How To Advertise on Google in 2025

Google Ads primarily operates as a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform (you pay when someone clicks on an ad), allowing your business to use Google’s channels, such as YouTube, to promote your website and its products. Exploring online advertising is a great way to build your brand online and Google provides a variety of ad types to choose from:

• Search ads – these appear in Google search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords, usually at the top of the page with a “Sponsored” label above
• Display ads – these ads appear directly on websites and Google Ad partners, usually as a banner/footer or sidebar visual to target a user’s interests
• Shopping ads – like search ads, these product ads appear in the SERPs depending on a user’s search query, and deliver key product information
• App ads – encourage people to download or engage with your app by promoting your app across Google platforms, including YouTube and Google Search
• Video (YouTube) ads – you can use YouTube ads to target your audience with visuals and sound

You can also set up Performance Max campaigns (uses AI to display your ad across Google channels), Smart campaigns (to prioritize wider goals), and Demand Gen campaigns (boost engagement through visual channels, like YouTube) to get your ads seen across a variety of Google channels. Once you decide on your ad type, all you need to do is place a bid and sit back.

To advertise on Google, you’ll need to set up an account with Google Ads and follow the process of building a new ad campaign from scratch.

Follow along with the six steps below to get started:

#1. Create Your Google Account

The first step to advertising on Google is to set up your account with Google Ads. If your business already exists in the Google ecosystem (meaning you have a Google account to hand), you can link your account details to get set up quickly.

Once on the Google Ads homepage, you’ll be asked to enter your business details, including name, website address, and ad goals. At this stage, you can also enter your payment information and connect your Google Ads account with other Google channels, including YouTube and your Google Business Profile.

Author's Notes

“Though you’ll need to add your payment information during the signup process, you won’t be charged a cent until you launch your first campaign. So, don’t let this put you off before you even get started!”

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

#2. Determine Your Campaign Goal

To get started with Google Ads, click “New campaign” in the dashboard to generate a fresh ad. You’ll be prompted to choose one of six objectives:

• Sales
• Leads
• Website traffic
• App promotion
• Awareness and consideration
• Local shop visits and promotions
• Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance

Based on your campaign goal, Google will recommend relevant ad types, such as search ads or shopping ads. For example, I clicked “Awareness and consideration” since I wanted to focus on building brand awareness. I was presented with a choice between display ads, video ads, and demand gen campaigns.

Alternatively, if I wanted to focus on customer acquisition, I could select “Leads” and Google would present different options, and so on.

#3. Create Your Google Ad

After step two, you’ll return to the dashboard to create your Google ads – this process will vary slightly depending on your chosen format. You’ll see a sidebar to the left with the required steps to complete, from keywords to bidding. Generally, you’ll be asked to add the following:

• Networks – get your ads seen by relevant apps or channels that Google owns or has partnered with
• Locations & languages – choose where you want to reach your target audience, and even set your ads to show for people who have simply shown an interest in the selected locations
• Audiences – use this setting to attract customers from certain demographics, such as “married women” or “city dog owners”

You can also set your ad’s headlines, descriptions, destination links, callouts, and visual media here. I’ll talk more about keywords in the next section, but you need to align your ad copy and media with the terms you’re trying to target.

Google also offers an AI tool that will use your URL (the link people will visit when they click on your ad) to generate ad copy and assets for you – this is really handy for beginners and businesses that are on a time crunch.

“I recommend making your headlines engaging and powerful to capture the attention of your target audience. Avoid waffling and keep things short and snappy – and remember to use your keywords! You’re trying to steer users toward a certain action, so make sure your ad copy reflects this.”

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

#4. Set Your Keywords

When tweaking your ad’s settings and style, you’ll see an option in the sidebar to generate or add keywords. I wanted to create a search ad with Google, so this step appeared as “Keyword and asset generation” in the menu.

You can get keyword suggestions from Google by adding your final URL and the products you want to promote. Alternatively, you can enter keywords manually and separate them by commas or separate lines so Google understands which search terms to match your ad to.

#5. Figure Out Your Budget

Once you’ve created your ad, you need to consider your budget and limits. With Google Ads, you can set a daily budget to stop accidental overspending – this is great for smaller businesses that are just dipping their toes into the world of ads and digital marketing. You can increase your daily spend as you get more comfortable.

Google Ads primarily uses a pay-per-click model, but it offers three bidding options to choose from:

• Cost-per-click (CPC) – pay when a user clicks on your ad
• Cost-per-mile (CPM) – pay for every 1,000 impressions
• Cost-per-engagement (CPE) – pay when a user completes a specific action

For small businesses, I recommend you set a daily budget but let Google handle the individual bids for your ads until you’ve got a grip of the basics. If Google knows you’re happy to spend $20 each day, it’ll bid appropriately to optimize your campaigns depending on your bidding goals.

#6. Launch Your Google Ad

Once you’ve filled out your ad details, Google will present it all for you to review. Any issues or gaps in your campaign will be flagged by Google – you won’t be able to launch until these are complete.

If you’re happy with your settings, simply click “Publish campaign” in the bottom right corner to launch your first Google ad.

Remember to monitor how well your ads perform after they go live. In the Google Ads dashboard, you can review a few different metrics, including impressions, clicks, and conversions. You’ll find this data under “Campaigns” and then “Insights and Reports.”

The benefit of running campaigns through Google Ads is that you can determine how much you spend. You have the power to set your daily budget and assign money for bids. And, while Google might exceed your daily limit if necessary, the ad platform will never exceed your overall monthly budget.

As discussed previously, Google Ads mainly uses a CPC model, meaning you pay a set fee when users click or interact with your ad. The cost for businesses to use Google Ads depends on goals, campaigns, bid amounts, timing, and competition.

For example, the average spend for a search ad is usually $1 to $2 per click. However, some businesses in niche industries might spend thousands of dollars per month to reach their audience more effectively.

Attempting to create and run successful ad campaigns with Google might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. If you follow along with the steps above and listen to Google’s guidance when offered, you’ll be on the right track. That said, I’ve pulled together some useful tips and mistakes to avoid when using Google Ads:

➡️ Google isn’t the only advertising platform out there – read our guides to how to advertise on TikTok and how to advertise on Facebook to explore what these social media platforms can offer.

Google is one of the largest advertising platforms in the world, connecting billions of people with relevant businesses every day thanks to its vast ecosystem of channels, such as Google Search and YouTube.

Once you sign up for Google Ads, you can easily create new ad campaigns, depending on your business goals. All you need to do is add relevant details, generate keywords, and set your budget.

Just remember to keep an eye on the performance of your ads. Are people still interacting with your ad? What are your competitors doing? Be adaptable to change to ensure your ads remain effective and successful.