How To Set Up A Google Ads Account in 2024

Summary

In this informative video, Ben Heath guides viewers through the process of setting up a Google Ads account for beginners. He emphasizes the importance of signing into a Google account, navigating to ads.google.com, and taking advantage of Google's introductory offers. The tutorial covers the steps to create a new account, including entering business details, linking a website, selecting advertising goals, and connecting Google Analytics for enhanced data insights. Ben also advises on optimizing campaigns and recommends pausing the initial 'express mode' campaign to switch to 'expert mode' for more control over ad settings. The video concludes by highlighting the next crucial step: conducting keyword research to effectively generate leads and sales for your business.

Takeaways

• 🔑 Sign in to your Google account to set up a Google Ads account, or create one if necessary.
• 💡 Visit ads.google.com/home to start the account setup process.
• 🎁 Be aware of Google's introductory offers, such as £400 in free ad credit when you spend £400.
• 📝 If prompted, decide whether to use existing business profile information for your Google Ads account.
• 🏢 Enter your business name and website URL during the setup process.
• 🔍 Google will scan your website to gather information for your account.
• 🎯 Choose your main advertising goal (e.g., website leads, calls, or physical location visits).
• 📊 If you have Google Analytics installed, consider linking it to your Google Ads account for better data integration.
• 🔗 Set up conversion tracking for specific actions on your website, such as signing up for a service.
• 🚀 Complete the initial campaign setup with default settings, but don't run the 'dummy' campaign.
• 💳 Ensure your billing information is correct and add a payment method.
• ✅ After setting up, switch from Express mode to Expert mode in Google Ads for full feature access and campaign customization.

Q & A

What is the first step in setting up a Google Ads account?

The first step is to ensure you are signed into your Google account. If you have a Gmail account, you likely already have a Google account.

How can you benefit from Google's introductory offers for new advertisers?

Google often provides a credit of a certain amount, like 400 pounds, when you spend a specified amount, such as 400 pounds, on ads. This helps new advertisers to start their campaigns with reduced costs.

What happens when you click 'Start Now' on the Google Ads homepage?

Clicking 'Start Now' will guide you through the process of setting up a new Google Ads account, including adding your business information and website link.

Why is it important to link Google Analytics to your Google Ads account?

Linking Google Analytics to your Google Ads account allows for better data integration, which can lead to improved ad performance, more useful data, and easier optimization of your campaigns.

What is the primary advertising goal and how does it affect your campaign setup?

The primary advertising goal is the main objective you want to achieve with your ads, such as generating leads or sales. It guides the campaign setup process and helps Google optimize your ads for the desired outcome.

What should you do with the 'Express Mode' campaign created during the account setup process?

You should walk through the process to set up the account, but you should not run the 'Express Mode' campaign. Instead, create a proper campaign using all the features in 'Expert Mode' for better results.

How do you switch from 'Express Mode' to 'Expert Mode' in your Google Ads account?

After setting up your account, go to 'Settings' and then switch to 'Expert Mode'. This gives you access to all features and allows for more detailed campaign management.

Why is it crucial to conduct keyword research for your Google Ads campaigns?

Keyword research helps you identify the most effective keywords for your business, which can lead to better ad performance, more relevant traffic, and improved conversion rates.

What should you do with the dummy campaign created during the Express Mode setup?

You should pause the dummy campaign immediately after setting it up. This prevents any unwanted ads from running and allows you to focus on creating a well-thought-out campaign.

How can you ensure your billing information is correct in your Google Ads account?

Check the billing section carefully, making sure your billing country is selected properly and that your payment method is correctly entered and confirmed.

What is the recommended next step after setting up a Google Ads account?

The recommended next step is to conduct thorough keyword research to identify the best keywords for your business, which will help you create an effective and targeted ad campaign.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Setting Up a Google Ads Account

This paragraph outlines the process of setting up a Google Ads account for beginners. It emphasizes the importance of being signed into a Google account, navigating to ads.google.com, and taking advantage of Google's introductory offers. The speaker guides viewers through the account creation process, including entering business information, website URL, and selecting the main advertising goal. It also discusses the benefits of linking Google Analytics to the Google Ads account for better data and optimization.

05:01

🔍 Configuring Google Analytics and Campaign Setup

The second paragraph delves into the integration of Google Analytics with the newly created Google Ads account. It explains how to set up conversion tracking and the benefits of this integration, such as improved campaign optimization and data insights. The speaker also advises on the importance of correctly setting up the 'thank you' page URL for tracking conversions. The paragraph continues with the creation of a dummy campaign, which is part of Google's Express mode, and the recommendation to switch to Expert mode for more control and features in campaign management.

10:03

🔑 Next Steps in Google Ad Campaigns

The final paragraph focuses on the next steps after setting up the Google Ads account, which is conducting keyword research. It highlights the importance of identifying the most effective keywords for the business and provides a reference to a full keyword tutorial video. The speaker encourages viewers to follow the tutorial to create a successful Google ad campaign that generates leads and sales, emphasizing the value of starting with a solid foundation for long-term advertising success.

Keywords

💡Google Ads Account

A Google Ads Account is a platform provided by Google that allows businesses to create and manage online advertising campaigns. In the video, Ben Heath guides viewers through the process of setting up a new Google Ads Account, which is essential for running Google ad campaigns and utilizing the features of Google Ads.

💡Google Ad Campaign

A Google Ad Campaign is a series of advertisements designed to achieve a specific marketing goal, such as increasing website traffic or generating leads. The video emphasizes the importance of setting up a Google Ads Account to create and manage these campaigns effectively.

💡Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It is recommended in the video to link Google Analytics with the Google Ads Account for better data insights and campaign optimization.

💡Introductory Offers

Introductory offers are promotional incentives provided by Google to new advertisers, such as a credit for ad spend. These offers are mentioned in the video as a bonus for new users to help them get started with Google Ads.

💡Business Profile

A Business Profile on Google is a digital presence that helps customers find and connect with a business. In the context of the video, Google may prompt users to use information from their Business Profile when setting up a Google Ads Account.

💡Ad Credit

Ad Credit is a prepaid amount of money that can be used to run advertisements on Google. It is often provided as part of promotional offers to new advertisers.

💡Conversion Tracking

Conversion Tracking is a feature in Google Analytics that allows businesses to measure the actions taken by visitors on their website after clicking on an ad. It is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

💡Express Mode

Express Mode is a simplified campaign creation process in Google Ads that guides users through the basics of setting up a campaign. It is designed for beginners but limits the use of advanced features.

💡Expert Mode

Expert Mode in Google Ads provides access to all features and allows for more detailed campaign management. It is recommended for users who want to fully utilize the capabilities of Google Ads for their campaigns.

💡Keyword Research

Keyword Research is the process of identifying the words and phrases that potential customers are likely to use when searching for products or services. It is a fundamental step in creating effective Google Ad campaigns.

Highlights

Ben Heath is teaching how to set up a Google Ads account for beginners.

You need a Google account to create a Google Ads account, which is often linked to a Gmail address.

Google often offers introductory credits to new advertisers, such as £400 credit when spending £400.

The process of setting up a Google Ads account is straightforward once you understand the steps.

Google may suggest using existing business profile information to simplify the setup process.

It's important to enter your business name and website URL correctly during the setup.

Google scans your website to understand your business and suggests ad content based on the scan.

Selecting a primary advertising goal is crucial during the setup process.

Linking Google Analytics to your Google Ads account is highly recommended for better data and optimization.

Google Analytics can automatically detect and set up conversion tracking based on your website's goals.

Google encourages creating a first campaign during the setup, but it's better to set up a proper campaign later in 'Expert Mode'.

The Express Mode is a simplified setup process, but it limits the use of all features.

It's important to switch to Expert Mode after setup to access all features and create effective campaigns.

Keyword research is the first step in creating a successful Google Ads campaign.

The video provides a full tutorial on how to do keyword research for Google Ads.

Setting up a Google Ads account properly can lead to better results and more consistent advertising.

Transcripts

hi guys it's Ben Heath and in this video

I'm going to show you how to set up a

Google ads account if you've never run

Google ads before you've never run a

Google ad campaign then you're going to

need to set up a Google ads account you

can also use the process I've had to

show you to set up a new Google ads

account if you've already got one but

for some reason want to create another

and aren't familiar with the process so

it's quite straightforward to do once

you know how one of those things it can

be a little bit complicated if you've

not been through it before so once

you've been through this video you

should find it a lot easier to actually

go through the process so the first

thing you need to do is make sure that

you're signed into your Google account

so if you've got a Gmail then just make

sure you're signed into your Gmail on

that particular browser you have a

Google account if you've got a Gmail

there's also a good chance you have a

Google account even if you don't use

Gmail because lots of things are related

to Google nowadays like YouTube etc etc

so if you've got a Google account of any

sort make sure you're signed in if not

then you're going to need to to create

one in order to create a Google ads

account specifically once you're signed

in come through to this page which is

ads.google.com forward slash home and

from here we can go through the process

just for we do that I want to quickly

mention that Google has some pretty good

introductory offers most of the time so

you can see up here that we've got to

help you get started with Google ads

we'll give you 400 pound in free ad

credit when you spend 400 pounds that's

a pretty nice introductory offer they've

had this offer for a long time the

offers do vary a bit depending on

Country different countries get

different amounts

um but that's pretty good certainly

helps you as a new Google Advertiser so

just something to be aware of that's a

nice little bonus if you're thinking

about starting Google ad campaigns okay

next thing we want to do is go ahead and

click on start now now obviously because

my business is a digital advertising

agency and we have client Google ad

accounts and we have manager Google ad

accounts and stuff there's things in

here that there probably won't be for

you that's absolutely fine what I'm

going to do in this video to show you

how to how this works is click on new

Google ads account and that's what I'd

like you to do as well okay so you may

or may not see this page as they're

going through the process basically

what's happening is because associated

with this Google account we've got other

information about our business we've got

what's called a business profile Google

is asking if we want to use information

from that business profile well and pull

it into our Google ads account which is

going to make things a bit easier it's

going to bring through you know business

name and address and all that sort of

stuff and this is actually demonstrated

here as one of our clients we've got a

drop down of a number of those that's

not what we want to do if you've got

this absolutely you want to go ahead and

yes use info for this profile and then

click next because that's going to save

you time if you don't have this that's

also absolutely fine

um you can just go through you'll be

taken through automatically to the next

stage and I'm going to click no don't

use this info and go through as if we

don't okay so next thing we need to do

is pop in our business name in here

fairly straightforward and click next

then we need to put in a link to our

website where are people going to be

sent after they click on your ad so I'm

just going to pop in our URL in there

and click next then Google's going to

take a second to scan our website learn

about the business and they're going to

come through to this page and just sort

of show you a page on your website that

you've popped in they're going to show

you at mobile preview desktop preview

and actually the information that they

got by scanning your website is going to

be used in a minute we'll see that

process as we go through so that's all

fine I'm going to go ahead and click

next then we need to select our main

advertising goal now it's important that

this is main advertising goal you can

obviously optimize for some of these

other things as well for example you may

want calls you may also want leads by

your website you may also want people to

visit your physical location so that's

all absolutely fine but this is just the

primary one that you want to go with so

if I use my business as an example we

would want leads via our website that

would be our primary our main

advertising goal so just go ahead and

select whichever one is most appropriate

for you and then click next again this

is a page that you may or may not see

basically Google has worked out that

Google analytics is installed on my

website and they're asking if I want to

connect the two which is definitely

something I recommend firstly I'd

strongly recommend you do set up Google

analytics on your website if you don't

already have that and it's free it's

really useful no reason not to do it and

linking Google analytics to your Google

ads account is also a no-brainer data

gets pulled from one to the other and

back and forth which just makes life

easier it means your Google ad account

has more information and can get you

better results and it also means that

you see better data and more useful data

in your Google analytics account so

definitely something you want to do you

can set this up later on but there's no

reason not to do it right now as you go

through the process so I'm going to go

ahead and click get started and get this

set up whilst we're going through the

account the account creation process now

what's happened here is that Google has

worked out that because we're tracking

goals conversions within our Google

analytics account they can see that

we're tracking people who have signed up

for a product or service in this case

it's a lead and then there's a URL that

is brought up a page that is brought up

confirmation page that sort of triggers

that action so that's been automatically

detected and pulled through you may or

may not have that depending on how your

Google analytics account is set up

assuming you don't have that you can go

in and set this up how you want to do so

let's say for example we wanted to track

people that click on a Google ad come

through to our website and then schedule

an appointment that's typically How We

Do generate leads for our own services

so I could select here customers

schedule an appointment and then what I

want to do is enter in the URL of the

thank you page that people are taken to

after they schedule that appointment so

for example I could just pop in here

thank you assuming of course that that

is the right URL and then anyone that

reaches that page that is only only

loads only shown to people once they

actually go ahead and book an

appointment and this will now be

triggered as a conversion and be

registered within our Google ads account

which is really useful and it's going to

show us a how our Google ad campaigns

are performing it also B helps us

optimize the campaigns and see it helps

Google optimize the campaigns from

machine learning AI setup because they

can see what a good result for you looks

like so definitely something you want to

quickly go through I'm going to select

apply and then you can go ahead and do

that for the other ones if they're

appropriate you can come up here instead

of going for leads you can instead do

sales for a similar process but make

sure you take a bit of time and get this

set up as I've just shown you to do then

we can go ahead and click next now what

Google is going to want us to do here is

create that first Google ad campaign I

understand why they do that they want us

they want to sort of walk us through the

process they've probably found that

people are far more likely to get

advertising in the first place if they

do this supposed to just getting them in

the ad account and leaving them up to

their own devices but the thing is with

going through this What's called the

express mode and when you set up a

campaign you're not able to use all the

features you're not able to sort of take

the time and do the research and put

everything you need to get the best

results possible so what I'd recommend

you do is walk through this process just

because Google wants you to do it and

that'll help you get all set up but it's

not actually the campaign that we want

to run so we're just going to fire

through this process go with the

defaults that Google has asked us that

sort of suggested and but then what

we're going to do is not run this

campaign and then once we've got our

Google ad account set up then go ahead

and create a proper campaign using all

the features making it as good as we

possibly can so they've pulled in

headlines they've pulled in descriptions

um I'm just going to deselect that

because I wouldn't want a cool button in

my ads anyway it's not our business

works and and I'm going to click next I

encourage you to do the same just click

next whatever comes up keyword themes

absolutely fine click next we can move

on and locations it's gone with the

whole of the UK again fine for now not

how we'd set up budget again something

that not how we'd set it up we can just

get started and then it says review your

campaign to make sure it's right well we

don't need to do that because this is

not actually the campaign that we're

going to run so just fly through that

and get that all right then we need to

get into the billing section the payment

info make sure you've got your billing

country selected properly I have heard

of people that run into issues where for

some reason their computer defaulted to

a different country and they never

changed it and then when they run into

issues with their ad account or payment

information

um it can it can come up which is which

is a bit annoying we can see here that

the offer has been successfully applied

automatically which is fantastic so

you'll receive a 400 pound credit when

you spend 400 pounds that's great that's

exactly what we uh what we want to uh to

see and take uh advantage of then you

want to scroll down and go to this

customer info section now because we've

got various things associated with our

Google account a lot of this information

has been pulled through automatically

that may or may not happen with you but

you just want to go through obviously

and make sure that you know your name

and address is correct your primary

contact all that sort of stuff make sure

that is all correct and then you get

down into the payment section so the way

this works is Google's going to build

you automatically based on your usage

nothing to do about that that's

absolutely fine and then you want to add

in your payment method so you can use

PayPal as it has defaulted in here you

could also enter in a credit or debit

card you can even add in a bank account

get all of that um set up whichever way

you want to pay and then you can move on

and select submit and you move on to the

next step so then we come through to

this page and it says congrats you're

all done not technically true but I see

where they say that I want you to go

ahead and click on explore your campaign

and then remember because we've just set

up like a dummy campaign that Google

wanted us to create very important that

we go ahead and turn this thing off and

the way you do that is you can see that

this campaign that it's created called

pending we want to go ahead and select

pause campaign now Google is going to

try and talk you out of this don't let

them and so yes I want to pause my

campaign and I want to pause it forever

or until I actually resume it I'm not

going to worry about feedback for now

then if you click on all campaigns you

come back into this window here it sort

of doesn't look right this is not the

traditional Google ads window what you'd

expect to see and that's because we are

still in Express mode I do think Express

mode for beginners is a great way to get

set up as we've just done but what I

want you to do now is go ahead and

select settings and then switch to

expert mode switch to expert mode in

expert mode we have all the features

that we want to use we have and the sort

of space and time we're not going

through a regimented process where we

can add in the keywords ads all the

things we need to get the best shots

possible and even though Google wants it

to make it really easy to get started I

actually think it's better to get

started properly even if that takes more

time because then if you get good

results early on you're far more likely

to go on and advertise more and and

benefit from that and and do well as a

business on this platform so this is

more traditionally what you would see

within a Google ad

um account setup and from here we can do

what we need to do so when it comes to

creating Google ad campaigns the right

way the first thing you need to do is

keyword research you need to identify

the keywords that are likely to perform

best for your business I show you

exactly how to do that in this video

here it's a full keyword tutorial and

now that you've got your Google ad

account set up that is definitely the

next step in terms of getting to a point

where you've got a Google ad campaign

that is consistently generating lead

sales etc for your business so strongly

recommend you check this out