Google Ads checklist, before you publish.

Where, when and towards which goal the campaign spends.

• Right account and right client
  With several accounts open it is easy to create the campaign in the wrong place. Verify account, client and campaign name before anything else.

• Goal and campaign type match the brief
  A goal picked out of habit brings default settings and suggestions that do not match what you want to achieve.

• Networks chosen on purpose (search partners, Display Network) Search
  Additional network options can be enabled by default when you create the campaign. Decide whether you want them; do not leave them by accident.

• Targeted and excluded locations verified
  A whole country instead of a region, or a region left out, completely changes where the budget goes.

• Location option: presence, or presence or interest
  The default option can also reach people interested in the area who are not there. For many local businesses that is not what is needed.

• Languages consistent with ads and pages
  A missing or extra language changes who the ads are shown to.

• Average daily budget consistent with the monthly plan
  Google can spend up to twice the average daily budget on a single day, staying within the monthly limit. Verify amount and currency before going live.

• Bid strategy suited to the type and the data available
  An automated strategy without measured conversions works without signals; manual CPC without limits scatters the budget.

• Start and end dates and ad schedule
  A promotion without an end date keeps spending after it expires.

• Device adjustments reviewed
  Exclusions or increases copied from another campaign do not necessarily apply to this one.

Which searches to answer and with which message.

• Coherent ad groups, one theme each Search
  A group with mixed themes produces generic ads and low relevance.

• Match types chosen consciously Search
  Broad match and phrase match cover very different searches. Decide it; do not inherit it from a copy and paste.

• Negative keywords applied (campaign and lists) Search
  Without exclusions, the first weeks spend on searches you did not want.

• Responsive search ads complete, no mistakes Search
  Duplicate headlines, promises no longer valid or a typo go live with the first click. You need enough headlines and descriptions, each different from the others.

• Pins only where needed Search
  Every pin reduces the combinations Google can try. Use it for real constraints, like a legal claim, not out of habit.

• Asset groups complete: text, images, logos, video Performance Max
  An incomplete asset group limits the formats and placements where the campaign can be shown.

• Audience signals and search themes reviewed Performance Max
  Signals steer the campaign, especially at the start. Signals copied from another client steer it the wrong way.

• Brand and placement exclusions assessed Performance Max
  Without exclusions, the campaign can capture brand searches or placements you do not want to pay for.

• Campaign assets consistent with the offer (sitelinks, callouts, snippets)
  A sitelink pointing to an expired promotion is the first mistake a client notices.

• Copy aligned with brand, current prices and promotions
  An old price or an off-guideline tone is not a detail: it is what the audience reads.

Where the click lands and how it is recorded.

• Every final URL responds and opens the right page
  A page that does not respond or redirects elsewhere wastes clicks and can get the ads disapproved.

• Domain and https consistent with the landing page
  The display domain must match the landing page domain.

• Tracking template and parameters tested
  A wrong template breaks the link or loses parameters: you only find out from empty reports.

• UTM or auto-tagging consistent with analytics
  If you add parameters by hand while auto-tagging is on, verify that the reports read them as you expect.

• The page keeps the promise of the ad
  An ad and a page that say different things cost clicks and trust.

How the campaign will know whether it is working.

• Primary conversion action active
  Without a primary action the bid strategy has no clear goal and the reports say nothing useful.

• Conversion tag verified with a real test
  A tag that is installed but never fired produces zero conversions: you find out at the end of the month.

• Consent handled correctly on the page
  In Europe measurement depends on consent. A page without proper consent handling measures badly and adds a risk.

• Campaign conversion goals consistent
  If the campaign optimises for a goal other than the one in the brief, the numbers look good and the result does not.

The step between a ready campaign and an approved one.

• Review by a second person
  Whoever built the campaign sees what they meant to build. A second pair of eyes sees what is there.

• Approval recorded: who, when, what
  Without a record, after a mistake nobody knows what had been approved.

• Intended initial state (enabled or paused)
  A campaign created as enabled by mistake spends before anyone reviews it.

• Billing and spending limit verified
  An expired payment method or a limit set too low stops the campaign without warning the person managing it.

• A check scheduled within 48 hours
  The first days show the mistakes no checklist catches: search terms, spend, ad approval.