Google Ads 101

This is just me getting Started with Google Ads! Understanding Your Account Settings

If you're new to Google Ads, setting up your account can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Once you've created your account, one of the first places you'll land is the Account Settings page (left panel --> admin --> account settings). This is where you set the groundwork for how your ads will run, what data you'll track, and how your account behaves overall.

Here’s a simple breakdown of each option you'll see and what it means for your campaigns:

1. Account Status: This tells you whether your account is active and ready to run ads. If it says "Active," you're good to go.

2. Data Protection Contacts: This is the person responsible for privacy and compliance, usually the one who created the account.

3. Third-Party Measurement: If you’re working with partners like Nielsen or Comscore to track campaign performance, this is where they get plugged in. Most beginners don’t need this right away.

4. Time Zone: All your ad scheduling and reporting will follow this time zone. Choose one that matches your business operations or target market.

5. Auto-Tagging: Leave this on. It automatically adds tracking parameters to your URLs so platforms like Google Analytics can tell which clicks came from your ads.

More details

Auto-tagging adds a unique identifier (gclid parameter) to every ad URL. This helps tools like Google Analytics, GA4, Looker Studio, and CRM systems understand exactly where a visitor came from.

Why It Matters: Without auto-tagging, your ad clicks might show up in Analytics as “Direct” or “Referral” traffic, making it hard to measure ad performance accurately.

What It Unlocks:

• Tracks which campaigns, ads, and keywords drive traffic.

• Connects Google Ads data to Google Analytics for better reporting.

• Enables conversion tracking and attribution analysis.

Example:

Without auto-tagging:www.yourwebsite.com

With auto-tagging:www.yourwebsite.com/?gclid=123abcXYZ

Tip: Turn this on as soon as you create the account. It's a no-brainer for better tracking.

6. Tracking: This refers to conversion tracking, monitoring when someone completes a desired action (like making a purchase or signing up). If this is blank, you’ll want to set it up soon to measure success.

More details

This refers to Conversion Tracking - telling Google Ads what counts as a valuable action for your business. Examples include:

• A completed purchase

• A form submission

• A phone call

• A newsletter sign-up

• A download

  
  

Why It Matters: If you don’t track conversions, you’re basically flying blind. Google won’t know which ads are working and you won’t either.

What It Unlocks:

• You’ll know which campaigns actually drive results.

• You can optimize for real outcomes (not just clicks).

• It powers smart bidding strategies like Maximize Conversions or Target CPA.

  
  

How to Set It Up:

• Go to Tools & Settings > Conversions

• Click + New Conversion Action

• Choose how you want to track (e.g., website, phone, app, import)

• Install the conversion tag or use Google Tag Manager

Tip: Start with tracking your most important action, like a purchase or form fill and expand from there.

7. Call Reporting: If your ads include a phone number, this lets you track how many calls come directly from those ads.

8. Negative Keywords: These are keywords you want your ads not to show for. For example, if you’re selling premium products, you might want to block terms like “free” or “cheap.”

9. IP Exclusions: You can exclude specific IP addresses from seeing your ads - helpful for blocking internal traffic (like your own team) or known competitors.

10. Auto-Apply: Google sometimes suggests changes to improve performance. If auto-apply is off, you’ll have to manually review and apply those changes, giving you full control.

11. Lead Form Ads Terms: If you plan to collect leads directly through your ad (e.g., contact info), you’ll need to accept these terms. Once accepted, you can create Lead Form ads.

12. Customer Match: This powerful feature lets you upload a list of existing customers (emails, for example) so you can target or re-engage them across Google’s network.

More details

Customer Match lets you upload first-party data (like email addresses, phone numbers, or mailing addresses) to Google Ads. Google then matches that list to users across its platforms (Search, YouTube, Gmail, Display) so you can:

• Re-engage existing customers

• Build lookalike audiences

• Exclude people who already converted

  
  

Why It Matters:This is one of the most powerful targeting tools, especially in a world where cookies are going away. It gives you direct control over who you advertise to.

Use Cases:

• Show loyalty offers to past buyers

• Retarget newsletter subscribers with a new product

• Exclude existing customers from acquisition campaigns

• Build similar audiences to find people like your best customers

Privacy Tip:You must comply with privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM). Only upload data collected with consent, and hash the data (Google does this automatically during upload).

Google Ads is incredibly powerful, but only if it's set up right from the start. Take a few minutes to explore your Account Settings, understand what’s turned on (or off), and make intentional choices about how your campaigns run and what data you track.

You don’t need to configure everything perfectly on day one, just make sure you're collecting enough data to learn and improve over time.