Google Ads 30-Day Fast Start Plan

Your first 30 days with Google Ads determine your trajectory for months to come. This plan provides a structured day-by-day approach to get you from zero to profitable faster than the typical 3-6 month ramp-up.

Follow this precisely—each day builds on the previous.

30-Day Structure

Week	Focus	Key Milestone
Week 1	Foundation & Launch	Campaign live, generating clicks
Week 2	Data Gathering	15+ conversions, baseline established
Week 3	Initial Optimization	First optimizations, CPA improving
Week 4	Scaling Preparation	30+ conversions, Month 2 roadmap ready

Day 1 Tasks

• ☐ Create Google Ads account with correct timezone/currency
• ☐ Link Google Analytics 4
• ☐ Link Google Tag Manager
• ☐ Set up conversion tracking for primary action
• ☐ Test conversion tracking (submit test form)

Day 2 Tasks

• ☐ Research 50+ potential keywords
• ☐ Qualify keywords by intent (high, medium, low)
• ☐ Select 20-30 high-intent exact match keywords
• ☐ Group keywords into 2-3 themes

Day 3 Tasks

• ☐ Create campaign structure
• ☐ Set up non-brand search campaign
• ☐ Configure location targeting (presence only)
• ☐ Set language targeting
• ☐ Create 2-3 ad groups by theme

Day 4 Tasks

• ☐ Write 15 headlines per ad group
• ☐ Write 4 descriptions per ad group
• ☐ Create RSAs in each ad group
• ☐ Set up all relevant extensions
• ☐ Build initial negative keyword list (50+)

Day 5 Tasks (Budget & Bidding)

• ☐ Calculate appropriate daily budget
• ☐ Set budget at 10x expected CPA minimum
• ☐ Select Maximize Conversions (no target yet)
• ☐ Set up standard delivery
• ☐ Create monitoring spreadsheet

Day 6 Tasks (Pre-Launch Audit)

• ☐ Verify all conversion tracking
• ☐ Check all ads approved
• ☐ Verify landing pages work perfectly
• ☐ Confirm networks set to Search only
• ☐ Review all settings one final time

Day 7 Tasks (Launch!)

• ☐ Enable campaigns
• ☐ Verify impressions starting within 2 hours
• ☐ Check for any immediate issues
• ☐ Document launch metrics
• ☐ Set up daily check-in schedule

Week 1 Milestone: Campaign live and generating clicks

Daily Tasks (Every Day of Week 2)

Morning Check (15 minutes):

• Review previous day's metrics
• Check for any disapproved ads
• Verify conversion tracking working
• Note any anomalies

End of Day (10 minutes):

• Log metrics in spreadsheet
• Note observations

Day 8-9: Search Terms Focus

• Review search terms from Day 7
• Add irrelevant terms as negatives
• Note any promising new keywords
• Check Quality Scores
• Document search term patterns

Day 10-11: Traffic Quality Assessment

• Review geographic performance
• Check device performance (mobile vs desktop)
• Analyze time of day patterns
• Look for any click fraud indicators
• Add geographic bid adjustments if clear winners

Day 12-14: Performance Baseline

• Calculate Week 1 totals (clicks, conversions, CPA)
• Compare to initial projections
• Identify best and worst performing keywords
• Review competitor activity (Auction Insights)
• Create Week 3 action plan

Week 2 Milestone: 15+ conversions achieved, baseline established

Day 15: First Optimization Decisions

Assessment Checkpoint:

If you have...	Action
30+ conversions	Consider adding Target CPA (set at current average CPA, not aspirational)
15-30 conversions	Continue with Maximize Conversions, focus on efficiency improvements
<15 conversions	Review traffic quality, check landing page issues, consider budget increase

Day 16-17: Keyword Optimization

• Pause keywords with 100+ clicks, 0 conversions
• Identify keywords with best CPA
• Research similar keywords to add
• Add 5-10 new high-intent keywords
• Consider phrase match for proven performers

Day 18-19: Ad Optimization

• Review asset performance in RSAs
• Identify top-performing headlines/descriptions
• Create new headlines based on winners
• Pause poorly performing assets
• Ensure ad strength is "Good" or better

Day 20-21: Landing Page Assessment

• Check landing page metrics (bounce rate, time on page)
• Test page load speed again
• Review mobile experience
• Implement quick landing page wins
• Plan A/B test for Week 4

Week 3 Milestone: First optimizations complete, CPA improving

Day 22-23: Performance Consolidation

• Calculate Month 1 halfway metrics
• Compare Week 2 vs Week 3 performance
• Final negative keyword cleanup
• Verify Quality Scores stable or improving
• Confirm conversion tracking 100% accurate

Day 24-25: Budget Optimization

Status	Action
Profitable	Plan budget increase (25% max)
Break-even	Maintain, focus on efficiency
Unprofitable	Diagnose and fix first, don't scale

• Implement budget changes (if appropriate)
• If CPA stable, consider lowering target 10%
• Document bidding strategy performance

Day 26-27: Expansion Planning

• Research additional keyword opportunities
• Evaluate Performance Max readiness
• Consider Display remarketing
• Build Month 2 keyword expansion list
• Document scaling roadmap

Day 28-30: Reporting & Month 2 Planning

• Create comprehensive Month 1 report
• Document all key metrics and true ROI/ROAS
• Compare to initial projections
• Set Month 2 goals (specific numbers)
• Create Month 2 action plan
• Celebrate Month 1 completion!

Week 4 Milestone: Month 1 complete, Month 2 roadmap ready

Week-by-Week Targets

Week	Target
Week 1	Campaign launched, first clicks received, no critical errors
Week 2	100+ clicks, 5-15 conversions, CTR at 2%+, no obvious wasted spend
Week 3	15-30 conversions, CPA established, optimizations showing impact, QS at 6+ average
Week 4	30+ conversions, CPA stabilizing/improving, profitable or clear path to profitability

Success Indicators by Day 30

• 30+ conversions achieved
• Clear CPA baseline established
• Profitable or within 20% of profitability
• Quality Scores averaging 6+
• Negative keyword list at 100+
• Month 2 roadmap documented

Week 1 Mistakes

• ❌ Launching without conversion tracking
• ❌ Using broad match from start
• ❌ Display Network enabled accidentally
• ❌ Unrealistic budget expectations

Week 2 Mistakes

• ❌ Changing bids/strategy too quickly
• ❌ Ignoring search terms report
• ❌ Panicking about initial CPA
• ❌ Making changes based on <10 conversions

Week 3 Mistakes

• ❌ Setting aggressive targets without data
• ❌ Pausing keywords without sufficient data
• ❌ Changing too many things at once
• ❌ Expecting perfection in Month 1

Week 4 Mistakes

• ❌ Scaling before profitability proven
• ❌ Ignoring lead quality feedback
• ❌ Not documenting what worked
• ❌ Skipping Month 2 planning

Expected Time Commitment

Activity	Time
Morning check-in	15 minutes
End of day logging	10 minutes
Weekly optimization session	1-2 hours
Week-end review	30-60 minutes

Total: Approximately 30-45 minutes daily + 2-3 hours weekly = 5-7 hours per week

When to Increase Time Investment

• Performance dropping unexpectedly
• Conversion tracking issues detected
• Major competitor activity changes
• Budget increase implementation
• Scaling preparation phase

If Month 1 Was Profitable

• Gradual budget scaling (20-25% increments)
• Keyword expansion to phrase match
• Performance Max testing
• Remarketing campaign setup
• Additional landing page tests

If Month 1 Was Break-Even

• Focus on conversion rate optimization
• Landing page improvements
• Aggressive negative keyword work
• Ad copy testing
• Hold budget steady until profitable

If Month 1 Was Unprofitable

• Diagnose root cause before continuing
• Review offer/market fit
• Assess landing page quality
• Consider keyword/targeting pivot
• Don't increase spend until issues fixed