes.
Read the guideInstall the Meta Pixel
Install the Meta Pixel, add the Conversions API, set up conversion events, and confirm everything works with Test Events in Events Manager.
Read the guideGoogle Ads
Account setup, first campaign, budgets, and conversion tracking.
Create an ad 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 guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first Google Ads Search campaign: objective, networks, locations, AI Max, keywords, responsive search ads, budget, and publishing.
Read the guideSet your 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 guideSet up 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 guideSet up Merchant Center
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 guideTikTok Ads
Ads Manager setup, first campaign, budgets, and the TikTok Pixel.
Create an ad account
Set up TikTok Ads Manager step by step: sign-up, business details, payment method, account approval, Business Center, and team access.
Read the guideCreate your first 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 guideSet your budget
TikTok budgets explained: daily vs lifetime, campaign and ad group minimums, bidding basics, and how to raise budgets without disrupting delivery.
Read the guideInstall the TikTok Pixel
Install the TikTok Pixel with Shopify or manual code, add the Events API, and check events fire with Pixel Helper, Test Events, and Diagnostics.
Read the guideLinkedIn Ads
Campaign Manager setup, first campaign, budgets, and the Insight Tag.
Create an ad account
Set up a LinkedIn Campaign Manager ad account the right way: LinkedIn Page, account details, payment, user roles, and when to use Business Manager.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first LinkedIn ads campaign in Campaign Manager: objective, audience, ad format, placements, budget, ads, and launch, step by step.
Read the guideSet a budget
How LinkedIn ads budgets work: daily vs lifetime, campaign budgets, minimums, bidding strategies, pacing, and how to change budgets safely.
Read the guideInstall the Insight Tag
Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag, set up conversion tracking, confirm the tag is active, and learn how the Conversions API fits in.
Read the guideX Ads
Lead Gen Ads, lead forms, and getting leads into your CRM.
Create an ads account
How to create an X Ads account: pick the right handle, set country and time zone, add billing, give your team access, and avoid settings you can't change.
Read the guideCreate a campaign
How to create an X ads campaign: choose an objective, set budgets and bids, target the right audience, pick placements and posts, then launch.
Read the guideInstall the X Pixel
How to install the X Pixel: create it in Events Manager, add base and event code, test with X Pixel Helper, and plan for the Conversion API.
Read the guideSet up Lead Gen Ads
How to set up X Lead Gen Ads: build a lead form, launch a Leads campaign, and get leads from the Leads Center into your CRM, step by step.
Read the guidePinterest Ads
Business account, first campaign, budgets, and the Pinterest tag.
Create an ad account
Set up a Pinterest business account, claim your website, create an ad account in Business Manager, add billing, and give your team access.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build a first Pinterest ads campaign: pick an objective, set up the ad group, targeting and placements, choose Pins, and publish for review.
Read the guideSet a budget
How Pinterest ads budgets work: daily vs lifetime, Performance+ vs fixed daily pacing, bidding options, spend limits, and changing budgets safely.
Read the guideInstall the Pinterest tag
Install the Pinterest tag, add conversion events, connect the Conversions API or Shopify app, and confirm events work with Test events.
Read the guideReddit Ads
Account setup, first campaign, budgets, and the Reddit Pixel.
Create an ad account
Set up a Reddit Ads account step by step: Reddit login, business details, country and currency, payment, profiles, and team access.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first Reddit Ads campaign: objective, community, keyword and interest targeting, placements, budget, ads, review, and launch.
Read the guideSet a budget
How Reddit Ads budgets work: daily vs lifetime, campaign budget optimization, spend caps, bidding strategies, pacing, and changing budgets safely.
Read the guideInstall the Reddit Pixel
Install the Reddit Pixel by code, Google Tag Manager, or Shopify, set up conversion events, test them, and see how the Conversions API fits in.
Read the guideSnapchat Ads
Ads Manager setup, first campaign, budgets, and the Snap Pixel.
Create an ad account
Set up Snapchat Ads Manager: business account, the required Public Profile, ad account settings, payment method, and team roles, step by step.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first Snapchat campaign: choose an objective, set up the ad set, targeting, placements, and bidding, create your ad, and publish for review.
Read the guideSet your budget
Snapchat budgets explained: daily vs lifetime ad set budgets, the $5 minimum, campaign spend caps, bid strategies, and how to edit budgets safely.
Read the guideInstall the Snap Pixel
Install the Snap Pixel with Shopify or base code, add the Conversions API, and verify events with Snap Pixel Helper and Events Manager test events.
Read the guideStreaming TV Ads
Vibe account setup, first TV campaign, budgets, and the Vibe pixel.
Create a Vibe account
Sign up for Vibe, create your advertiser profile, add a payment method, invite your team and secure the account before your first streaming TV campaign.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build your first Vibe streaming TV campaign: upload a compliant spot, pick a goal, set up strategies, target locations and audiences, then launch.
Read the guideSet your budget
How Vibe budgets work: daily vs lifetime strategies, the $50 minimum, automatic and manual CPM bidding, frequency caps, pacing and safe budget changes.
Read the guideInstall the Vibe pixel
Install the Vibe pixel on Shopify, Google Tag Manager or your site code, add lead and purchase events, and confirm streaming TV conversions are tracking.
Read the guideAmazon Ads
Getting access, a first Sponsored Products campaign, and budgets.
Create an ads account
Register for Amazon Ads as a seller, vendor, or KDP author. Eligibility, Brand Registry rules by ad type, billing, and user access, step by step.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Launch your first Amazon Sponsored Products campaign: pick products, choose automatic or manual targeting, set a bid strategy, and check it after launch.
Read the guideSet your budget
How Amazon Ads budgets work: the $1 daily minimum, monthly averaging, bids, budget rules, and the ACoS and TACoS math you need to judge spend.
Read the guideMicrosoft Ads
Account setup, first campaign, budgets, and the UET tag.
Create an ad account
Sign up for Microsoft Advertising, choose import or a fresh start, set time zone, currency and billing, add users, and complete identity verification.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Import from Google Ads or build a Microsoft Ads Search campaign: goals, locations, keywords, responsive search ads, ad distribution, and going live.
Read the guideSet your budget
How Microsoft Ads daily, shared and lifetime budgets spend, the 30.4 monthly rule, beginner bid strategies, and how to change budgets safely.
Read the guideInstall the UET tag
Create and install the Microsoft Ads UET tag, set up conversion goals, add enhanced conversions and consent mode, and test with UET Tag Helper.
Read the guideEtsy Ads
Setting up Etsy Ads, a first campaign, and budgets.
Set up Etsy Ads
Get your shop ready for Etsy Ads: the 15-day wait, where ads live in Shop Manager, how charges are billed, and how Offsite Ads enrollment and fees work.
Read the guideLaunch your first campaign
Launch Etsy Ads step by step: set a starting budget, choose listings, organize ad groups, pick strategies, and read your first 30 days of ad stats.
Read the guideSet your budget
How Etsy Ads budgets work: the $1 minimum, your maximum daily budget, how Etsy bids for you, how charges post, and what Offsite Ads fees cost.
Read the guideChatGPT Ads
Getting access, a first campaign, budgets, and conversion tracking.
Get ChatGPT Ads access
How access to OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta works: sign up, verify your business, set up billing and team access, and prepare if you can't get in yet.
Read the guideCreate your first campaign
Build a first ChatGPT Ads campaign in OpenAI's Ads Manager Beta: choose an objective, set targeting, write context hints and ads, then submit for review.
Read the guideSet your budget
How ChatGPT Ads budgets work: daily vs campaign-total, currency minimums, weekly pacing, CPC and CPM billing, payment thresholds and safe budget changes.
Read the guideSet up conversion tracking
Install OpenAI's Measurement Pixel, send standard events, add the Conversions API, deduplicate events and confirm ChatGPT Ads conversions are recorded.
Read the guideAd Fundamentals
Metrics, tracking, attribution, and budgets that apply to every platform.
Where the guides stop, the real work starts.
Setting up an account is the easy part. What decides whether ads make money is everything after it: the offer, the creative testing, the quality of your tracking, and budget decisions made against your margins.
That’s the work Active Digital Marketing does every day for established eCommerce and lead generation brands.
Spending seriously on ads? Let's talk.
Tell us about your business, your numbers, and your goals. If we’re a fit, you’ll get a strategy call with Mitch. If we’re not, we’ll tell you why and point you to a better next step.