Google Ads checklist for paid media teams
A Google Ads campaign commits budget against a defined conversion, audience, and landing page. Weak setup leaves the paid media lead reconciling duplicate conversions, irrelevant search terms, and spend that can't be tied back to the campaign goal.
This Google Ads checklist covers a Search campaign from an approved campaign brief through the first 72-hour launch review. It's written for paid media teams that coordinate tracking, creative, landing pages, and account approval across several owners.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a paid media team allow for Google Ads campaign setup?
Allow three to five business days after the campaign brief and landing page are approved. That gives the paid media lead time to verify conversion tracking, build the account structure, and clear ad-policy reviews. Regulated categories or new advertiser verification can add several days, so submit those checks before the planned launch date.
Who should own the final Google Ads launch decision?
The paid media lead should own the final launch decision, with the marketing lead approving budget and the analytics owner approving conversion tracking. One person needs authority to hold the campaign when a tag, landing page, or policy check fails. Record that owner in the media plan before ads enter review.
Should a new search campaign start with broad match keywords?
Broad match can be appropriate at launch when it is paired with Smart Bidding, accurate conversion tracking, clear conversion goals, and close review of search terms and negative keywords. Use phrase or exact match when measurement is not ready or the team needs tighter query control. Judge the next change after the campaign has enough qualified-conversion data for a meaningful comparison, rather than after a fixed number of weeks.
What should the team do if conversions aren't recording after launch?
Pause automated decisions that depend on the broken conversion action and have the analytics owner test the full path in Google Tag Assistant. Check the Google Ads conversion status, consent settings, and thank-you-page event. Document any missed conversions separately until the tag is fixed and verified with a real test submission.
How often should a Google Ads launch checklist be reviewed?
Review the checklist whenever Google changes campaign controls or your team changes its tracking stack. Paid media leads should also inspect it quarterly against current Google Ads recommendations and recent launch errors. Keep account-wide setup tasks separate from campaign tasks so recurring launches don't repeat work that was already verified at the account level.
