Guide · Google Ads and paid search
Google Ads: plan your campaigns before you spend.
Attracting visitors is a first step. To evaluate your campaigns, define a useful action, a suitable landing page and a budget you can monitor. Here is what to prepare before launch.
Four checks before launch
A measurable goal
A call, enquiry or sale: choose the action that matters to your business.
A defined budget
Separate ad spend from any website creation or management fees.
A suitable landing page
Your ad and landing page should present the same offer and a clear next step.
Regular review
Use search terms and conversion data to refine your campaigns.
Focus on relevant searches
In a Search campaign, keywords help target searches related to your offer. Competition, location and search intent can influence both cost and traffic quality.
A specific search may be valuable without necessarily being cheaper. Review actual search terms and use exclusions to reduce searches unrelated to your services.
Match the ad to its landing page
An ad for a particular service should lead to a page explaining that service. Visitors should find the advertised offer, relevant conditions and a simple way to enquire or buy.
Before launch, check mobile readability, loading, contact information and forms. A high number of clicks is not enough if the page does not meet visitors’ expectations.
Understand the budget with an example
Set up measurement before drawing conclusions
Define a conversion: a submitted form, a tracked call or a sale, depending on the customer journey. Check that the action is recorded correctly and avoid counting the same result twice.
Configure tracking around applicable rules and consent choices. Without reliable measurement, enquiries may still occur, but assessing return and comparing campaigns becomes difficult.
What should you review after launch?
- Search terms: do they match your offer?
- Spend: does it remain consistent with your budget?
- Conversions: how many useful enquiries are recorded?
- Quality: do those enquiries become customers?
A strong click-through rate alone does not establish profitability.
Keep your own access to the advertising account. If you use a provider, clarify responsibilities, fees, approvals and how you retain access to your account.
Google Ads and SEO serve different roles
Google Ads buys advertising visibility, while SEO develops your pages’ organic search presence. Their timelines, costs and measures differ.
Campaign insights can help you understand customer needs. They do not replace a useful website, and paying for ads does not guarantee better organic rankings.
Prepare the visitor journey
Have a question before launching ads?
Tell us about your business, your goal and the page you want visitors to reach.