Should you run Google Ads? An honest checklist

Google Ads can put your business in front of people at the exact moment they search for what you sell. It can also spend your budget quickly on clicks that never turn into customers. Which one happens depends less on the ads than on what's in place before you start.

This guide is a checklist to help you decide whether you're ready, and what to fix first if you're not.

How Google Ads works, briefly

You choose keywords related to what you sell and write ads. When someone searches, Google runs an auction among advertisers. You pay when someone clicks (for most campaign types). Google decides which ads show, and in what order, based on your bid and the quality of your ad and landing page. Google's Quality Score reflects three things: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.

There are several campaign types. Search campaigns show text ads on search results. Performance Max spreads your budget across Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Maps and Discover automatically. For a first campaign, Search gives you the most control and the clearest picture of what's working.

The readiness checklist

Work through each question honestly.

Help me choose

Are you ready for Google Ads?

Do people already search for what you sell?

1. Do people search for what you sell?

Google Ads captures existing demand. If you've invented a new category, few people will be searching for it yet.

How to check: use Google's Keyword Planner (free inside a Google Ads account) to see rough search volumes and suggested bids for terms your customers would use. If there's very little volume, ads on social platforms or other channels may suit you better. See keyword research basics.

2. Do you know what a customer is worth?

You need to know roughly how much you can spend to win a customer and still make money. Work it out:

Average value of a sale (or of a client over their lifetime)
Your profit margin on that
What share of enquiries become customers

If a new client is worth a lot and one in three enquiries converts, you can afford to pay much more per enquiry than a store selling low-margin products.

Try your numbers

What can you afford per enquiry?

Average value of a sale ($)

Or of a client over their lifetime.

Your profit margin on that (%)

Enquiries it takes to win one customer

3 means one in three enquiries becomes a customer, as in the example above.

Enter a sale value and margin to see what you could afford to pay per enquiry.

3. Does your website turn visitors into enquiries or sales?

Ads send people to your site. If the site doesn't convince them, you pay for every visitor who leaves. Check:

Is there a specific page for what you're advertising? See sending ads to the right page.
Does it load quickly on mobile?
Is the next step (call, form, buy) obvious?

If your site is converting poorly already, fixing it often does more than any ad budget.

4. Can you measure results?

Without conversion tracking you're guessing. Before launching, set up tracking for the actions that matter: form submissions, calls, bookings, purchases. Google Ads uses this data to decide whom to show your ads to. See tracking ad conversions properly.

5. Can you give it enough budget and time?

Google's automated bidding needs data. A budget that buys only a handful of clicks a day takes a long time to show a pattern. Give a new campaign several weeks before making big judgments. If you can only afford a very small budget, focus on a narrow set of high-intent keywords rather than spreading it thinly.

6. Can you answer the phone and follow up quickly?

Paid leads cool quickly. If enquiries sit for days, you're paying for leads that go to competitors.

7. Who will manage it?

Campaigns need regular attention: checking search terms, adding negative keywords, adjusting bids, testing ads. Budget a little time every week, or for someone to do it.

If you're ready: start small and focused

Pick one service or product line with clear demand and good margins.

Choose high-intent keywords. Phrases that show someone wants to buy or hire ("emergency plumber in Denver", "buy organic dog treats"), not just research.

Check the default settings. New Search campaigns may include the Display Network and broader location settings by default. For a first campaign, consider turning off Display, and set locations to people in your area rather than people "interested in" it if you only serve locally.

Add negative keywords for things you don't sell: "free", "jobs", "DIY", competitors' product names, and so on.

Write ads that match the search, and send them to a page about that exact thing.

Check the search terms report weekly. It shows what people actually typed. Add irrelevant terms as negatives.

Review results after several weeks, against cost per enquiry or sale, not clicks.

Watch out for

Auto-applied recommendations. Google Ads can apply its own recommendations automatically. Some are useful; some raise your budget or broaden your targeting. Review the auto-apply settings and decide for yourself.
Judging by clicks or impressions. Cheap clicks that don't convert are not a win.
Bidding on your own brand name without checking whether you'd get those visitors for free from your normal search listing. Sometimes it's worth it (when competitors bid on your name); sometimes it isn't.
Agencies or tools promising guaranteed rankings. Google ranks ads by auction; no one can guarantee positions without paying for them.

Alternatives to consider first

Local SEO and your Google Business Profile, if you serve a local area. It's slower but doesn't stop when you stop paying. See local SEO basics.
Local Services Ads, a separate Google product for certain service categories in some countries, where you pay per lead and appear above regular ads. Check whether your trade and location are eligible.
Email to existing customers, which costs little and often beats ads for repeat sales. See email marketing basics.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I spend?

It depends on your keywords' costs, your margins and how fast you need results. Use Keyword Planner's bid estimates and your customer value to set a budget you can sustain for at least a couple of months.

Should I use Performance Max?

It can work well, especially for stores with a product feed, but it gives you less visibility into where ads show. Many advertisers start with Search to learn what converts, then test Performance Max.

Can I run ads myself?

Yes. Google Ads is designed for self-service. The risk is in the defaults and in not checking regularly. If you run it yourself, use this checklist and the weekly search terms review.