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A Search campaign is the highest-intent ad format Google offers — people typing exactly what they want, right when they want it. Setting it up well is also the workflow Google works hardest to flatten into 'just trust the algorithm.' Here is the real build.
Who this is forOwners building their first real Search campaign after the account is set up. If you have already burned a Smart Mode campaign and want the next one to actually work, this is the build.
What you'll need
Step 1
Campaigns → "+ New campaign." Pick "Create a campaign without a goal's guidance" for full control. Choose Campaign type: Search.
In Google Ads, click Campaigns → All campaigns → "+ New campaign."
Google offers two paths: select an objective (Sales, Leads, Website traffic, etc.) OR "Create a campaign without a goal's guidance." Pick the second option for your first campaign.
Choosing an objective restricts which settings you can configure — it auto-enables some features and locks others. "Without guidance" gives you the full settings tree, which is what you want while learning.
On the next screen, pick "Search" as the campaign type. Avoid "Search + Display" — that combines two very different ad inventories with two very different performance profiles. Build them as separate campaigns if you want both.
Pick the conversion goal(s) this campaign optimizes toward. By default it uses Account-default Goals — for the first campaign, leave it on the default. You can override later if a specific campaign should ignore certain conversion actions.
Name the campaign in a structured way: "[Brand]-[Region]-[Campaign Theme]" — e.g., "Acme-US-Plumber-CommercialIntent." Future you will thank you when you have 12 campaigns and need to find this one.
Step 2
Settings → Bidding. Under 30 conversions/month: Maximize Conversions (no Target CPA). Over 30 conv/month: Target CPA. Manual CPC: only for brand campaigns or diagnostic.
On the bidding screen, Google will recommend "Conversions" with Target CPA. Resist this if you have no conversion data yet.
Decision tree based on conversion volume from your account history:
ZERO conversions in the account so far: pick "Maximize Conversions" with NO Target CPA. The algorithm needs 7-14 days of unrestricted spend to learn before any target makes sense.
1-29 conversions/month: pick "Maximize Conversions" with NO target. Adding a Target CPA before you have ~30 conv/month forces the algorithm to over-restrict — you will see "Limited by bid strategy" and minimal spend.
30+ conversions/month: pick "Maximize Conversions" with Target CPA. Set the Target CPA at 1.25-1.5x your current actual CPA. Do not start tighter — the algorithm needs room to find conversions before optimizing for cost.
Brand campaigns or pure-traffic campaigns: Manual CPC. Set a Max CPC at roughly 2x your industry average for the keyword set. Smart Bidding overspends on brand because conversions on brand are easy.
Skip "Target ROAS" for your first campaign — it requires accurate conversion values which take weeks to dial in.
Step 3
Daily budget = monthly budget ÷ 30.4. Uncheck "Include Google search partners" and "Display Network." Pick precise locations and "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations."
Set daily budget = (monthly budget you have committed to) ÷ 30.4. Google can spend up to 2x this on any given day but averages out over the month.
Networks section — UNCHECK both "Include Google search partners" (low-quality search inventory from 3rd-party sites) and "Include Google Display Network" (entirely different ad format). For a Search campaign, you want Search Network only.
Locations: select precise locations — country, state, city, or ZIP code radius. Avoid 'United States' as your only target unless you genuinely sell everywhere.
CRITICAL: click "Location options" under the locations picker. Switch from "Presence or interest" (default) to "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations." Default setting includes anyone who searched for your location from anywhere, which pulls in tourists and researchers who will never buy.
Languages: include English plus any other language your audience speaks. The setting refers to the browser language, not the search query language — most US English speakers have browsers set to English regardless of search term.
Audience segments — for a brand-new campaign, leave this empty. You can add Observation audiences once the campaign has 30 days of data.
Step 4
One ad group per tight keyword theme (5-15 keywords). Use Phrase Match and Exact Match — avoid Broad Match for the first 90 days. Set ad group default CPC if using Manual.
Plan your ad groups before creating them. Group keywords by shared search intent, not by topic. "Buy red running shoes" and "red running shoes review" are different intents and belong in different ad groups.
Aim for 5-15 keywords per ad group. Fewer than 5 = too narrow, no impressions. More than 15 = ad copy cannot speak to all queries, Quality Score drops.
Match types: start with Phrase Match (for "running shoes") and Exact Match ([running shoes]). AVOID Broad Match for the first 90 days unless you have an experienced operator watching daily — Broad Match pulls in 40-60% irrelevant queries on new accounts.
Add negative keywords at the ad group level: terms you do NOT want to match. Common starters: "free," "jobs," "salary," "DIY," "tutorial," "Reddit," competitor brand names if you do not bid on them.
After creating the ad group, click into Keywords → your ad group. Add 5-15 keywords with Phrase Match formatting: "running shoes" with quote marks (Google strips the quotes automatically and saves as Phrase).
Repeat: build 3-5 ad groups for the first campaign covering your highest-intent themes. Resist the urge to launch with 20+ ad groups — you cannot manage that many in week 1.
Step 5
Each ad: 15 headlines, 4 descriptions. Include the keyword in 3-5 headlines. Pin headlines 1-2 if specific positioning matters. Add the final URL pointing to the matching landing page.
In each ad group, click "+ New ad" → "Responsive search ad." RSAs are now the only Search ad format Google accepts — Expanded Text Ads were retired.
Final URL: the specific landing page that matches the ad group's keywords. Not your homepage. If the ad group is 'running shoes,' the landing page should be your running shoes category page.
Display path (optional): two 15-character slots after your domain in the ad — e.g., "yourdomain.com/running/shoes." These are display-only, not real URL paths. Use them to reinforce relevance.
Headlines: write 15. Yes, 15. Google rotates them dynamically. Include your primary keyword in 3-5 of them. Vary the rest: benefit-led ("Free Shipping Over $50"), urgency ("Order by 3pm for Same-Day"), proof ("4.8★ from 10,000+ Customers").
Pinning: click the pin icon to lock specific headlines to specific positions. Most accounts should NOT pin — it kills RSA flexibility. Only pin when a legal claim or required disclaimer must always appear (e.g., for healthcare).
Descriptions: write 4. Each 90 characters max. First description should restate the value prop and include a call to action. Subsequent descriptions cover proof points, offers, and unique selling points.
Build at least 3 RSAs per ad group. Google's algorithm needs multiple ads to test rotation against — one ad gives the algorithm nothing to optimize. Aim for 3 strong variants with different angles.
Step 6
Ads → Assets → "+ Asset." Add 6-8 sitelinks, 6-10 callouts, and structured snippets. These lift CTR by 10-15% and lift Quality Score directly.
Click Assets in the campaign nav (left side). This is where you add ad extensions — now called "assets" in the modern Google Ads UI.
Sitelinks: 6-8 minimum per campaign. Each sitelink is a 25-character link to a sub-page (e.g., "Free Shipping," "Returns Policy," "Sale Items"). They appear under the main ad on desktop. Sitelinks dramatically lift CTR — usually 10-20%.
Callouts: short text snippets (25 char max) that appear under the ad. Examples: "Free Shipping Over $50," "24/7 Customer Support," "Family-Owned Since 1995." Add 6-10 per campaign. These do NOT click anywhere — they are display-only.
Structured snippets: pick a header from Google's list (Brands, Models, Services, Types, etc.) and list 3-10 values. Example: header "Brands," values "Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Asics."
Call asset (if you take phone calls): Tools → Goals → Conversions → 'Phone calls from ads' to track call conversions. Then add the phone number as a Call asset. Mobile searchers see a clickable Call button next to your ad.
Lead form asset: only enable if you want leads to fill the form directly in Google's interface instead of visiting your site. Faster conversion but lower-quality leads — start without it.
Location asset: link your Google Business Profile if you have a physical location. Adds your address and a "Get directions" button on mobile.
Step 7
Run through 10 pre-launch checks. Do not click "Publish campaign" until every one passes. The 30 minutes here prevent 30 days of cleanup later.
☐ Campaign type: Search (verify in Settings — not Search + Display).
☐ Networks: Search partners OFF, Display Network OFF.
☐ Locations: precise (not entire country), with Location options set to "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations."
☐ Bidding strategy matches your conversion volume (Maximize Conversions for <30 conv/mo, Target CPA only after).
☐ Daily budget = monthly commit ÷ 30.4. Verify the math.
☐ At least 3 ad groups, each with 5-15 keywords in Phrase + Exact match. No Broad match.
☐ Negative keywords added at the ad group OR campaign level. Minimum starter list: free, jobs, salary, DIY, tutorial, Reddit.
☐ At least 3 RSAs per ad group with 15 headlines and 4 descriptions each. No pinning unless legally required.
☐ Sitelinks (6+), Callouts (6+), Structured snippets, Call/Location/Lead form assets as relevant.
☐ Conversion tracking is firing (Tools → Goals → Conversions shows "Recording" or "Active" with recent data).
When every box is ticked, click "Publish campaign." Status will show "Eligible" within 1-2 hours and ads usually start serving within 4-6 hours after policy review.
Common mistakes
Launching with Broad Match keywords
What goes wrong: On a new account with no audience signals, Broad Match matches 40-60% irrelevant queries. The campaign burns $500-1,500 in week 1 on traffic that will never convert, and the algorithm 'learns' that conversions are scarce — which permanently caps spend.
How to avoid: Start with Phrase Match and Exact Match only. Earn Broad Match by first building a clean Search Terms baseline and a negative keyword list. Most accounts do not need Broad Match for the first 90 days.
Leaving Search Partners and Display Network checked
What goes wrong: Search Partners inventory has 30-50% lower CTR and 2-3x higher cost-per-conversion than core Google search. Display Network is a totally different format — image ads on random websites — that should never be in a Search campaign. Combining them silently wastes 20-40% of budget.
How to avoid: Always uncheck both at campaign setup. Settings → Networks → only "Google search" checked.
Setting Target CPA before having 30+ conversions
What goes wrong: Target CPA is a ceiling, not a target. With no historical conversion data, the algorithm has no way to know what auctions hit the ceiling, so it sits out most auctions. The campaign shows 'Limited by bid strategy' and spends 10-20% of budget. Quality Score signals also stay underdeveloped.
How to avoid: Run Maximize Conversions (no target) for the first 30 days. Add Target CPA only once you have 30+ conv/mo and a stable baseline CPA — start the target at 1.25-1.5x that baseline, not at it.
No sitelinks, callouts, or structured snippets at launch
What goes wrong: Quality Score sub-score 'Ad Relevance' is impacted by ad extensions. No extensions = lower ad rank = higher effective CPC for the same position. Plus, ads without extensions take up 30-40% less real estate on the SERP, which depresses CTR.
How to avoid: Add minimum 6 sitelinks, 6 callouts, structured snippets, and call/location assets where relevant BEFORE launch. Adding them post-launch is fine but every day without them is suboptimal.
All keywords in one giant ad group
What goes wrong: When 'running shoes,' 'basketball sneakers,' and 'work boots' share an ad group, the ad copy cannot speak to any of them specifically. Ad Relevance drops, CTR drops, Quality Score drops, effective CPC doubles.
How to avoid: One ad group per tight keyword theme (5-15 keywords sharing search intent). Ad copy in each ad group should reference the specific keyword theme — that is the whole point.
Sending ad traffic to the homepage
What goes wrong: Homepages serve everyone. Ads serve specific intent. A 'running shoes' search ad → homepage means the visitor lands somewhere generic and has to re-navigate. Conversion rate drops 40-60%. Quality Score landing page experience tanks.
How to avoid: Every ad group has a specific landing page that matches its search intent. If you do not have a landing page for that keyword theme, build one before launching the ad group.
Recap
Done — what's next
How to set up a Google Ads account from scratch
Read the next tutorial
Hand it off
Launching a Search campaign cleanly is a 2-3 hour project the first time. Running it well — weekly Search Terms review, monthly negative keyword updates, bid strategy tuning, ad copy iteration — is an ongoing job. EverestX Google Ads specialists build a campaign correctly in 60-90 minutes and then manage it ongoing for $400-1,200/mo at $14-16/hr, depending on account size.
See specialist rates
20-50 keywords across 3-5 ad groups for the first campaign. Below 20 you cannot test enough variations. Above 50 you cannot pay attention to all of them in the first month. The 80/20 rule applies hard here — 20% of your keywords will generate 80% of conversions, and you find out which by starting modest and watching.
Not for your first campaign. DSAs let Google generate headlines automatically based on your landing page content. They work well as a supplemental campaign once you have a stable Search baseline, but they hide what is happening — you cannot edit the generated headlines. Master regular RSAs first.
Impressions and clicks usually start within hours of approval. Conversions: depends on conversion rate and budget. At $50/day budget with a 2% CR on $5 CPC, expect 1-2 conversions per week. The bid strategy learning period is 7-14 days — do not change anything in that window. First meaningful optimization signals usually appear by day 21.
Minimum $30/day for any meaningful learning signal — Smart Bidding strategies need at least 10-15 auctions per day. Below that, the algorithm gets no data to work with. $50-100/day is the sweet spot for a single ad group of 5-15 keywords in most US verticals. Higher-CPC industries (legal, insurance, B2B SaaS) often need $200-500/day.
Add a second campaign when you need different bidding strategy, different location targeting, or different conversion goals — not just to organize keywords. For keyword organization, use ad groups within the same campaign. Common second campaigns: brand campaign (separate from non-brand), competitor campaign, geo-specific campaign for a particular market.
If your account has zero conversion data, Google may recommend Maximize Clicks because Maximize Conversions has nothing to optimize against. That recommendation is technically correct but operationally wrong — you want to be on Maximize Conversions from day one so the moment your first conversion fires, the algorithm starts learning. Override the recommendation and pick Maximize Conversions manually.
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