MarketingBeginnerPreview
Google Ads Search
A hands-on, beginner course that takes you from an empty Google Ads account to a structured, profitable Search campaign for lead generation or e-commerce. You learn the exact keyword, match-type, ad-copy, bidding, and tracking decisions that lower cost per conversion.
Small-business owners, freelancers, and marketers new to PPC who want to launch and optimize Google Search campaigns without wasting budget on the wrong clicks.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook turns the course into a launch-ready operating kit for your Google Search campaigns. Work through each section as you build a real account, filling the worksheets with your own keywords and numbers and using the checklists to verify nothing breaks before you spend. The templates are editable planners for keyword research, negatives, ad copy, break-even math, and a weekly optimization log.
Foundations: Search Auction and Keyword Research
Map keywords by intent and group them into tight themes before launching anything.
Worksheet: Keyword Intent Worksheet
Capture how your buyer actually searches, sized with Keyword Planner, so you bid on intent rather than guesses.
- Customer job to be done (in one sentence)
- Seed keywords entered into Keyword Planner
- Top long-tail keywords found (3-5)
- Average monthly searches range per keyword
- Top-of-page bid range (low / high)
- Intent classification (transactional / informational / navigational)
- Commercial qualifiers to target (buy, near me, quote, best)
Exercise: Ad Rank Self-Audit
Reframe a target keyword through the Ad Rank inputs so your first improvement raises relevance, not just bid.
- Of the Ad Rank inputs (bid, ad/page quality, asset impact), which two can you most improve right now?
- What is the dominant intent behind this keyword, and does your offer match it?
- What one change to ad text would raise expected click-through rate?
- If you ranked below a competitor, would you raise the bid or improve relevance first, and why?
Checklist: Ad Group Theming Checklist
- Cluster keywords by the specific product, service, or intent they share
- Keep each ad group small (a handful to ~15 closely related keywords)
- Confirm one honest headline can fit every keyword in the group
- Name each ad group by its theme for at-a-glance readability
- Separate informational keywords from transactional ones
- Plan an ad that echoes the ad group theme and keyword in a headline
Match Types, Negatives, and Account Structure
Control which searches trigger ads with match types and negatives inside a clean structure.
Worksheet: Match Type Plan Worksheet
Decide the starting match type per keyword and the negatives that protect each theme.
- Keyword
- Starting match type (phrase / exact / broad)
- Reason for that match type
- Ad group it belongs to
- Cross-theme negatives to add (e.g., block hiking from running shoes)
- Account-wide negatives to apply (free, jobs, DIY, used)
- Review cadence for the search terms report
Exercise: Search Terms Mining Drill
Practice the highest-return routine in the account: turning real queries into negatives and new keywords.
- Which triggered queries are off-intent or clearly not buyers?
- What level (ad group, campaign, shared list) is best for each negative, and why?
- Which converting queries should be promoted into their own keywords?
- What recurring junk words belong on your account-wide negative list?
Checklist: Account Structure Checklist
- Branded searches sit in their own campaign for separate budget and measurement
- Campaigns split by product line, margin, or location only when there is a clear reason
- Budget, location, and bidding decisions are set at the campaign level
- Each campaign has enough conversion volume for Smart Bidding to learn
- Every ad group inside a campaign is tightly themed
- Naming makes campaigns and ad groups readable without opening them
Quality Score, Ad Copy, and Landing Pages
Lift Quality Score, write strong responsive search ads, and align landing pages to convert.
Worksheet: Responsive Search Ad Builder
Draft the raw material for one RSA with varied headlines, descriptions, and assets.
- Ad group and main keyword
- Headlines covering benefit / feature / offer / trust (up to 15, max 30 chars each)
- Descriptions with value and a call to action (up to 4, max 90 chars each)
- Headlines that include the main keyword
- Any pinned line and the reason (brand / legal only)
- Display URL path fields
- Assets to add (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call)
Exercise: Quality Score Diagnosis Drill
Use the three component statuses to point each fix at the right place instead of chasing the number.
- Which component is Below average: expected CTR, ad relevance, or landing page experience?
- If ad relevance is low, how will you rewrite the ad to mirror the keyword?
- If landing page experience is low, what speed, mobile, or message-match issue will you fix?
- If expected CTR is low, is the keyword in the wrong, too-broad ad group?
Checklist: Landing Page Conversion Checklist
- Page headline echoes the ad and the keyword (message match)
- One single, obvious call to action
- Loads fast and is tap-friendly on mobile
- Trust signals present: reviews, guarantees, contact, clear pricing
- Paid traffic goes to a purpose-built page, not the busy homepage
- The page delivers exactly what the ad promised
Bidding, Conversion Tracking, and Optimization
Track conversions accurately, pick a bidding strategy, and run a weekly routine that lowers cost per conversion.
Worksheet: Break-Even and Allowable CPA Worksheet
Establish the numbers that decide whether the account is actually profitable before you scale.
- Average order value or lead value
- Gross profit margin (%) or value per lead
- Allowable cost per conversion (max you can pay and still profit)
- Target CPA to set (near real cost per conversion)
- Target ROAS to set (for revenue-tracking accounts)
- Current cost per conversion vs allowable
- Reconciliation note: Google-reported conversions vs actual sales
Exercise: Bidding Strategy Selection Drill
Match a strategy to your goal and your data volume so you do not choke or starve delivery.
- Is your goal traffic, the most conversions, a cost ceiling, or a revenue target?
- How much conversion history does the account have right now?
- Should you start on Maximize Conversions and graduate to Target CPA or ROAS?
- What learning period and step-size (10-20%) will you respect when changing targets?
Checklist: Conversion Tracking Verification Checklist
- A conversion action exists for each valuable outcome (purchase, lead, call)
- Google Tag (gtag) or Tag Manager is installed site-wide
- Events fire on the right moment (confirmation page / form thank-you)
- Purchases pass a value and currency
- Counting is set correctly (one-per-click for leads, every for e-commerce)
- Only meaningful actions are marked primary for bidding
- Tag Assistant and the Status column confirm actions record cleanly
Checklist: Weekly Optimization Routine
- Review the search terms report and add negatives
- Pause or fix keywords spending with no conversions vs allowable CPA
- Shift budget toward ad groups hitting target CPA or ROAS
- Refresh tired ads and add headlines based on what is winning
- Check impression share lost to budget and to rank
- Confirm conversion tracking still fires correctly
Your Action Plan
- Research keywords in Keyword Planner by intent and capture volume and bid ranges
- Group keywords into tight, themed ad groups, one theme per group
- Set up conversion tracking with Google Tag and verify it with Tag Assistant before spending
- Calculate your allowable cost per conversion from margin or lead value
- Build the campaign structure, with branded search in its own campaign
- Start keywords on phrase and exact match and apply an account-wide negative list
- Write a responsive search ad per ad group with varied headlines and add assets
- Launch on Maximize Conversions to gather data, then graduate to Target CPA or ROAS
- Mine the search terms report weekly, add negatives, and pause non-converting keywords
- Scale proven winners 10 to 20% in steps and reconcile reported conversions against real sales
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