--- title: "Your first Google search ad, without wasting money" description: "A beginner’s guide to Google search ads for small businesses: picking keywords, setting a budget, negative keywords and the one report to check every week." url: https://dumbcmo.com/blog/google-ads-for-beginners category: "Paying to be seen" tags: ["google ads", "ppc", "search ads", "negative keywords"] published: 2026-10-25 updated: 2026-10-25 reading_time: 5 min author: "The DumbCMO" --- # Your first Google search ad, without wasting money > **TL;DR:** Start with a small daily budget, a handful of specific search phrases, and a page that answers the search. Then check the search terms report every week and block the searches that waste money. [Notebook](https://dumbcmo.com) › [Blog](https://dumbcmo.com/blog) › Paying to be seen › Your first Google search ad, without wasting money Sunita runs a tutoring centre for maths. She set up a Google ad for the word “tuition” and went to bed. In the morning she’d spent her whole day’s budget. The searches that triggered her ad: “tuition fees for MBA abroad”, “dance tuition near me”, and “tuition meaning in Hindi”. Google did exactly what she asked. She just asked badly. Here’s how to ask well. ## In normal-people words A Google search ad is a text ad that appears above or below the normal results, with a small “Sponsored” label. You choose the keywords (The words and phrases you tell Google to show your ad for.), write the ad, set a daily budget, and pay only when someone clicks. **The whole game is showing up for the right searches and not paying for the wrong ones.** Everything below is about that. ## The chai stall version You pay a boy to stand at the bus stop and tell people about your chai stall. You said “tell anyone who mentions tea”. He tells people asking about “tea estates in Assam” and “tea party dresses”. They don’t want chai. So you give him a list: “Only people who say chai, cutting, or tea break. Never estate, never dress.” **That second list saves you more money than the first.** ## Set it up in five steps **Your first search campaign** 1. **One goal.** Calls, enquiry forms or sales. Pick one. Sunita picked enquiry forms. 2. **5 to 15 specific phrases.** “maths tuition class 10 Wakad”, not “tuition”. Specific phrases cost less and convert better. 3. **Choose match types.** Use phrase or exact match to start, so Google sticks close to your words. 4. **Write the ad like a reply.** Search: “maths tuition class 10”. Ad: “Class 10 maths tuition in Wakad. Free first class.” Answer the search. 5. **Small daily budget.** An amount you’re fine losing for two to four weeks while you learn. ## Match types, in plain words **How closely Google sticks to your keyword** | Match type | Written as | Shows for | | --- | --- | --- | | Broad | maths tuition | Anything Google thinks is related. Widest, riskiest. | | Phrase | “maths tuition” | Searches that include the meaning of your phrase. | | Exact | [maths tuition] | Searches with the same meaning, nothing extra. | ## The weekly ritual: the search terms report This report shows the actual searches people typed before clicking your ad ([Google](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102466)). It’s where Sunita found “dance tuition” and “MBA abroad”. Each bad one becomes a negative keyword (A word you tell Google never to show your ad for, like “free” or “jobs”.). **Every Monday, 15 minutes** - **If** A search is clearly not your customer (“jobs”, “free”, “meaning”) **→ then** Add it as a negative keyword. - **If** A search is a perfect fit and bringing enquiries **→ then** Add it as its own keyword so you control it. - **If** A search gets clicks but never enquiries **→ then** Check the page it lands on. If the page fits, pause the search for now. Two things that catch people out: negative keywords don’t cover plurals or synonyms automatically, so add “job” and “jobs” separately ([Google](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102466)). > **The DumbCMO:** Skipping the search terms report is like handing someone your wallet and never asking what they bought. Don’t be that d#mn generous. ## Good negatives to start with > **Common money-wasters:** free, jobs, job, salary, course, meaning, how to, DIY, PDF, YouTube, second hand, internship. Add the ones that don’t fit your business before day one. ## Do this today - [ ] Write 10 phrases your best customer would type. Specific ones, with your area in them. - [ ] Write 10 negative keywords from the list above that make sense for you. - [ ] Make sure the ad account is in your name, with your card. Read why in [Scam Watch](/scam-watch#hidden-ad-spend). - [ ] Set a Monday reminder: “check search terms report”. ## Not-so-frequently asked questions ### Should I let Google’s AI choose my keywords? Not on your first campaign. Automated options like AI Max and Performance Max can work once Google has data about your sales. On day one, you want control. ### What’s a good cost per click? Whatever lets one customer cost less than they’re worth. A $1 click is cheap for a $500 service and expensive for a $5 pizza. Use the [customer cost calculator](/tools/customer-cost-calculator). ### Why is Google calling me offering ‘free help’? Google does offer setup help. Just know their tips usually involve spending more. Listen, then decide yourself. ### How long before I judge the results? Give it two to four weeks and enough clicks to learn something, usually at least 100. One bad day means nothing. ## Things your agency won’t say - Fifteen minutes a week on the search terms report beats most “optimisation fees”. - Broad match plus automated bidding on a new account is how budgets disappear overnight. - The landing page decides whether a click becomes a customer. Spend as much time on it as on the ad. ## Jargon Jail **Locked up: “Quality Score”** Google’s 1-to-10 grade for how well your keyword, ad and landing page match. **A better match means a higher score, and usually cheaper clicks.** You can’t buy it. You earn it by answering the search. ## Where to go next - The basics first: [What are paid ads?](/blog/what-are-paid-ads) - Search or social? [Instagram ads or Google ads?](/blog/instagram-ads-or-google-ads) - Before you spend: [Should I run ads yet?](/tools/should-i-run-ads) - Words you’ll hear: [CPC](/glossary#cpc), [CTR](/glossary#ctr), [Quality Score](/glossary#quality-score), [search terms report](/glossary#search-terms-report) ## Sources 1. Google Ads Help, [“Get negative keyword ideas using the search terms report”](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102466): what the report shows, negative match types, and that plurals and synonyms need separate negatives. 2. Adido Digital, [“PPC news, October 2026”](https://www.adido-digital.co.uk/insights/ppc-news-october-2026/): AI Max features in Google Ads. 3. Sunita’s campaign is a worked example, not a real account. ## Related notes - [Meta’s brand formats: Super Burst, First Impression, Reels Trending](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/meta-ads-october-2026-updates): Meta’s Brand Summit (15 Oct) pushed Ads Super Burst, First Impression Ads (US test), and broader Reels Trending Ads. Today (28 Oct) product browsing turns on in existing ads unless you opted out. Here’s the plain-words tour with a doodle for each format. - [ChatGPT ads: how they pick who shows, in plain English](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/chatgpt-ads-how-they-work): ChatGPT ads are chosen by matching your ad to the conversation, then auctioned. 100,000+ advertisers are already in. For most small businesses, watch for now, and don’t move your budget yet. - [Google Ads: new spending controls and a 1-click AI Max test](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/google-ads-channel-priority-and-ai-max): Google Ads is rolling out controls to say which channels get your budget first, plus a one-click test of AI Max. Both are useful, but all channels default to high priority, so nothing changes unless you change it. --- From [DumbCMO](https://dumbcmo.com): The marketing notes you were too embarrassed to take.