Five Essentials Before You Go Live
- Google account: Open a Google Ads account with your business Gmail or Google Workspace address. Using a business email instead of a personal one makes account management much cleaner.
- A working web or landing page: When someone clicks your ad, the page they land on must load quickly, display correctly on mobile, and clearly tell visitors what to do next — call, fill out a form, or buy.
- A clear goal: 'Let's run ads' is not a goal. Do you want to appear in search results, collect form leads, or drive direct sales? Your goal determines campaign type and budget strategy.
- Monthly budget commitment: Google Ads charges per click. The cost per click varies by industry, location, and the keywords you compete for. Decide on a realistic monthly amount before you start.
- Conversion tracking setup: A tracking code must be added to your website so that phone calls, form submissions, or purchases from your ads are recorded. Without this, you cannot tell which ads are working.
Without conversion tracking, it is impossible to measure how much of your spend is working. According to Google's official guidance, advertisers who set up tracking are able to optimize their campaigns significantly faster.
The first three items — account, goal, and landing page — are yours to handle. The last two, budget planning and conversion tracking setup, are best managed together with your agency. Conversion tracking in particular has grown more complex in 2026: enhanced conversions and Consent Mode v2 requirements mean it is no longer just a matter of pasting a code snippet. Collecting accurate data in a compliant way requires technical expertise.
Getting started with Google Ads can seem daunting, but once the preparation phase is done correctly, your agency takes on the bulk of campaign management. Your role is to define the goal, make sure your page is ready, and approve the budget. Everything else — the technical and strategic steps — falls within the agency's area of expertise.