Google Ads can bring in customers on the very day you launch. But it can just as quickly burn through your budget without a single order – all it takes is vague goals, poorly chosen keywords or missing tracking. Here are six tips we use when setting up campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses, from the first goal all the way to regular reviews.
A quick glossary to start: Google Ads is Google’s advertising system. Most campaigns work as PPC advertising – you pay per click, not per impression. A conversion is the action you want a visitor to take, such as a purchase, a submitted form or a phone call.
1. Set a clear, measurable goal
Without a goal, you can’t tell whether your campaign is working or just spending money. Your goal determines what you’ll track, which campaign type you’ll choose and how much you can afford to pay for a customer.
The SMART method helps you put it into words. A good goal is:
- Specific – instead of “I want more sales,” write down exactly what you want: more online store orders, installation inquiries, bookings.
- Measurable – you know which number you’ll track it with: number of orders, revenue, cost per inquiry.
- Achievable – ambitious, but realistic given your budget and market.
- Relevant – it’s tied to what actually makes your business money. More traffic is only a goal if it turns into revenue.
- Time-bound – it has a deadline, such as three months.
Example: instead of “I want more customers,” a furniture store writes “I want to win 50 new customers with an average order of at least 300 euros within 90 days.” Now it knows exactly what to look at in Google Ads.
Before you launch, calculate how much you can pay for one order or inquiry and still make a profit. Our recommended budget calculator will help.
2. Choose keywords with purchase intent
Keywords are the terms people type into Google that your ad should show up for. They decide whether your ad is seen by someone ready to buy or just by someone curious.
- Broad terms like “furniture” get a lot of searches, but people mean all sorts of things by them.
- Specific, longer terms like “office chair with headrest” get fewer searches but sell better.
- Purchase terms include words like “price,” “buy,” “order” or the name of a city.
- Informational terms like “how to choose” or “what is” are searched by people who are still making up their minds.
Match types
The match type determines how close a search has to be to your keyword. Exact match shows your ad only for searches with the same meaning, phrase match also for searches that include the meaning of the phrase, and broad match for related searches too. To start, exact and phrase match are safer; use broad match only once you have solid conversion tracking.
Negative keywords
It’s just as important to say where you don’t want to show up. Add negative keywords like “free,” “used,” “tutorial” or “jobs” if they have nothing to do with your offer. Regularly check the search terms report and keep adding more.
Ad groups by theme
Split your keywords into groups by theme, for example men’s, women’s and kids’ shoes. That way, each group can have its own ad and a landing page that matches the search exactly.
3. Set your budget and bidding strategy wisely
Budgeting isn’t about spending as little as possible, but about spending money on the right people. In Google Ads, you set an average daily budget. On some days the system may spend more and on others less, but over a month it shouldn’t exceed your daily budget multiplied by the average number of days in a month.
A simple calculation: with a daily budget of 30 euros and an average cost per click of 1.50 euros, you’ll get about 20 clicks a day. If only a fraction of them buy, you can see why visitor quality matters.
Bidding strategies
- Manual cost per click (CPC) – you set the maximum amount per click yourself. It gives you control but takes a lot of time.
- Maximize clicks – the system tries to get as many clicks as possible within your budget. It’s better suited to the beginning, when you don’t have conversion data yet.
- Maximize conversions – Google adjusts your bids to get as many conversions as possible.
- Target CPA – the system tries to keep your average cost per conversion (CPA, cost per acquisition) at the amount you set.
- Target ROAS – the system tries to hit the return on ad spend you set, meaning the ratio of revenue to costs.
Automated strategies need reliable conversion data. Without tracking, they learn blindly. After every bigger change, give the campaign time, and don’t change the budget and the strategy at the same time – otherwise you won’t know what worked. We cover how to set a reasonable amount in our article on ad budgets: how much to invest in online campaigns.
4. Write ads for your customer, not for yourself
Your ad copy is the first thing customers see. If it doesn’t grab them, they won’t click – no matter how great your product is. In search, you now write responsive ads: you enter several headlines and descriptions, and Google puts together combinations from them.
- A headline with the keyword – people need to see right away that they’ve found what they were looking for.
- A specific benefit – what the customer gets: fast delivery, installation, advice, a warranty.
- A reason to trust you – reviews, years in business, certifications, a guarantee. Only what you can back up.
- A call to action – “Order today,” “Get a price,” “Book an appointment.”
- Ad assets – links to subpages, a phone number, an address or extra callouts. They make your ad bigger and give people more reasons to click.
Weak copy: “Shoes. We have shoes. Come buy shoes.” Better copy: “Comfortable All-Day Work Shoes | Free Shipping | No-Questions-Asked Returns” – if that’s really what you offer.
Don’t forget the landing page. The ad makes a promise; the page has to keep it. If someone is searching for winter tires, they shouldn’t end up on the online store’s homepage, but right in the winter tire category.
5. Test and adjust
A campaign you set up and then leave alone is like a car that never gets serviced – it gradually stops working. Competition, seasons and customer behavior all change.
- Headlines and descriptions – different ways to name the problem and the benefit.
- Calls to action – “Buy now” versus “Book a free consultation.”
- Landing pages – a category page versus a dedicated landing page.
- Match types and bids – gradual expansion based on results.
Always test one thing at a time and let the test run long enough to get enough clicks and conversions – a few days is usually too short. For a fair comparison, you can use the Experiments feature right in Google Ads. When you see that one variant brings more conversions at the same cost, keep it and test the next element.
6. Measure results and review them regularly
If you don’t measure, you don’t know whether your ads make you money. The first step is to set up conversion tracking – purchases, forms, phone calls or clicks on your email address. You can use tracking directly in Google Ads, Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. We explain how in our article on how to set up tracking in Google Analytics 4.
Keep an eye on these metrics in particular:
- Click-through rate (CTR) – the percentage of people who saw your ad and clicked on it.
- Conversion rate – the percentage of people who took the desired action after clicking.
- Cost per conversion – how much one order or inquiry costs you.
- ROAS – how many euros in revenue each euro spent on ads brought in. You can calculate it with our ROAS calculator.
- Impression share – how often your ad shows compared with how many times it could have.
Example: you spend 1,000 euros in a month and get 10 orders, so each one costs you 100 euros. If you’re left with 150 euros per order after costs, the campaign is making money. If it’s only 80 euros, you’re losing money and need to act.
Take a quick look at the numbers once a week and do a deeper review once a month. And if your ads get lots of clicks but few orders, the problem often isn’t the ad but the website – the price, trust or a complicated checkout.
Checklist before launching a campaign
- I have a clear, measurable goal and I know how much I can pay per conversion.
- Conversion tracking works, and I’ve verified it with a test order.
- Keywords are split into themed groups, and I have a list of negative keywords.
- The budget and bidding strategy match the goal and the amount of data.
- Each ad group has its own copy and assets.
- Landing pages follow directly from the ads and work on mobile.
- The date of the first review is in my calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to get started with Google Ads?
There’s no universal amount. It depends on the cost per click in your industry, how many clicks you need for one order and the value of a customer. Your budget should be enough for the campaign to collect enough data to make decisions within a few weeks.
How long does it take for a campaign to start delivering results?
The first clicks – and often the first conversions – come right after launch. But stable results and bid fine-tuning usually take several weeks, until both the system and you have collected enough data.
Is it better to manage Google Ads myself or through an agency?
You can handle a simple campaign yourself if you have the time to learn and give it regular attention. An agency saves you time and the mistakes that cost money. What matters is that the campaigns run in your account and that you understand the reports.
Why do I get lots of clicks but few orders?
Most often because of keywords that are too broad, missing negative keywords, a weak landing page or broken tracking. Start with the search terms report and a check of the page your ad leads to.
Want campaigns where every euro makes sense? Tronos is a Google Partner, and we run campaigns in an account that’s yours – not ours. Check out our Google Ads management or book a consultation and we’ll look at your campaigns together.
