What is the correct way to start a Google Ads campaign?

Short Answer: The correct way to start a Google Ads campaign is to begin with just one campaign. Focus on optimizing everything within that single campaign. Only once it is running successfully and converting should you duplicate it and launch additional campaigns.

Full Explanation

Starting with one Google Ads campaign is essential for effective management and optimization. When you launch multiple campaigns too soon, it becomes challenging to track which elements are performing well or need improvement. By concentrating your efforts on one campaign, you can fine-tune all the settings, keywords, ads, and targeting until the campaign delivers consistent results.

After your initial campaign is optimized and generating conversions reliably, you can confidently duplicate the campaign and create additional campaigns. This approach ensures that any new campaigns are built on a proven, high-performing foundation, which increases the likelihood of success and efficiency in your advertising efforts.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Launch a single campaign: Begin your Google Ads management with only one campaign to maintain focus.
Optimize thoroughly: Continuously refine the campaign’s structure, ads, keywords, and targeting until it achieves consistent results and conversions.
Monitor performance: Ensure that the campaign is running smoothly and meeting your objective for conversions.
Duplicate and expand: After confirming that the campaign works well, duplicate it to create additional campaigns, using the same successful framework.

Real Examples

Imagine starting with a single campaign dedicated to a specific product or service. You monitor how well it converts and optimize various components, such as ad copy and keyword targeting. Once you see strong performance and steady conversions, you duplicate that campaign to target different audiences, locations, or other variations. This layered approach builds on success and reduces wasted budget.

Common Mistakes

Launching multiple campaigns at once without completing optimization, leading to diluted focus and unclear results.
Failing to optimize the initial campaign before expanding, which causes unnecessary expenditure on underperforming ads.
Neglecting to track conversion performance closely before duplicating campaigns, which could spread ineffective strategies further.

FAQs

Q: Why shouldn’t I start multiple campaigns from the beginning?
Starting with many campaigns makes it difficult to analyze what is working and wastes effort optimizing too many variables simultaneously.

Q: How do I know when my campaign is ready to be duplicated?
When your campaign is running smoothly with consistent conversions, it indicates that the settings and structure are optimized enough to serve as a template for others.

Key Takeaways

Start small with one Google Ads campaign to maintain control and focus.
Optimize all aspects of this campaign before moving forward.
Only duplicate and run additional campaigns after confirming solid, converting performance.
This method helps create efficient, scalable, and successful advertising efforts.