How to set up Google Ads for a small business, step by step

Open the account under a login the business controls, then confirm the Australian billing details. Define and test the enquiries or sales you want before you build anything. Build the campaign around one goal, one service area and a page that matches the ad. Enable spend only after you've reviewed every setting and the critical launch checks pass.

The sections that follow take these stages in order. The worked example is a local plumber's Search campaign, the simplest first campaign to show in full.

Prepare the business before opening the account

Google Ads makes more of whatever is already there. A clear offer, a page that sells it and someone who answers the phone turn clicks into jobs. A vague offer and a voicemail box turn them into a bill. If you're not yet sure the business is ready, start there. Our guide on whether Google Ads is worth it for a small business covers that decision.

So settle these basics before the account exists:

• the service and the area you'll advertise

• the page that will receive the click

• the person who answers each enquiry, and how quickly

• the most the business can lose on a first test

That last figure is the one people skip and the one that matters most. A first campaign is a test, and tests can lose money. Pick an amount the business can lose and still pay its bills. Then decide what you'd need to see before spending more. Write it down now, because nobody sets a sensible limit while watching clicks arrive.

Share the working brief with anyone who touches the account, an agency included. It turns "run some ads" into a job with an owner, a limit and a date to review it.

Put numbers on the test before you commit. Run your own click cost, enquiry rate and close rate through our estimator.

Create and secure the account

The account belongs to the business, not to whoever builds the campaigns. Get this wrong and a change of agency can lock you out of your own advertising history. So can a contractor who stops answering.

Use a login the business controls

Create the account from a Google login the business owns, like an admin address on your own domain. Not a staff member's personal Gmail, and never a contractor's. Turn on 2-Step Verification and add a recovery phone and email that the business controls. Google's recovery options page says those details get you back in if you're ever locked out.

Then give everyone else their own login. Google's account security page recommends 2-Step Verification and regular reviews of who has access. It also recommends granting each user the minimum access they need. A shared password undoes most of that.

Google's access levels page lists Admin, Standard, Read only, Email only and Billing access. Billing users can manage payments but can't edit campaigns. Admin is the level that manages user access, product links and advertiser verification. So the person who pays the invoices doesn't need campaign access. And the agency that builds the campaigns doesn't need to own the account.

Add two lines to the working brief. The first is the customer ID, the number shown at the top right of the account. The second is the name of the person authorised to pause spend. When something goes wrong at 9pm on a Friday, nobody should be hunting for either.

Enter Australian billing details carefully

The sign up flow asks for the billing country, time zone, account type and a payments profile. Google's sign up page says the billing country decides the billing options available for your location and currency. The account type defaults to Organisation. Individual is there if it suits your tax situation.

Treat the currency and time zone as permanent. Google's account settings page says the currency is permanently set when the account is created. Google's time zone page says standard accounts no longer support time zone changes. Choose AUD and the time zone your reports and ad schedules should run on. Get either wrong and the fix is a new account.

When Google asks for tax details, enter the legal business name, address and ABN exactly as registered. An ABN doesn't make the charges GST free. Google's tax page says all Google Ads sales in Australia are subject to 10% GST. That applies to accounts with an Australian business address.

With automatic payments, Google's payment settings page says you're charged on the first day of each month. You're also charged whenever costs reach a payment threshold. The threshold starts at a set amount. It rises each time the account hits it before the end of the month. It's a trigger for a charge, not a cap on spend.

Our guide to how much Google Ads costs in Australia covers invoices and GST credits. The costs that sit around the media spend are there too.

Skip the automatic first campaign

The same sign up page says you can create the account without a campaign. You can also skip the campaign recommendations. Do both. A sign up campaign is assembled before you've chosen the goal, the area or a single exclusion.

Watch the names, too. Google's Smart campaigns page describes Smart campaigns as a simpler way to advertise. The page adds that they can only be created in Smart Mode.

This guide builds a standard Search campaign, the kind that needs the full set of controls. Smart campaigns, Smart Bidding and Performance Max are three different things with confusingly similar names. Mixing them up is how people end up running the wrong one.

Check policies and advertiser verification

Two kinds of check can stop a new account. Google checks who you are and what you advertise. Neither is a formality.

Advertiser verification confirms who pays for and runs the ads. Google's verification tasks page says the tasks vary with the account, the billing setup and other factors. They can mean confirming the payment method, uploading identity or business documents, or confirming the organisation's details. Reviews take up to 5 working days, and occasionally up to 30. The page is blunt about deadlines: the account will be paused if verification isn't completed in time.

Start from the notification inside the account, not from a menu path in an old screenshot. That's because the labels move. Linking a Business Profile is not one of the verification tasks and doesn't complete them.

Our audit sample is 180 Google Ads account audits from August 2021 to September 2026. In the accounts we took over, about 1 in 3 had a billing, verification or tracking fault. That fault had to be fixed in the first week, before any optimisation could start.

Then the content. Google's advertising policies cover prohibited content, prohibited practices, restricted content and features, and editorial and technical standards. Restricted categories such as healthcare, financial services and gambling can need a Google certification or carry location limits. Check yours before you write a word of copy.

Australian law sits on top of Google's rules. The ACCC's guidance on false or misleading claims covers prices, availability, testimonials and guarantees.

Define outcomes and link your products

Decide what counts as a result before you go near a bid strategy. For a plumber, that's a booked job or a genuine enquiry. A form that reaches the office counts. So does a completed booking, or an answered call long enough to be a real conversation.

A visit to the contact page isn't a result. Neither is a tap on the phone number. That's a click, not a conversation.

Each real outcome becomes one conversion action, measured from one source. If a Google Ads tag and an imported GA4 event count the same form, every enquiry counts twice. Then the bidding chases enquiries that never happened.

Then check which actions the campaign will bid on. Google's primary and secondary actions page explains the split. Primary actions are reported in the Conversions column and used for bidding. Secondary actions are for observation only, unless one sits in a custom goal used for bidding.

Google's conversion goals page adds two details. Actions are grouped into goals by their category, such as Submit lead forms or Contacts. And a new campaign optimises towards every account default goal unless you choose campaign specific goals.

In the same audits, about 1 in 4 accounts had no primary conversion action recording genuine enquiries. Yet the business was receiving them. Our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking setup walks through the tags, imports and tests.

Link GA4, Business Profile and Merchant Center separately

These are three separate jobs. None of them measures anything on its own.

GA4 first: Google's linking page says you need edit rights or higher on the GA4 property. You also need Admin access in Google Ads. Linking makes the data available. But conversions still have to be created from key events inside Google Ads.

Before you link, make sure the business holds the Administrator role on its own property. We checked this on the accounts we took over with a GA4 property. About 1 in 3 had no Administrator at the business. The import route is covered in our guide to linking GA4 and Google Ads.

Business Profile next, for location assets. They can show your address and a map with the ad. Google's Business Profile linking page says a request to a profile you don't manage needs approval. The request goes to that profile's email address.

So check which login owns the profile and which branches it covers. Then make sure the public address and hours are right. A business that doesn't take visitors may not need location assets at all.

Merchant Center last, and only if you sell products online. Google's Merchant Center linking page says the two accounts must be linked before you can create Shopping campaigns. The product route belongs to our guide to Google Shopping ads and Merchant Center.

Choose the campaign goal and type

Google asks for an objective and a campaign type. For a local service business with people already searching for the service, Search is the defensible start. It shows text ads to people who typed a need into Google. You control the keywords, the exclusions and the page each ad sends people to.

That isn't a rule for every business. A shop with a product catalogue needs a feed and probably a different campaign type. A business nobody searches for yet has a demand problem that Search can't fix.

For the plumber, choose the Leads objective, then a Search campaign.

Google describes Performance Max as a goal based campaign type that reaches all Google Ads inventory. One campaign covers everything from YouTube to Maps. That reach is the point of it. Before you pick it as a first campaign, read our review of Performance Max for small business. The wider comparison sits in our guide to Google Ads campaign types.

Review campaign settings

New campaigns arrive with most settings already filled in. Several defaults suit a national advertiser with a large budget better than a plumber covering a dozen suburbs. So review each one on the campaign you're launching.

Networks first: Google's Search Network page says search partners are included by default. It also says clicks from those sites may not always reflect highly targeted traffic. Neither Search Partners nor Display expansion is worthless. A first campaign still needs a clean Search baseline before you test either. In the same audits, about 7 in 10 accounts had at least one Search campaign with either on.

Locations next: Google's location options page says Presence reaches people in or regularly in your targeted area. The default, Presence or interest, adds people who have shown interest in the area. For a plumber who only works locally, Presence is usually the cleaner start. Yet about 3 in 5 local service accounts in the same audits had Presence or interest active. Radius targeting, exclusions and schedules across states are covered in our guide to Google Ads location targeting.

AI Max needs a decision, not a default. It's a set of automation features inside Search campaigns. Google's AI Max setup page says new Search campaigns have it turned on by default.

Search term matching comes on with AI Max and reaches searches beyond your keyword list. It can be turned off for each ad group. In a new account we switch search term matching off. It stays off until the conversion signal is reliable and someone reads the search terms every week.

Recommendations last: Google's auto apply page says auto applied recommendations won't increase your budget. They can still change bidding, keywords and targeting. That changes how the budget is spent. In the same audits, about 1 in 3 accounts had at least one auto apply category switched on.

Our guide to Google Ads settings that waste budget explains the reasoning behind each control. It also shows how to check an account that's already running.

Build a simple account structure

Start with one Search campaign for one service area. Give it an ad group for each distinct service people search for. Ad groups that share a goal, a budget and a geography can sit in one campaign. Split off a new campaign only when something you need to control is different. That could be a separate budget, another area, other hours or another goal.

This example plumber sells two services with different searches, different ads and different pages. Both share the same suburbs, the same hours and one budget. So one campaign holds two ad groups. RSA stands for responsive search ad, the standard text ad in a Search campaign.

This is also where each destination gets wired in. Set every ad's final URL to the page that answers its ad group's search. The blocked drains ad goes to the blocked drains page, not the homepage. If your keyword research mapped each theme to a page, this is where that map pays off.

There's no magic number of keywords per ad group. Nor is there a rule that every service needs its own campaign. What matters is that every keyword in a group fits the same ad and the same page. When to split is covered in our guide to Google Ads account structure. So is how to keep brand and emergency demand apart.

Select keywords and exclusions

Choose keywords that describe the job a customer wants done: "blocked drain plumber", "hot water repairs", "emergency plumber". Keyword Planner gives you search volumes and rough bid ranges for your area. Our guide to Google Ads keyword research explains how. Keep Keyword Planner's forecast export as the baseline the launch will be measured against.

Match types work on meaning, not exact strings. Google's keyword matching page sets out how each type matches. Exact match can show ads on searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword. Phrase match can show them on searches that include the keyword's meaning. So even an exact keyword needs its search terms read.

For a first local campaign we start with exact and phrase match on the core services. Our guide to Google Ads match types explains why.

Then add exclusions before launch, not after the first bill. We sort them into five categories: jobs, training, DIY, unrelated and unserved. Unserved covers the services you don't offer. It also includes the places you don't cover, when a search names them.

Don't block "cheap", "free", "reviews" or comparison searches by reflex. Someone searching for a cheap blocked drain plumber may be ready to book today. And someone reading reviews or comparing plumbers is choosing who to call. Read those searches before you decide.

Starter negative keywords for the example plumber:

The last one belongs only if the business doesn't do roofs. In the same audits, about 1 in 4 accounts had no negative keywords applied at all. Levels, match types for exclusions and shared lists are covered in our guide to Google Ads negative keywords.

Write ads and add relevant assets

An ad is a bridge between the search and the page. It needs four things:

• the service that was searched for

• genuine availability

• proof you can back up

• a clear next step

Google's responsive search ads page allows up to 15 headlines of 30 characters. It also allows up to 4 descriptions of 90 characters. The page says headlines and descriptions may appear in any order. So write every headline to make sense beside any other. A headline that only works after a particular one will eventually show without it.

Keep every claim provable. "Licensed plumbers" needs a current licence for the work advertised. "Same day service" needs a roster that delivers it across the whole area and schedule. "No call out fee" has to hold for every job the ad can reach. A review count has to match what the public can see today.

Writing the copy itself, pinning included, is covered in our guide on how to write Google Ads.

The before isn't always a disaster. But the after gives the searcher less work to do. Whether a homepage is ever good enough is covered in our Google Ads landing page vs homepage guide.

Assets add extra information to the ad: sitelinks, callouts, a phone number and a location. Google's assets page says an approved asset still isn't guaranteed to show every time. Call assets can also be scheduled to the hours you can take calls. So set the call asset to staffed hours. Which call, location and text assets to start with is covered in our guide to Google Ads assets.

Test conversion and enquiry delivery

A test proves two different things. One is that the business receives the enquiry. The other is that the measurement records it once. Test both before launch, on a phone and on a desktop.

Submit a labelled test enquiry through every form, booking tool and call route the campaign will use. Then find it where the business works: the inbox, the CRM or the phone of whoever answers. A success message on screen proves nothing about delivery. In the same audits, about 1 in 5 accounts showed the success message for a labelled test enquiry. That enquiry never reached the person who would answer it.

Then check the measurement: open Tag Assistant from the conversion action's status. Google's Tag Assistant page explains what happens next. Actions verified in a debug session update in the account after about 30 minutes. They then show "No recent conversions" until real conversions arrive.

Now try to break it: refresh the thank you page and press Submit twice. Neither should add a second event.

Don't expect the test itself to appear as a Google Ads conversion. A visit you typed in directly has no ad click to credit. So a working tag can record the event without any Ads attributed conversion. And don't click your own ads to force one.

Ring the call asset's number and the number on the page from a mobile. Confirm both connect to someone who answers. Our guide to call tracking for Google Ads covers how to count only the calls that matter.

Keep the record. After launch, an empty conversions column is a question, not a verdict. Conversions are reported against the date of the click, as Understand your conversion tracking data explains. The same page warns that reporting can lag by 24 to 48 hours.

So before deciding the tracking is broken, check four things:

• whether real enquiries arrived

• whether the event fired

• whether the campaign bids on that goal

• how much time has passed

Authorise the budget and bidding

The daily budget is an average, not a ceiling. Google's spending limits page lists two limits for most campaigns. On any one day, they can be billed up to twice the average daily budget. In a month, they can be billed up to 30.4 times that average.

GST and every other cost sit on top. Budget edits, mid month starts and campaign total budgets work differently. Our guide to how much to spend on Google Ads covers them.

How much to authorise is a business decision. Elev8d recommends at least $3,000 a month for a managed account. A self managed test in a low CPC niche can start nearer $1,000 to $1,500. Below that, our guide to the Google Ads minimum budget covers what a small budget can still test.

Promotional credit isn't the test budget. Google's promotional offers page says you must spend the required amount first. The credit can't cover that spend. And processing can take up to 35 days.

Then choose a bid strategy that matches what you can measure. Nobody has to serve time on Manual CPC or Maximise clicks first. With proven enquiry tracking, Maximise conversions on a goal of genuine enquiries is a reasonable start.

If the owner wants a hard limit on what a click costs, Manual CPC fits. Maximise clicks fits too, with its cap set. Google's Maximise clicks page describes an automated strategy where that cap is optional. So check the cap is on.

Our rule of thumb is 15 to 30 conversions a month before trusting a target. Our guide to Smart Bidding strategies explains this. Google itself sets no minimum for Target CPA.

A target is an average, not a price. Google's Target CPA page says some conversions will cost more than the target and some less.

Google's target bidding update took effect on 17 August 2026. It says budget limited campaigns on a target strategy perform more consistently toward the target you set. And Google won't adjust targets or budgets for you. Enter a target you'd be happy to hit.

Finish this step on paper. Record who authorised the test and the most it can lose. Then note the conditions for the first review and who will press pause.

Complete the final prelaunch checklist

This is the gate. Every row needs evidence, not a feeling. And the critical rows can't be traded off against the rest.

Six rows are critical:

• ownership

• policy and verification

• measurement

• lead delivery

• spending authority

• serving readiness

Picture a campaign that ticks nine rows and fails one of those. The fault might be a failed payment, broken tracking or a form that delivers to nobody. That campaign still needs a fix before it spends a dollar.

Count completed rows to track progress if it helps. Never treat the count as a pass mark.

Ad review belongs here too. Google's ad status page says most reviews are completed within 1 working day. Ads are reviewed even when paused. The page also notes that a paused campaign can hold up the review of assets. So look at asset status again once the campaign is live.

Build the ads paused, read their status and fix any disapproval before you enable. "Ads running" is not a prelaunch check. Serving is something you confirm after launch.

The tree asks only two questions because the table has done the work. When both answers are right, enable the campaign and move to the checks below.

What to check after launch

Launch day is for confirming that the campaign does what you approved. It is not for optimising it.

Don't search for your own ad to see if it's live. Google's first ads page says the extra impressions without clicks can lower your click through rate. The page recommends the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool instead. If impressions don't arrive within the review window, check statuses, billing, verification and the schedule before anything else. Our guide for when Google Ads is not working goes through the full diagnosis.

Read and export the search terms report from the first day. Google's search terms page says some terms without enough query activity are left out for privacy. So the report never shows every search. Exclude the obvious misfits and leave the rest alone.

Then resist the urge to fiddle. A handful of clicks says almost nothing about a campaign. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for a first read and about 90 days to judge cost per lead. Allow longer when the sales cycle is long. Our guide to how long Google Ads takes to work sets out the first month's review rhythm.

Faults are the exception. Fix or pause any of these the same day:

• a broken form

• a phone nobody answers

• a disapproved ad

• spend on a network nobody chose

Decide whether DIY is suitable

You can set up a simple Search campaign yourself. The harder question is whether you'll run it properly afterwards, because a campaign left alone drifts.

Get help when the setup touches things that are hard to undo or easy to get wrong. Health, legal and financial claims. Several branches with separate profiles. Call tracking across several numbers, or a CRM that needs offline conversion imports. Get help, too, if nobody in the business will read the search terms every week.

If you do hire, keep the account in the business's name. Give the agency its own login at the access level the work needs. Our Google Ads management plans set out what a managed account involves. Fees are in our guide to Google Ads management pricing.

What we recommend at Elev8d

FAQ: questions about Google Ads setup

Next steps

Sources

• ↗
  Find your Google Ads customer IDsupport.google.com

  Google Ads Help on where the customer ID appears in the account.

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  Manage access to your Google Ads accountsupport.google.com

  Google Ads Help on inviting users from Access and security in the Admin menu and removing their access.

• ↗
  About campaign objectives in Google Adssupport.google.com

  Google Ads Help on the Sales, Leads and Website traffic objectives for Search campaigns.

Written by Ajay K.Co-founder, Elev8d

Ajay is the co-founder of Elev8d and writes most of what you will read here. Psychology grad turned marketer, which is a fancy way of saying he cares about why people click, not just where things rank. Every guide is written in plain English for Australian businesses, tested on real campaigns before it earns a spot on this site.