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Set up your Google Ads account

Google Ads catches people at the exact moment they search for what you sell — the highest intent traffic money can buy. It is also excellent at spending your budget on nothing if you accept the defaults. Set it up in expert mode and start narrow.

Create the account

  1. Go to ads.google.com and sign in with your business Google account.
  2. When the wizard pushes you toward a first automated campaign, look for the option to switch to expert mode (small link) — you want the full interface, not Smart mode.
  3. Set the currency and timezone (permanent), and add billing.
  • Link Google Analytics (Tools, then Linked accounts) so conversions and audiences flow both ways.
  • Import your key events from GA4 as conversions, or install the Google Ads conversion tag directly. Do not spend until a conversion is tracked — optimizing without one is flying blind.

Your first campaign: search, buyer intent

  1. Create a Search campaign around ONE theme.
  2. Keywords: your product/service + buying phrasing ("buy", "near me", "price", the problem it solves), in phrase and exact match. Skip broad match at the start.
  3. One theme per ad group; headlines that mirror the search query; the landing page answers the exact search.

The weekly discipline

  • Check the search terms report and add negative keywords every week — this is where wasted spend hides.
  • Let a campaign exit learning before judging: two weeks or ~30 conversions.
  • Scale what converts; pause what does not; resist daily bid-fiddling.

Connect it to Huuve

When the Google Ads connector is enabled for your workspace, open Connections in Huuve and authorize the account. Your campaigns and results join Huuve's intelligence, next to organic and analytics data.

If something fails

  • Account suspended immediately: usually billing/identity verification — complete the advertiser verification Google requests.
  • Conversions not recording: the tag or GA4 link is missing; test with Tag Assistant before spending.