Google Ads — Setup Guide

For: Anyone who needs to set up Google Ads from scratch. Assumes: Zero marketing/technical background. Time: ~15–20 min setup.

What You'll Set Up

#WhatWhy
1Google AccountRequired to access Google Ads
2Google Ads AccountWhere your campaigns, budgets, and billing live
3Billing / PaymentRequired to run ads
4Conversion TrackingMeasure ad performance with GTM or gtag.js

Step 1: Create a Google Account

Skip if you already have a Gmail or Google Workspace account.

  1. Go to https://accounts.google.com/signup
  2. Fill in: name, email (or create a new Gmail), password
  3. Verify your phone number
  4. Accept terms

Step 2: Create a Google Ads Account

Option A: Standard Account (for one business)

Google Ads - Standard Account Setup

  1. Go to https://ads.google.com

  2. Click Start now

  3. Enter your business name and website URL when prompted

  4. Google will try to walk you through creating a campaign — skip all other steps

  5. Confirm your settings:

    • Billing country: Where your business is based
    • Time zone: Your local time zone
    • Currency: Your preferred currency

    ⚠️ Billing country, time zone, and currency CANNOT be changed later. Choose carefully.

  6. Click Submit

Your account is created. You'll see your Customer ID — a 10-digit number in format XXX-XXX-XXXX — in the top right corner. Save this number.

Option B: Manager Account / MCC (for managing multiple accounts)

What is this? A Manager Account (also called MCC = My Client Center) is a "master" account that manages multiple Google Ads accounts. Use this if:

  • You're an agency managing clients' ads
  • You have multiple brands with separate ad accounts
  • You want centralized reporting across accounts

Google Ads - Manager Account Setup

  1. Go to https://ads.google.com → Click Start now

  2. At the bottom, click Are you a professional marketer? Switch to a manager account

  3. Enter:

    • Account display name: Your company name
    • Primary use: Select "Manage other people's accounts" or "Manage my accounts"
    • Billing country: Where your business is based
    • Time zone: Your local time zone
    • Currency: Your preferred currency

    ⚠️ These settings CANNOT be changed later. Choose carefully.

  4. Click Submit

Linking a client's ad account to your MCC:

  1. In your MCC → Settings → Sub-account settings
  2. Click Link existing account
  3. Enter the client's 10-digit Customer ID
  4. The client receives an email invitation → they must accept it

Step 3: Set Up Billing

Without billing, you cannot run ads.

Google Ads - Billing Settings

  1. In Google Ads, click Billing (left sidebar) → Settings
  2. Click Add Payment Method
  3. Choose:
    • Credit card / Debit card
    • Bank account (varies by country)
    • Bank transfer / Invoice (for larger accounts, varies by country)
  4. Enter payment details → Confirm
  5. Choose payment setting:
    • Automatic payments (recommended): Google charges you after your ads run, when you hit a billing threshold or at the end of the month
    • Manual payments: You add funds upfront, ads stop when funds run out

Step 4: Set Up Conversion Tracking (Recommended)

What is this? Conversion tracking lets Google Ads know when someone takes a valuable action on your website (purchase, sign-up, etc.) after clicking your ad. Without it, you can't measure ad performance or optimize campaigns.

Choose Your Tracking Method

MethodBest For
Google Tag Manager (GTM)Most businesses — manage all tags from a UI, no code changes needed
Google Tag (gtag.js)Simple sites — paste one code snippet directly on your pages

Do NOT use both at the same time. Using GTM and gtag.js together will double-count your data.

Option A: Google Tag Manager (Recommended)

Google Tag Manager - Create Account

  1. Go to https://tagmanager.google.com
  2. Click Create Account
  3. Enter:
    • Account Name: Your company name
    • Country: Your country
    • Container name: Your website URL (e.g., www.mysite.com)
    • Target platform: Select Web
  4. Click Create → accept terms
  5. Copy the two code snippets GTM provides:
    • Paste the first snippet in the <head> of every page
    • Paste the second snippet after the opening <body> tag
  6. In GTM, click New Tag → choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking
  7. Enter your Conversion ID and Conversion Label (from Google Ads → Goals → Conversions)
  8. Set up a trigger (e.g., "Page URL contains /thank-you")
  9. Click Submit to publish

Option B: Google Tag (gtag.js)

  1. In Google Ads → Goals (left sidebar) → Conversions → Summary
  2. Click + Create button → select Website
  3. Enter your website URL
  4. Choose a conversion category (Purchase, Qualified lead, Sign-up, etc.)

Conversion Categories

  1. Google provides a Google Tag code snippet — paste it in your website's <head> tag
  2. Add the event snippet on specific pages (e.g., thank-you page)

Note: If the conversion options don't appear, you may need to create at least one campaign first. You can create a paused campaign and set it up later.

Verify Your Setup

  1. In Google Ads → Goals → Conversions
  2. Check that your conversion actions show Active status
  3. Use Google Tag Assistant (Chrome extension) to debug on your site

Summary

Must-Have (Required to Run Ads)

  1. Google account (Gmail or Workspace)
  2. Google Ads account created (skipping campaign creation)
  3. Billing country, time zone, currency set (cannot change later!)
  4. Payment method added
  5. Customer ID noted (10-digit number, top right of Google Ads)

Recommended for Ad Performance

  1. Google Tag or GTM installed on website
  2. At least 1 conversion action created
  3. Google Analytics 4 linked to Google Ads

Key URLs

WhatURL
Google Adshttps://ads.google.com
MCC Creationhttps://ads.google.com/home/tools/manager-accounts/
Google Tag Managerhttps://tagmanager.google.com
Google Analytics 4https://analytics.google.com
Google Ads Helphttps://support.google.com/google-ads