Google Ads how-to guides

Practical, step-by-step guides for owners who want to check their own Google Ads account — or check the agency running it. Each one answers the question first, then shows where to click, and links to Google's own help pages.

• How to read the Google Ads search terms report

  How to open the Google Ads search terms report, what each column means, and how to use it to find wasted spend and new negative keywords.

• How to add negative keywords in Google Ads

  Step-by-step: how to add negative keywords in Google Ads at the ad group, campaign or list level, and how to avoid blocking good traffic by mistake.

• What is a good CTR in Google Ads?

  There's no universal good CTR in Google Ads. How clickthrough rate is calculated, what affects it, and how to judge whether yours is healthy.

• Google Ads Quality Score explained

  What Quality Score is, how its three components are calculated, what it does and doesn't affect, and how to use it to improve ads without guessing.

• Is broad match wasting money in your Google Ads account?

  How Google Ads broad match works, why it can bring in irrelevant searches, and how to check whether it's wasting money in your account.

• Performance Max and wasted spend: what to check

  Performance Max campaigns automate targeting across Google's channels, which makes wasted spend harder to see. What you can still check and control.

• Google Ads invalid clicks: how credits actually work

  Google Ads doesn't issue refunds for invalid clicks — it adjusts charges or issues credits. How the detection and credit process actually works.

• Questions to ask your PPC agency

  Plain-English questions to ask a current or prospective PPC agency about access, tracking, reporting and fees, so you can judge the answers yourself.

• PPC agency contract red flags

  Contract terms worth reading closely before signing with a PPC agency: account ownership, lock-in, reporting rights and fee structure.

• Google Ads monthly report checklist

  A plain-English checklist for what a Google Ads monthly report should cover: measurement, spend, search terms, performance and changes made.

• How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking

  Step-by-step: how to set up Google Ads conversion tracking for website actions, what a conversion action needs, and how to confirm it's working.