Most businesses put off Google Ads because they've heard it's complicated. The platform's interface has hundreds of options, the terminology is confusing (CPC, ROAS, CPM, Quality Score, Ad Rank...), and the fear of wasting money stops people from starting at all.
The reality is simpler than the reputation. For a typical local or e-commerce business, you need about four decisions and a few hours to go live. This guide walks through each one.
Before you start: two things to have ready
- A destination URL — the specific page you want to send traffic to. Not your homepage unless you're a one-product business. A specific service page or product page converts far better.
- A daily budget you're comfortable losing for the first two weeks — treat this as learning spend. £10–£30/day is enough to start gathering real data.
5 steps to launch day
Step 1: Define your goal clearly
Google will ask you what you want the campaign to achieve. The most useful goals for most businesses are: Generate leads (phone calls, form fills) or Drive website sales.
Resist the temptation to pick "Brand awareness" unless you're genuinely trying to get your name in front of people who've never heard of you. Most small businesses need measurable actions, not impressions.
Step 2: Choose your campaign type
For a first campaign, start with Search. This shows your ads to people actively searching for what you offer — intent-driven, measurable, and easier to control than Display or Performance Max.
Performance Max has its advocates, but it requires more data to optimise well and less transparency about where your budget goes. Get comfortable with Search first.
Step 3: Keywords — keep it tight
The most common mistake on a first campaign is targeting too many keywords. Start with 10–20 highly specific terms that describe exactly what you offer.
- Use phrase match or exact match — broad match can drain budget on irrelevant searches
- Think like a customer: what would you type into Google if you needed your own service right now?
- Add negative keywords from the start: if you sell premium products, add "cheap", "free", "DIY" as negatives
Step 4: Write 3–5 headlines and 2 descriptions
Google Responsive Search Ads let you write up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, which Google then mixes and matches. For a first campaign, write 5 strong headlines and 2 solid descriptions — quality over quantity.
- Include your main keyword in at least one headline
- Include a specific benefit (not just a feature)
- Include a call to action in at least one headline: "Get a free quote", "Book online today"
- Use your descriptions to address the main objection a customer might have
Step 5: Set your bid strategy and budget
For a new campaign with no historical data, use Maximise Clicks with a maximum CPC cap. This tells Google to get you as many clicks as possible within your budget. Once you have 30–50 conversions tracked, switch to Target CPA (cost per acquisition) for smarter bidding.
Busby handles all of this for you — keyword research, headline writing, bid strategy selection, and budget management. You review the output for 15 minutes and approve. The campaign goes live on your terms.
What to check after the first week
After seven days live, look at three things: Click-through rate (CTR) — if below 3%, your headlines or keywords need work. Conversion rate — if clicks aren't converting, the issue is your landing page, not the ads. Search terms report — check what searches actually triggered your ads and add irrelevant ones as negatives.
The first two weeks are data collection. Don't make major changes before you have at least 200 clicks. Patience pays off.