| name | google-search-ads-builder |
| description | End-to-end Google Search Ads campaign builder. Takes ICP + product info, performs keyword research via competitive analysis, builds ad group structure, generates headline/description variants, creates negative keyword lists, recommends bid strategy, and exports a campaign-ready CSV for Google Ads Editor import.
|
| tags | ["ads"] |
Google Search Ads Builder
Build a complete Google Search Ads campaign from scratch. This skill handles everything from keyword research to ad copy to campaign structure — outputting files ready to import into Google Ads Editor.
Core principle: Most early-stage teams waste their first $5K on Google Ads because of bad structure. This skill builds a tight, well-organized campaign from day one: right keywords, right match types, right ad groups, right negatives.
When to Use
- "Set up Google Search Ads for us"
- "Build a Google Ads campaign for [product]"
- "I want to start running search ads — help me set it up"
- "Create a PPC campaign structure"
- "Generate Google Ads copy for our product"
Phase 0: Intake
- Product name + URL — What are we advertising?
- One-line value prop — What does it do, for whom?
- ICP — Who is searching for this? (Role, pain, company stage)
- Monthly budget — What are you willing to spend? (Affects structure recommendations)
- Goal — Free trial sign-ups / Demo bookings / Content downloads / Direct purchase
- Landing pages — URLs you'll send traffic to (or "need to create")
- Competitor domains — 2-5 competitors (for keyword gap analysis)
- Geographic targeting — Countries/regions
- Existing keywords? — Any keywords you already know work
Phase 1: Keyword Research
1A: Seed Keyword Generation
From the product description and ICP, generate 3 keyword buckets:
| Bucket | Intent | Examples |
|---|
| Problem-aware | Searching for solutions to a pain | "how to automate outbound", "fix slow sales pipeline" |
| Solution-aware | Searching for a category of product | "AI SDR tool", "outbound automation software" |
| Brand/Competitor | Searching for you or competitors by name | "[your brand]", "[competitor] alternative" |
1B: Competitive Keyword Mining
Research competitor SEO keywords that indicate search ad opportunity:
Search: "[competitor] site:google.com/ads" OR "[competitor] PPC keywords"
Search: "[competitor]" alternative OR vs OR comparison
Search: best [product category] tools 2026
Also run seo-domain-analyzer on competitor domains to find keywords they rank for that indicate buying intent.
1C: Keyword Expansion
For each seed keyword, expand with:
- Modifiers: best, top, free, cheap, enterprise, for startups, for [role]
- Long-tail: "[category] for [specific use case]"
- Question queries: "how to [solve problem your product addresses]"
- Comparison: "[competitor] vs [your brand]", "[competitor] alternative"
1D: Keyword Scoring
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Intent Strength | Competition | Priority |
|---|
| [keyword] | [H/M/L] | [High/Med/Low] | [H/M/L] | [1-5] |
Priority scale:
- 5 = High intent + medium competition (sweet spot)
- 4 = High intent + high competition (important but expensive)
- 3 = Medium intent + low competition (good for budget stretch)
- 2 = Low intent + low competition (awareness only)
- 1 = Skip — too broad or irrelevant
Phase 2: Campaign Structure
2A: Ad Group Design
Group keywords by theme and intent. Each ad group = one tight topic.
Structure template:
Campaign: [Product Name] — Search
├── Ad Group: [Problem Keyword Theme 1]
│ ├── Keywords (5-15 per group)
│ └── Ads (3 responsive search ads)
├── Ad Group: [Problem Keyword Theme 2]
├── Ad Group: [Solution Category]
├── Ad Group: [Competitor Alternatives]
│ ├── "[Competitor A] alternative"
│ ├── "[Competitor B] alternative"
│ └── "best [category] alternative"
└── Ad Group: [Brand]
└── "[Your brand name]" (defense)
Rules:
- Max 15 keywords per ad group
- All keywords in an ad group should share a theme
- Each ad group gets its own landing page (if possible)
- Use a mix of match types: Exact [keyword] for high-intent, Phrase "keyword" for discovery
2B: Match Type Strategy
| Keyword Type | Recommended Match | Reason |
|---|
| Brand terms | Exact | Protect — don't waste spend on broad |
| High-intent solution | Exact + Phrase | Capture precisely, discover adjacent |
| Competitor terms | Exact + Phrase | Control the narrative |
| Problem-aware | Phrase + Broad (with negatives) | Cast wider net for top-of-funnel |
Phase 3: Ad Copy Generation
Per Ad Group: 3 Responsive Search Ads
Each RSA needs:
- 15 headlines (max 30 chars each)
- 4 descriptions (max 90 chars each)
Headline Framework (15 per ad group)
| Slot | Purpose | Example |
|---|
| 1-3 | Keyword match — Include the search term | "AI Outbound Automation" |
| 4-5 | Value prop — Primary benefit | "10x Your Pipeline in 30 Days" |
| 6-7 | Social proof — Credibility | "Trusted by 500+ B2B Teams" |
| 8-9 | Differentiation — Why you vs alternatives | "No-Code Setup in 5 Minutes" |
| 10-11 | CTA — Action driver | "Start Free Trial Today" |
| 12-13 | Offer/Urgency — Incentive | "Free 14-Day Trial" |
| 14-15 | Trust/Risk reversal — Remove friction | "No Credit Card Required" |
Description Framework (4 per ad group)
| Slot | Purpose | Example |
|---|
| 1 | Feature-benefit — What + so what | "Automate personalized outbound emails so your team closes more deals without the manual work." |
| 2 | Pain-agitate — Problem + solution | "Tired of reps spending 4 hours on prospecting? Our AI handles it in minutes." |
| 3 | Social proof + CTA | "Join 500+ growth teams. Start your free trial — no credit card needed." |
| 4 | Differentiator + CTA | "Unlike legacy tools, [Product] works out of the box. See it in action — book a 15-min demo." |
Phase 4: Negative Keywords
Universal Negatives (Apply to all campaigns)
free (if not freemium)
jobs, careers, hiring, salary
tutorial, course, certification, learn
review, reddit, quora (if not desired)
login, support, help desk
download, open source (if not applicable)
Category-Specific Negatives
Based on keyword research, add terms that would waste spend — searches related to your keywords but with wrong intent.
Phase 5: Bid Strategy Recommendation
| Budget Range | Recommended Strategy | Reason |
|---|
| < $1K/mo | Manual CPC or Max Clicks | Need data first — don't let Google optimize on nothing |
| $1K-5K/mo | Max Conversions (after 30+ conversions) | Enough data for Google's algo |
| $5K+/mo | Target CPA or Target ROAS | Optimize for efficiency at scale |
First 2 weeks: Always start with Manual CPC or Max Clicks with a daily budget cap. Collect data before switching to automated bidding.
Phase 6: Output Format
6A: Campaign Strategy Doc
# Google Search Ads Campaign — [Product Name] — [DATE]
## Campaign Overview
- **Goal:** [Conversions / Demos / Trials]
- **Monthly budget:** $[X]
- **Geographic targeting:** [Countries]
- **Bid strategy (start):** [Manual CPC / Max Clicks]
- **Bid strategy (after 30 conversions):** [Max Conversions / Target CPA]
## Campaign Structure
[Visual tree of campaigns → ad groups]
## Keywords by Ad Group
### Ad Group: [Name]
**Landing page:** [URL]
| Keyword | Match Type | Priority |
|---------|-----------|----------|
| [keyword] | Exact | High |
| [keyword] | Phrase | Medium |
### Ad Group: [Name 2]
...
## Ad Copy
### Ad Group: [Name]
**RSA 1:**
Headlines: [list of 15]
Descriptions: [list of 4]
**RSA 2:** ...
**RSA 3:** ...
## Negative Keywords
[Grouped list]
## Bid & Budget Recommendations
[Strategy + daily budget recommendation]
## Launch Checklist
- [ ] Verify landing pages load and track conversions
- [ ] Set up conversion tracking (Google Tag / GA4)
- [ ] Confirm geographic targeting
- [ ] Set daily budget cap
- [ ] Review ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)
- [ ] Enable search term report review (weekly)
6B: Google Ads Editor Import CSV
Generate a CSV file importable into Google Ads Editor:
Campaign,Ad Group,Keyword,Match Type,Max CPC,Final URL,Headline 1,Headline 2,Headline 3,Description 1,Description 2
Save strategy doc to clients/<client-name>/ads/google-search-campaign-[YYYY-MM-DD].md.
Save CSV to clients/<client-name>/ads/google-ads-import-[YYYY-MM-DD].csv.
Cost
| Component | Cost |
|---|
| Keyword research (web search) | Free |
| Competitor SEO analysis | ~$0.10-0.50 (Apify, if using seo-domain-analyzer) |
| Ad copy generation | Free (LLM reasoning) |
| CSV generation | Free |
| Total | Free-$0.50 |
Tools Required
- web_search — for keyword research and competitor analysis
- fetch_webpage — for landing page review
- Optional:
seo-domain-analyzer for competitor keyword data
Trigger Phrases
- "Set up Google Search Ads for [product]"
- "Build a PPC campaign"
- "Create Google Ads for our product"
- "I need search ad keywords and copy"
- "Generate a Google Ads Editor import file"
