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How to Set Up a Google Ads Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

Top view of pen and memo note written with GOOGLE ADS.

Google Ads is the most popular PPC platform and is used by thousands of businesses worldwide. Customers can use the platform to create customized ad campaigns that are displayed on the Google Display Network including Google Search and YouTube for example. 

Before you can get to any of that though, you have to register an account! In this guide, I explain how to set up a Google Ads account and the benefits this PPC platform provides.

How to Setup Google Ads Account - A Simple Guide

Creating a Google Ads account shouldn’t take long, but there are a few caveats that can be confusing for first-time users – particularly when Google continually tries to force you to create your first ad campaign alongside registering an account. 

Below, I explain how to set up a Google Ads account without that additional process as I recommend creating your first Google Ads campaign should be a completely separate process.

Step 1 - Sorting Your Prerequisites

I’m sure you have these things in place already, but it’s important to check the prerequisites as you can’t simply jump onto Google Ads and create an account. To start Google Ads you need the following:

  • A valid email address.
  • A website.

Ideally, you have a Gmail address or a pre-existing Google account as this can make the registration process quicker. The email address should be related to your business too for administration purposes. It doesn’t matter though, any valid email address works that you have access to.

A website is also essential as your Google Ads need to direct the customers somewhere such as a landing page. Therefore, before registering with Google Ads and creating your first campaign, make sure your website is ready and that the target page you want the ads to direct to is polished too.

Step 2 - Initial Website and Selection

The first step is easy, open http://ads.google.com/ and click on the “start now” button. There is the option to start with an expert but I advise against this as they will start waffling about creating your first ad campaign – all we are doing here is creating an account to get started.

A pop-up box will appear here asking if you want to create your first campaign – click the link at the bottom that says “Skip Campaign Creation”. 

Step 3 - Confirm Account Settings

After skipping the campaign creation option you should now be presented with basic account settings including your billing country, time zone, and currency. Complete these and click continue.

Step 4 - Confirm Business Information

a person typing on his laptop

The next screen has a range of additional business information and you may also see an introductory offer which is important to make a note of. For example, at the time of writing this Google has an introductory offer where you spend £400 and get £400 in account credit.

Information here includes account type, purpose of use, tax information, name and address, primary contact information, and payment information. There is also an option at the bottom to receive personalized campaign guidance from a Google Ads expert – select no for this. You will get better help specific to your business from a Google Ads agency in London.

Step 5 - Submit and Complete

Once you have filled in the above info, simply click the submit button and you’re done! As you can see, how to set up a Google ads account for your business should only take 5-10 minutes. The hard work comes in ad creation and managing your campaigns.

Benefits of Google Ads

So what makes Google Ads stand out and why should you bother creating an account? To give you insight I have listed the main benefits below.

Huge Ad Reach

Let’s face it, Google is one of the biggest companies in the world and it has become something most people use in their daily lives. What do we do when we want to find something? We Google it! Simply put, Google Ads has massive reach and benefits from the huge Google Display Network so your ads can be seen by millions of people.

Excellent Control

Google Ads also gives you complete control over every process in ad management and creation including budgeting, ad copy, keyword research, and audience targeting. The platform does take a little to get used to, but the customization is fantastic and you can create ads how you want them.

Budget Management

Google Ads uses a bidding system and a PPC payment structure where you only pay for positive actions from your ads such as views and clicks. This means you can manage your budget effectively and scale it more or less depending on how successful the ads are proving.

It’s Easy to Manage Success

When looking at improving ad performance data, Google Ads offers a range of analytical tools and reports so you can see exactly what needs improving and where your ads are falling short. You can easily look at conversions, cost per click, and other factors for ad transparency.

Create Your Google Ads Account Today to Start Your PPC Success

If you want to enhance your SEO and digital marketing, Google Ads is undoubtedly an excellent tool and one of the best-proven PPC platforms available. The first step towards success is creating a Google Ads account and you should now have a clear idea of how to do that.

Article by:

Joshua George is the founder of ClickSlice, an SEO Agency based in London, UK.

He has eight years of experience as an SEO Consultant and was recently hired by the UK government for SEO training. Joshua also owns the best-selling SEO course on Udemy, and has taught SEO to over 100,000 students.

His work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, AgencyAnalytics, Wix and lots more other reputable publications.