Saule Simonyte
Helping Small and Medium Businesses Achieve Their Full Marketing Potential | Digital Marketing Expert
Here’s All the GOOD Bits:
- What Google Ads is and why it’s worth using – Google Ads (PPC) lets you pay only when someone actually clicks your ad, giving you tight budget control and relevance in reaching people already searching for what you offer.
- Setting up the account in six steps – Create a business email (it doesn’t have to be Gmail), make sure you have a website, then sign up at ads.google.com.
- Finishing the setup – Add your website, choose to create an account with or without a campaign, then complete your business details, billing country, time zone, and currency, and submit. Add recovery info early and verify your organisation so your ads can run smoothly.
- Adding billing and granting access – Under “Billing” in the left-hand menu, you can set up your billing details. To give an agency access, share your 10-digit customer ID and accept their linking invite.
- What comes next – with the account live, the real work begins: keyword research, benefit-driven ad copy, building campaigns and ad groups, adding negative keywords, setting up assets, and launching ads.
We have written some great articles on the tips and tricks for well-designed Google Ads and keyword research, detailed guides to the best Google Ads assets and much more.
While we’ve definitely given you tons of advice on how to get the most out of your Google Ads, we haven’t really talked about how to actually set up your Google Ads account.
Well, hold tight because we are about to do it now!
First things first, let’s give you a bit of insight into what Google Ads are (just in case you don’t know).
So, What Are Google Ads?
You may already know, but just in case you don’t, Google Ads or PPC, is pay-per-click advertising on, well, Google.
It’s a great marketing tool for tons of businesses because you only pay for people who are actually interested in your product or service – as these are the people searching for you. It’s great if you want complete control over your budget, offers enormous reach potential, and works well in almost every industry, because who doesn’t use Google these days?
Where To Start?
Now you know what Google Ads are and how they might help you; you’re ready to create your Google Ads account. It’s super simple and can be done in just 6 steps. So, let’s dive straight in.
- First, create an email address for your business. To bust one Google Ads myth, the email address doesn’t need to be a Gmail one. If you already have a business email address that isn’t Gmail, you can use that too.
- Next – potentially an obvious point – ensure you have a website for your business. That’s one of the keys to any marketing success, not just setting up your Google Ads account.
- Now that you’ve got your website & business email set up, it’s time to sign up for a Google Ads account and click “start now”.
- You will have to enter your business name as shown in the screenshot below, but don’t rush and don’t press next just yet.
- The tricky part here is switching to Expert Mode, which will make your whole experience a hundred times easier. Don’t worry if you already selected to pass this section; you can always go back!
- Next, insert your website, online shop, or any other page you want your customers to visit. Then, click “next”.
- You’ll be asked to create your first campaign. Now, don’t freak out if you’re not ready to create a campaign. You can choose “create an account without a campaign” and return to this step later on!
- The next step will ask you to complete your business information, such as billing country, time zone, and currency.
- Once that’s done, click “submit” and woosh! You’ve got yourself a Google Ads account.
Top Tip! Ensure all the information you provide is correct and as detailed as possible. Try not to skip any steps, as it will make your life easier in the future! We recommend that you add all recovery information early on, so you can be sure you’ll be able to regain access to your account if someone tries to use it without your permission (or if you forget your login credentials).
When your account is set up, head to the billing settings and complete the “about your business” section. Once this is sorted, you just need to verify your organisation so your ads can be set up and run smoothly.
Boom. You are officially the owner of a brand-new Google Ads account!
But before you go off galavanting round the interface, here are a few further bits of info that you might just need.
How To Add Billing Information
Once your Google Ads account is set up, you’ll need to add your billing information. You can find this in the left-hand menu under “Billing”. Click on “Settings and follow the instructions.
You will be asked to choose your country and currency and add your preferred payment method. Google won’t allow any ads to run without payment details, just FYI.
How To Give Access To Your Agency
This step is relevant if you plan to work with an agency that will require access to your ads account to make changes and optimisations. It can be a bit confusing, but really you just need to provide your Google Ads account ID.
The easiest way to find this is to click your account name in the top right corner of your page. Your 10-digit account ID is shown there.
When you have your Google Ads account ID, share it with your agency, and they will send you an invite. The only thing that’s left is for you to accept the linking invitation. Simple, right?
Another way to grant access to your Google Ads is to add a specific email address. To do this, you need to head to “Admin” and select “Access and security”.
Then, click the plus button and add the relevant email. Press “send invitation” and Bob’s your uncle. The only thing that’s left is for them to accept it. Oh, and you can always revoke access if you no longer want to share your account data!
What’s Next?
The next step should be pretty obvious: it’s time to get your ads running and generating revenue!
There are a few things you’ll want to consider…
- Keyword Research that represents your products or services
- Ad copy which highlights the benefits of your business
- Setting up campaigns, ad groups, and ads
- Adding negative keywords
- Setting up assets
- Setting your ads live
If your mind is boggled at the thought of all of this, do feel free to get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to guide you through the process of setting up your Google Ads account and beyond! Get in touch!