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  8. Search Campaign Setup Checklist

Search Campaign Setup Checklist

1. Objective

The objective of this SOP is to provide a step-by-step, standardized guide for setting up a new Google Search campaign. This checklist ensures that all critical settings—from structure and targeting to bidding and ad creation—adhere to agency best practices, establishing a solid foundation for optimal campaign performance.

2. When to Use this SOP

This procedure is to be used whenever a new Google Search campaign needs to be built from scratch for a client.

3. Responsible Parties

  • Ads Specialist: Primarily responsible for executing this entire checklist.

4. Prerequisites & Inputs

Before starting, the Ads Specialist must have the following documents and information available:

  • [ ] Final Keyword Plan (SOP 1.3): The approved keyword plan, including the Ad Group structure, keyword lists, and match types.
  • [ ] Defined Conversion Actions (SOP 1.4): The list of primary conversion actions that have been installed and verified.
  • [ ] Ad Copy Elements: Drafted headlines, descriptions, USPs, and Calls-to-Action (CTAs).
  • [ ] Landing Page URLs: The specific destination URL for each Ad Group.
  • [ ] Daily Budget: The approved average daily budget.
  • [ ] Asset Information: Content for components like Sitelinks, Callouts, and images for Image Assets.
  • [ ] Naming Conventions (SOP 2.1): A clear understanding of the naming rules.

5. The Step-by-Step Setup Checklist

Follow these steps sequentially within the Google Ads interface. For each step, adhere to the recommended Best Practice/Setting.

Section 1: Campaign-Level Settings

  • [ ] 1.1. Initiate Campaign Creation:
    • Action: In the Google Ads dashboard, click + New Campaign.
  • [ ] 1.2. Campaign Objective:
    • Action: Select the goal for the campaign.
    • Best Practice/Setting: Choose Sales or Leads. For maximum control, select Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance.
    • Rationale: Aligns Google’s algorithms with the client’s ultimate business objectives.
  • [ ] 1.3. Conversion Goals:
    • Action: Select the conversion goals to be used for this campaign.
    • Best Practice/Setting: Select only the highest-value conversion actions (e.g., GA4_Generate-Lead, GA4_Purchase) as Primary Actions. Demote any micro-conversions to Secondary Actions.
    • Rationale: Instructs the smart bidding strategy to optimize for what matters most.
  • [ ] 1.4. Campaign Name:
    • Action: Name the campaign.
    • Best Practice/Setting: Strictly apply the formula from SOP 2.1. Example: SRCH_US-CA_Leads-RealEstate.
  • [ ] 1.5. Bidding:
    • Action: Choose a bid strategy.
    • Best Practice/Setting:
      • For new accounts (no data): Start with Maximize Clicks (and set a max CPC bid limit) to gather data quickly.
      • For accounts with data: You can start with Maximize Conversions.
    • Rationale: Avoid using Target CPA/Target ROAS immediately, as the algorithm requires historical conversion data to perform effectively.
  • [ ] 1.6. Network Settings:
    • Action: Choose where your ads will appear.
    • Best Practice/Setting: ALWAYS UNCHECK both boxes: Include Google Search Partners and Include Google Display Network.
    • Rationale: The Display Network and Search Partners often have lower-quality traffic and can dilute the data of a pure Search campaign. They can be tested later in a separate campaign.
  • [ ] 1.7. Locations & Languages:
    • Action: Set up geographic and language targeting.
    • Best Practice/Setting:
      • Target specific cities or regions instead of the entire country (if applicable).
      • Under Location options, select Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations.
      • Select the language(s) spoken by your target customers.
    • Rationale: Ensures ads are shown only to people physically in the target location, not just those “interested” in it.
  • [ ] 1.8. Budget:
    • Action: Enter the average amount you want to spend per day.

Section 2: Ad Group & Keyword Setup

  • [ ] 2.1. Create Ad Groups:
    • Action: Based on the Final Keyword Plan, create your Ad Groups.
    • Best Practice/Setting: Name each Ad Group according to the convention in SOP 2.1. Example: Luxury-Apartments_P.
  • [ ] 2.2. Add Keywords:
    • Action: Copy and paste the keywords and their corresponding match types from your plan into each Ad Group.

Section 3: Ad Creation

  • [ ] 3.1. Create Responsive Search Ads (RSAs):
    • Action: Create at least one RSA for each Ad Group.
    • Best Practice/Setting:
      • Final URL: Paste the correct, specific landing page URL for that Ad Group.
      • Headlines: Provide as many as possible (minimum 10-12). Include the primary keyword, USPs, and a CTA.
      • Descriptions: Provide all 4 descriptions. Elaborate on benefits and features.
      • Pinning: Only pin headlines that are absolutely required (like a brand name) to position 1 or 2. Limit pinning to allow the algorithm to optimize.
      • Ad Name: Apply the naming convention from SOP 2.1. Example: RSA_Best-Price_20250822.

Section 4: Assets

  • [ ] 4.1. Add Essential Assets:
    • Action: Add assets at the campaign or account level.
    • Best Practice/Setting:
      • Sitelinks: Add at least 4 sitelinks with descriptions, pointing to other important pages (e.g., Contact, About, Service A, Service B).
      • Callouts: Add short text snippets that highlight benefits (e.g., Free Shipping, 24/7 Support, 2-Year Warranty).
      • Structured Snippets: Add lists from predefined headers (e.g., Services: Repair, Installation, Maintenance).
      • Image Assets: Upload high-quality, relevant images for your products/services.
  • [ ] 4.2. Add Other Applicable Assets:
    • Action: If relevant to the client’s business, add other assets: Call, Lead Form, Promotion, Price.

Section 5: Finalization & Negative Keywords

  • [ ] 5.1. Add Negative Keywords:
    • Action: After creating the campaign, navigate to the Keywords > Negative keywords tab.
    • Best Practice/Setting: Click the + button and add the negative keyword list prepared in SOP 1.3 at the Campaign Level.

6. Final Review Protocol (Pre-Launch QA Checklist)

Before enabling the campaign, perform this final quality assurance check:

  • [ ] Naming: Campaign, Ad Group, and Ad names all comply with SOP 2.1.
  • [ ] Budget: The daily budget is set correctly.
  • [ ] Targeting: Location is correct and set to “Presence.”
  • [ ] Networks: Search Partners & Display Network are DISABLED.
  • [ ] Ads: Every Ad Group has at least one active RSA.
  • [ ] URLs: All Final URLs are working and do not lead to 404 errors.
  • [ ] Conversions: The correct primary conversion goals are selected for the campaign.
  • [ ] Negatives: The campaign-level negative keyword list has been applied.
  • [ ] Assets: All essential assets (Sitelinks, Callouts, Images) have been added.

Once all items on this checklist are confirmed, you may Enable the campaign.

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