Checklist Before Launching New AdWords Campaigns

You may know a lot of the tips and tricks to build your campaigns the right way, but still not follow through.  So, in this post, we've put together a quick checklist you can check-off before you let your campaigns go forth.

Let's dig:

Keywords

  I have attempted eliminating keywords that lack few or no other ads bidding on them.

  I have considered eliminating keywords if no similar advertisers that serve my target customers are bidding on them.

  I know which keywords are likely the most targeted and are my priority to optimize for.

  I have added negative keywords to make sure my ads don't show-up for unrelated searches.

Structure

 I have separated my campaigns into tight ad groups (preferably 1 for each keyword).

 I have at least two campaigns, one for search and one for the content network.

 I have created at least two ads for each ad group to split test.  

 My campaigns and ad groups have descriptive names for easy future optimization.

Ads

 I have customized each ad to the keywords it's associated with (each searcher should be able to quickly identify your ad as what he or she was looking for).

 I have researched my top competition's ads to see what's working and if I can use successful ideas to get my campaigns off to a fast start.

 Under "Campaign Settings," I have set my ads to rotate evenly for split testing purposes.

 I have considered including the keyword in the ads associated with it.

 My ad is not going to be lost in the mix for important keywords (what's unique about me is clear to searchers).

Landing Pages

 Before my campaign starts, I have checked to make sure my landing page has a high quality score and that there are no usability or design issues. 

 My landing page has one clear main goal and the visitor is not easily distracted from it.

 For higher quality scores, my landing page is customized to the keywords in each ad group.

 I have strongly considered collecting contact information and implementing an effective follow-up sequence.

 I have considered highlighting my message with video or audio.

Content Network

  I have considered using placement targeting to get more precise on the sites I want my ads to appear on.

  I have created all eight sizes of images ads to get prized positions on profitable sites others overlook.

  I have effective ad copy on my image ads to generate high clickthrough-rates.

Accountability

  I have installed the conversion code so I can track progress and how each keyword performs.

  I have installed Google Analytics or a similar analytics tool to get detailed information on how my landing pages are performing.

  I have considered installing Google Website Optimizer or a similar testing tool so that I can continue to optimize my landing pages.

  My daily ad budget and costs-per-click are based on how much each customer is worth and what I can afford to spend.

  I plan on checking key reports about how my campaigns are progressing.