Launching is the easy part, which is exactly why it deserves a checklist. The mistakes that cost money are boring ones: the wrong country, a bigger budget than you meant, match types that are broader than you meant.
Step 1: Research first
Never launch on keywords you guessed:
What keywords is [competitor] bidding on, and what do they cost per click?
Cut anything you cannot afford at your average order value before it reaches the campaign.
Step 2: Describe the campaign
Launch a Google Search campaign on these five keywords at $40 a day, targeting the US, sending traffic to [your landing page].
Say the budget, the geography and the destination explicitly. Everything you leave out becomes a default, and defaults are how campaigns end up running worldwide.
Step 3: Check the campaign before it goes live
The assistant shows you what it built. Worth a look at:
- Budget. The daily amount you set, say $40 a day.
- Geography. The countries you named, and no others.
- Keywords and match types. Broad match will spend on things you did not intend.
- Landing page. The exact URL, and one that actually loads.
- Ad copy. Read it as a customer, not as the person who wrote the prompt.
Step 4: Launch, then leave it alone
Launch it.
Then wait. Checking after two hours and adjusting bids teaches you nothing except how to reset the learning period. Give it at least a day of real delivery before judging.
Step 5: Check in the next day
How is that campaign doing, and is anything not spending?
If it has spent nothing, that is a bids or eligibility problem rather than a budget one. The not-spending guide covers the three usual causes.
FAQ
Can it launch without me approving?
You describe the campaign, it assembles it, you review it, then you say launch. Nothing spends until you ask for it. Treat the review step as compulsory rather than optional.
What budget should I start with?
Enough to get meaningful data without hurting if it fails. For most Search campaigns that means a daily budget that buys at least a few clicks a day at the CPC you saw in research.
Can I pause it from chat too?
Yes. Pausing, resuming and budget changes are all available, so you do not need to open the Google interface to stop something.
What about Performance Max?
Also available. PMax is a different shape, since it needs assets rather than keywords, and it gives you less control over placement.