How to Launch a Google Search Campaign Step by Step: Match Types, Negative Keywords and Extensions

Someone in Dubai types "physiotherapy clinic near me" at 9 pm with a sore back. No Meta ad will find that person at that moment. A Google Search campaign will, because Search is the one platform where the customer announces what they want before you pay. Launching one takes ten steps, and most wasted budget comes from skipping three: match types, negative keywords and message match.

Key takeaways

• Google captures demand that already exists; social creates it. Search is a bottom-of-funnel platform.
• A Google Ads account is Account, Campaign, Ad Group, Ads, and each ad group should hold one keyword theme.
• Broad, phrase and exact match control how loosely a keyword triggers your ad. Start with all three and let the Search Terms report decide.
• Negative keywords such as free, jobs and salary stop your ad showing to people who will never buy.
• Check performance after 3 to 5 days, then prune keywords, add negatives and test new ad variations.

Google Search vs social ads: the intent difference

Google Search catches people actively looking for a solution, while social platforms reach people who are browsing, and that difference shapes everything about how you run each.

	Google Ads	Social ads (Meta, TikTok)
User intent	High, the user is searching for a solution	Lower, the user is browsing
Targeting	Keywords (what people search)	Demographics, interests, behaviours (who people are)
Best for	Capturing demand that already exists	Creating demand and building awareness
Ad formats	Primarily text, plus Shopping, Display and Video	Visual first: images, video, carousels, stories
Funnel stage	Bottom, ready to act	Top and middle, awareness and consideration

The two are complementary. A skincare brand builds desire on Instagram and catches the "vitamin C serum Lebanon" search on Google a week later.

Campaign types

Google Ads offers six campaign types, and Search is the one to start with for leads from high-intent users.

• Search: text ads on results pages for specific keywords. Best for lead generation and direct response.
• Performance Max: AI-driven, across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail and Maps. Best for automated conversion campaigns.
• Display: banners across the Google Display Network, for awareness and retargeting.
• Video: ads on YouTube, for storytelling and awareness.
• Shopping: product listings in results, for e-commerce.
• App: promotes installs across Google properties.

Account structure: business, goal, theme, message

A Google Ads account has four levels: Account is your business, Campaign is your goal, Ad Group is your topic, Ads are your message.

1. Account: billing, user access, time zone, currency.
2. Campaign: goal, budget, bidding strategy, locations, networks.
3. Ad group: a set of keywords and the ads that answer them.
4. Ads: headlines, descriptions and the final URL.

The three keyword match types

Match types decide how closely a search must resemble your keyword before your ad shows.

Match type	How you write it	What it matches	Example searches it can trigger
Broad	digital marketing course	Related terms, synonyms, any word order	"online marketing training", "marketing course for beginners"
Phrase	"digital marketing course"	The phrase, with words before or after	"best digital marketing course online"
Exact	[digital marketing course]	Only that keyword or close variants	"digital marketing course", "digital marketing courses"

Broad brings volume and surprises, exact brings precision, phrase sits between. Short vs Long-Tail Keywords covers how specificity changes intent.

The ten steps to launch

Launching a Search campaign takes ten steps.

1. Create your account. Go to ads.google.com, sign in with a Gmail account, click "Start now" and choose your goal (Leads or Website traffic).
2. Choose the campaign type. Select Search, pick the results you want (website visits or phone calls) and add your website URL.
3. Set campaign settings. Name it clearly, for example "Spring Lead Gen - Search". Untick the Display Network to stay on Search only. Choose locations such as Lebanon and the UAE, set your language and a daily budget, for example $10. Bid on Clicks (manual CPC), or Maximise Conversions if tracking is set up.
4. Set up conversion tracking. If you have a thank-you page, define a conversion as someone landing on it.
5. Create ad groups. One tightly related keyword theme each, for example Certifications, Tools, Small Business.
6. Add keywords. Use Keyword Planner to find terms, add them in all three match types, and aim for 5 to 10 keywords per ad group.
7. Write your ads. Up to 15 headlines of 30 characters (Google shows 3 at a time), up to 4 descriptions of 90 characters (2 shown at a time), and the final URL.
8. Add extensions. Sitelinks (2 to 4 links to pages such as About, Contact, Testimonials), callouts (short benefits such as Free Consultation) and a call extension if you accept calls.
9. Add negative keywords. Terms like free, torrent, download, jobs, salary and reddit stop your ad showing for searches that never convert.
10. Review and launch. Double-check budget, bidding, location, language and that every ad and extension is approved. Click Publish.

Negative keywords and message match: the two quiet budget savers

Negative keywords stop your ads showing for irrelevant searches, and message match makes sure the click you paid for lands on a page that repeats the promise. A clinic bidding on "physiotherapy Beirut" will also match "physiotherapy jobs Beirut" unless jobs is a negative; review the Search Terms report regularly to find more.

On the landing page, the headline should echo the ad. If the ad says "Learn Digital Marketing", the page should too; a mismatch hurts Quality Score and conversion rate. Aim for under 3 seconds to load, a page that works on a phone since over half of searches are mobile, one call to action above the fold, and no navigation menus or competing links.

The search ad copy prompt we use

Writing 15 headlines within 30 characters is tedious, so we teach students to draft them with Claude or ChatGPT, then edit:

Create a complete set of Google Ads components for a search campaign designed to generate leads. Make sure each component uses the maximum characters allowed to optimize effectiveness and the highest possible conversion rate. Here's the info I want you to use: Keywords: [KEYWORDS] Product or Service Description: [DESCRIPTION] Niche: [NICHE] Target Audience: [TARGET AUDIENCE] Features & Benefits: [FEATURES & BENEFITS] Here's what I want you to do: Generate 7 Headlines: each up to 30 characters, capturing different aspects like the offer, CTA, and unique features. Make sure you include the keywords. Generate 4 Descriptions: each up to 90 characters, detailed and engaging, highlighting the offer, benefits, and why it's a must-have. Generate 4 Callouts: each up to 25 characters, focusing on additional benefits like "Free Shipping", "24/7 Customer Support", etc. based on the data I've given you.

Count the characters before you paste; models overshoot the limits.

What to check after 3 to 5 days

After launch, wait 3 to 5 days, then review.

1. Review clicks, CTR, CPC and conversions. A good Search CTR is 3 to 5 percent or higher; a good lead generation conversion rate is 2 to 5 percent or higher.
2. Pause underperforming keywords.
3. Add new negative keywords from the Search Terms report.
4. Test new ad variations.
5. Adjust bids or budget based on results.

Google Ads, from match types to the launch sequence, is taught in week 12 of the Professional Digital Marketing Associate Diploma.

Frequently asked questions

Should I start with broad, phrase or exact match? Add keywords in all three, then let the Search Terms report show which searches convert and move budget towards those match types.

How much should I spend to start? The program's example is $10 a day, enough to gather search term data in a small market like Lebanon. Raise it once the first review shows which keywords convert.

Why is my ad showing for searches I did not choose? Broad and phrase match extend your keywords to related searches. The Search Terms report shows what triggered the ad, and negative keywords remove the ones you do not want.