Learn Google Ads
Practical guides written from real account work, not from the help centre. Start with the basics or jump to the topic that is costing you money.
Foundations
How the auction works, account structure and local setup.
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Google Ads for Beginners
How Google Ads works, what it costs and how to launch your first Search campaign without wasting your first month of budget.
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Google Ads Account Structure
How to organise campaigns and ad groups so budgets, bids and reports make sense, with structures for local services and eCommerce.
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Google Ads for Local Service Businesses
Location targeting, call tracking, service-area keywords and budgets for plumbers, HVAC, appliance repair and other local services.
Keywords
Match types, negatives and Quality Score.
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Keyword Match Types Explained
Broad, phrase and exact match in plain English, with real search term examples, and which one to use for a small local budget.
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Negative Keywords: The Complete Guide
How negative keywords work, how negative match types differ, and starter lists for local service businesses that stop paying for clicks that never convert.
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Quality Score: What It Is and How to Improve It
The three Quality Score components, how they affect what you pay per click, and the fixes that actually move the number.
Bidding & budget
How much to spend and how to let Google bid.
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Google Ads Bidding Strategies
Manual CPC, Maximise Clicks, Maximise Conversions, Target CPA and Target ROAS: when each one works and when it burns money.
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How Much to Spend on Google Ads
How to set a Google Ads budget from your cost per click, conversion rate and the number of leads you need each month.
Tracking
Conversions you can trust.
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Google Ads Conversion Tracking
Track calls, forms and purchases correctly with Google Ads, GA4 and Google Tag Manager, and avoid double-counted conversions.
Campaign types
Search, Performance Max and when to use each.
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Performance Max: A Practical Guide
What Performance Max does with your budget, when it beats Search, and the controls you still have.
Ads & landing pages
Copy and pages that turn clicks into leads.
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Writing Responsive Search Ads That Convert
How to write 15 headlines and 4 descriptions that work in any combination, with pinning rules and examples for service businesses.
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Landing Pages for Google Ads
The landing page checks that raise conversion rate before you raise your budget: speed, message match, proof and the form.
Audits
Finding and fixing what is wasting money.
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Google Ads Audit Checklist
The 30-point checklist I use to audit Google Ads accounts: tracking, settings, keywords, search terms, ads, bidding and landing pages.
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How to Reduce Wasted Ad Spend
Where Google Ads budgets leak most often and how to find each leak in your own account in under an hour.