google-ads-campaign

name	google-ads-campaign
description	Plans Google Ads campaigns with keyword groups, ad copy variations, landing page recommendations, and bid strategy. Use when running paid search advertising.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Google Ads Campaign

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Plan a Google Search Ads campaign from keyword research to launch
• Organize keyword groups into ad groups with matching ad copy
• Write ad copy that maximizes quality score and click-through rate
• Design a bidding and budget strategy for profitable paid search

DO NOT use this skill for Google Display ads, YouTube ads, or SEO. This is specifically for Google Search Ads (pay-per-click).

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Core Principle

GOOGLE ADS PROFITS COME FROM KEYWORD-TO-AD-TO-LANDING-PAGE ALIGNMENT — WHEN THE SEARCH QUERY, THE AD COPY, AND THE PAGE ALL SAY THE SAME THING, QUALITY SCORE GOES UP AND COST PER CLICK GOES DOWN.

---

Phase 1: Campaign Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Business/product	"What are you advertising?"	No default — must be provided
Goal	"What action should people take? (buy, call, sign up, book)"	No default — must be provided
Monthly budget	"What is your monthly Google Ads budget?"	$500-1,000/month
Target location	"Where are your customers located?"	United States
Landing page(s)	"Where will ads send people?"	No default — must be provided
Previous Google Ads experience	"Have you run Google Ads before? Any data?"	None
Competitors	"Who else is bidding on your keywords?"	General awareness

GATE: Confirm the brief before building the campaign.

---

Phase 2: Keyword Strategy

Keyword Organization

## Keyword Groups

**Ad Group 1: [Theme — e.g., "Email Marketing Software"]**
Keywords:
- [email marketing software] — Exact match
- [best email marketing platform] — Exact match
- "email marketing tool for small business" — Phrase match
- email marketing solution — Broad match modifier

Estimated CPC: $[X]
Monthly search volume: [X]
Intent: Commercial (ready to compare/buy)

**Ad Group 2: [Theme — e.g., "Email Automation"]**
Keywords:
- [email automation tool] — Exact match
- [automated email marketing] — Exact match
...

**Negative Keywords (campaign-level):**
- free
- tutorial
- how to (unless targeting informational intent)
- jobs
- salary
- [competitor brand names] (unless doing competitor targeting)

Match Type Strategy

## Match Type Rules

**Exact match [keyword]:** Highest intent, highest control, lowest volume
- Use for: core commercial keywords
- Budget: 60% of total

**Phrase match "keyword":** Moderate control, captures variations
- Use for: secondary keywords and longer phrases
- Budget: 30% of total

**Broad match keyword:** Widest reach, requires smart bidding
- Use for: discovery (with careful negative keyword management)
- Budget: 10% of total (testing only)

GATE: Approve keyword groups and match types before writing ads.

---

Phase 3: Write Ad Copy

Responsive Search Ads (RSA)

For each ad group, write:

• 15 headlines (30 characters each)
• 4 descriptions (90 characters each)

Headline Strategy

## Headlines for Ad Group 1: [Theme]

**Keyword-focused (3-4):**
1. "Email Marketing Software" (26 chars)
2. "Best Email Marketing Tool" (27 chars)
3. "#1 Email Marketing Platform" (29 chars)

**Benefit-focused (3-4):**
4. "Send Emails That Convert" (26 chars)
5. "Grow Your List 3x Faster" (26 chars)
6. "Save 10 Hours Per Week" (23 chars)

**Social proof (2-3):**
7. "Trusted by 50,000+ Users" (26 chars)
8. "4.8 Stars on G2" (17 chars)

**CTA-focused (2-3):**
9. "Start Your Free Trial Today" (29 chars)
10. "Try Free for 14 Days" (22 chars)

**Urgency/offer (2-3):**
11. "50% Off First 3 Months" (24 chars)
12. "Limited-Time Launch Price" (27 chars)

Description Strategy

## Descriptions

1. "Start sending professional emails in minutes. No design skills needed. Free 14-day trial." (90 chars)
2. "Join 50,000 businesses who use [Brand] to grow revenue with email. Plans from $29/mo." (87 chars)
3. "Drag-and-drop editor, automation, analytics. Everything you need in one platform." (83 chars)
4. "Cancel anytime. No contracts. Start growing your business with email marketing today." (86 chars)

Ad Extensions

## Extensions to Set Up

**Sitelink extensions (4-6):**
- Pricing / Plans
- Features
- Testimonials / Case Studies
- Free Trial
- About Us

**Callout extensions (4-6):**
- Free Trial Available
- No Credit Card Required
- 24/7 Support
- Cancel Anytime

**Structured snippet:**
- Types: Templates, Automation, Analytics, Integrations, Reporting

---

Phase 4: Polish

1. Bidding Strategy

## Bid Strategy Recommendation

**New campaigns (no conversion data):**
- Start with Manual CPC or Maximize Clicks
- Set max CPC bids based on target CPA math
- Target CPA = [customer value] × [target profit margin]

**After 30+ conversions:**
- Switch to Target CPA or Maximize Conversions
- Set target CPA based on actual performance data

**Budget pacing:**
- Daily budget = monthly budget / 30.4
- Monitor daily spend vs. results
- Adjust bids weekly based on performance

2. Landing Page Alignment Checklist

• Headline matches the ad group keyword theme
• CTA matches the ad's promised action
• Page loads in under 3 seconds
• Mobile-optimized
• Form is above the fold (for lead gen)
• Phone number visible (if call objective)

3. Optimization Schedule

• Daily: check spend pacing, pause obvious losers
• Weekly: review search terms report, add negative keywords
• Bi-weekly: pause underperforming keywords, adjust bids
• Monthly: full performance review, new ad copy tests, budget reallocation

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Anti-Patterns

• Running all broad match without negatives — broad match will spend your budget on irrelevant searches without aggressive negative keyword management.
• One ad group with 50 keywords — keywords with different intent need different ads. Keep 5-15 tightly themed keywords per ad group.
• Sending all ads to the homepage — each ad group should link to the most relevant landing page. Homepage is rarely the best choice.
• Ignoring quality score — low quality scores mean higher CPCs. Improve keyword-ad-landing page relevance to lower costs.
• Setting and forgetting — Google Ads require weekly optimization. Neglected campaigns waste money.
• No conversion tracking — without tracking, you cannot optimize for what matters. Set up conversion tracking before launching.

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Recovery

• No conversion data yet: Start with Maximize Clicks to gather data. Switch to conversion-based bidding after 30+ conversions.
• High CPC eating the budget: Focus on long-tail exact match keywords with lower competition. Add more negative keywords.
• Low quality score (under 5): Improve ad relevance (match ad copy to keywords), landing page experience, and expected CTR.
• Spending budget with no conversions: Check conversion tracking setup. Then review landing page conversion rate. The problem is often the page, not the ads.
• Very competitive niche: Target long-tail keywords, use location targeting to reduce competition, and ensure your landing page converts above average.