Google Ads Launch Checklist
The pre-launch sweep our paid ads team runs before a campaign goes live. Catch the expensive mistakes before your budget starts ticking.
- Conversion tracking setup checks so you can actually measure leads and sales
- Account and campaign structure guidance to keep budgets and reporting clean
- Keyword and match-type checks to avoid paying for irrelevant searches
- A negative keyword starter framework to cut wasted spend from day one
Most wasted ad spend is decided before launch
By the time a campaign is live, the damage is already locked in. Tracking is wrong, structure is messy, the wrong searches are being paid for. The fixes are easy if you catch them in time.
No reliable conversion tracking
If you cannot measure leads accurately, you cannot optimise. Google's algorithm flies blind and so do you.
Broad match burning budget
Default settings nudge you toward broad match. Without negatives, you are paying for searches that will never convert.
A landing page that does not match the ad
Great clicks, terrible conversion rate. Almost always a message-match problem, not an audience problem.
Bidding and budget set on autopilot
Defaults that suit Google, not your business. Easy to miss, expensive to ignore.
What is inside the checklist
No theory, no filler. Every section earns its place.
Conversion tracking setup
Confirm tags fire, conversions de-duplicate, and you can actually measure leads instead of just clicks.
Account and campaign structure
A clean structure for budgets, reporting and optimisation. Avoid the spaghetti most accounts inherit.
Keyword and match-type checks
Make sure you are bidding on intent, not noise. Spot the match types quietly bleeding the budget.
Negative keyword starter list
A starter framework so you launch with negatives in place, instead of harvesting them after the spend is gone.
Ad copy and extension review
Checks that lift quality score, click-through rate, and the share of the SERP you actually own.
Landing page and message match
Confirm the click has somewhere strong to land. Message match is where most campaigns silently die.
Is this the right resource for you?
It is built for a specific job. If that is your job, it will save you days of work. If not, we will tell you straight.
Built for you if
- You are about to launch your first Google Ads campaign
- You are relaunching after a campaign that did not deliver
- You manage ads in-house and want a final pre-launch sweep
- You want a checklist your agency can be held to
In short: Business owners and marketers about to launch a Google Ads campaign, or relaunch one that has not delivered, who want to avoid the expensive mistakes that drain budgets.
Probably not for you if
- You are looking for SEO or Meta advice, not Google Ads
- You expect a guaranteed ROAS formula, not a launch framework
- You only run organic social and have no ad budget
- You want a deep Performance Max optimisation playbook, not a pre-launch sweep
Honest answer: if any of these match, this resource will not be the best use of your time.
A real document, not a 1-page PDF
A tickable pre-launch PDF organised in the order you actually run things. Each check explains what to look for, why it matters and what to fix.
- Before the account is built
- Before you spend a dollar, including the no-launch gate
- The first week of spend
- The one-page version, to print and tick
Want it without filling in your details twice?
Scroll back up, drop your email in the form, and the PDF opens straight away.
Get the checklistWhat clients say about working with us
The resources are pulled straight from how we work with clients. Here is what those clients say about that work.
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Working with Lucid Media was an excellent experience from start to finish. They took the time to thoroughly analyse our previous website, understand our product, and align with our company goals before creating a new, professional layout and copy.
They truly went above and beyond, exceeding expectations at every step. I genuinely enjoyed the collaboration and look forward to working with them again in the future.
I had a call with Jason and was so impressed by how in-depth it was. He really listened, understood where I’m at, and gave me a clear action plan that I can actually use.
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Communication was insanely good, the work Jason provided me with was on a new level and blew me away. If you’re looking for someone who will go above and beyond for you then he is your man.
From the start, Jason has taken the time to understand my business properly rather than just pushing a generic marketing setup. We’ve built out a new website, landing pages, CRM integration, Google Ads and Meta campaigns, and the attention to detail across everything has been excellent.
What stands out most is his responsiveness and willingness to adapt quickly. Any time we’ve needed changes or seen something in the data, he’s on it straight away and is always looking for ways to improve performance rather than just letting campaigns run.
The key difference is that he genuinely feels invested in the success of the business, not just running ads in the background.
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How to use it
A simple three-step approach. Download, work through it, act on what you find.
Download the checklist
Pop your email in and the checklist opens straight away, ready to read or download.
Run the pre-launch sweep
Tick each section off before you flip the campaign on. Fix what fails. Most issues take minutes to sort.
Launch with confidence
Go live knowing tracking, structure, keywords and landing pages are right. Spend buys leads, not clicks into the void.
Explore more from Lucid Media
Other free resources you might find useful, plus the service that goes with this one.
Website Project Brief Template
A fill-in template that turns a vague website idea into a clear brief your designer can quote and build from.
SEO Audit Checklist
A step-by-step checklist to audit your own website and find the issues holding back your Google rankings.
Website Launch Checklist
A go-live checklist that catches the broken links, missing tracking and SEO gaps before your new site is public.
Paid Ads
Prefer it handled properly from the start? Our paid ads team manages campaigns with a 30-day lead-generation guarantee.
Questions about this resource
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