How to create a Google Ads Search campaign: a launch checklist

1. Confirm the account and launch brief

Check the advertiser account ID, currency, time zone, permissions and funding arrangement. Prepare the offer, landing page, target markets, approved budget and conversion definition. This guide covers Search; Shopping, Performance Max, Video and App campaigns have different assets and setup flows.

• Identify the person who approves spend and launch.
• Test the landing page and form on desktop and mobile.
• Confirm access and billing without sharing passwords.

2. Create the campaign and select the goal

In Google Ads, open Campaigns and use the plus control for a new campaign. Choose the relevant objective, select Search and review the conversion goals proposed for optimization. The account may show a guided or updated setup; use the labels in that account rather than copying an outdated screenshot.

Name the campaign so your team can identify its market, offer and purpose. Remove unrelated goals from the campaign’s optimization choices where appropriate. A page visit should not be presented as a purchase or a qualified lead.

3. Review targeting, bidding and budget

Set the intended locations, languages, networks, schedule and bidding approach. Review location options and any network expansion settings rather than assuming the defaults match your brief. Budget and bid settings can affect spend as soon as the campaign becomes eligible.

Use the amount your team has approved; this guide does not prescribe a universal daily budget, CPA or ROAS target. Account funding and a campaign budget are different controls. Keep the campaign paused or as a draft until the launch owner approves the configuration.

4. Build a focused ad group and responsive search ad

Group closely related search intent together. Add suitable keywords and match types, then review negatives for clearly irrelevant intent. Write headlines and descriptions that accurately match the landing page and add the assets relevant to your offer.

Check the final URL, language, mobile experience and any legitimate measurement parameters. Do not promise an offer that the destination does not deliver. Keep evidence of the approved copy and destination so the next person can review what changed.

5. Verify the conversion and review before publishing

Complete one permitted test of the real outcome: for example, a successfully accepted lead form rather than a click on Submit. Verify the intended conversion action, value, currency and counting behavior. Use tag diagnostics and reporting evidence; an installed Google tag alone is not confirmation of a recorded Ads conversion.

• Reopen the saved campaign and compare its settings with the brief.
• Check conversion goals, budget, schedule, destination and ad status.
• Publish only after approval, then verify the resulting status in the same account.

6. Inspect delivery and measurement separately

After launch, inspect policy status, eligibility, impressions, spend and the intended conversion column. A published campaign may still be in review or unable to deliver. Reporting and attribution can be delayed; compare the same date range and time zone before diagnosing missing results.

For a missing conversion, follow the action from the website or CRM to the receiving system and then to the ad report. Do not manufacture an ad click or submit private customer data just to make the report show a conversion.