The Ultimate Google Display Ads Checklist for 2025
The Ultimate Google Ads Display Campaign Checklist for 2025
Building a profitable Google Display campaign is part science, part art, and 100 percent process. Skip a single step—forget an exclusion list, incorrectly name an ad group, or delay smart bidding—and you’ll leak budget faster than you can say “Where did my impressions go?”
Below is a start-to-finish checklist that Interactive Digital Marketing uses to launch, scale, and optimise every Display account we touch. Whether you manage one SME brand or an entire MCC full of portfolios, this guide will keep your campaigns tight, trackable, and tuned for ROI.
1. Strategy and Naming: Set the Foundation
1.1 Campaign Nomenclature
Use a consistent syntax such as:
1.2 Campaign Groups
If you’ll run multiple campaigns for the same product line or launch, place them in a Campaign Group. It keeps budgets, pacing, and reporting under one roof.
1.3 Account Labels
For manager accounts juggling dozens of sub-accounts, create labels like “Q2-2025-Launch” or “Always-On-Retention”. Filtering becomes a one-click job.
2. Audience Architecture
2.1 Ad Groups by Audience Type
Create separate ad groups for:
- Affinity
- In-Market
- Custom Segments (URLs + Apps)
- Website Remarketing
- Topics
Running them side-by-side exposes the pockets that convert cheapest.
2.2 Demographic Filters
Before launch, set age, gender, parental status, and household income parameters aligned to your buyer persona. For example, ONMO targets 18-54 with unknown turned on for volume.
2.3 Language Targeting
Navigate to Settings → Languages and add every language your creatives support (e.g., English, Spanish, Catalan). Never rely on “All languages”; it dilutes relevance.
2.4 Optimised Targeting
Toggle Optimised Targeting on at the ad-group level so Google can expand reach once it has conversion data—but keep an eye on placement quality.
3. Creative and Ad Copy Excellence
| Asset | Specs | Checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Images | 1,200 × 628 px, 1,200 × 1,200 px | Minimum 3 per ad group |
| Portrait | 900 × 1,600 px | Maintains mobile inventory |
| Square logo | 150 × 150 px | Brand clarity |
- Write every headline and description in Title Case.
- Embed a verb-first CTA in copy and image: “Start Free Trial Today!”, “Join Now!”.
- Aim for Excellent Ad Strength by maxing out headlines, descriptions, images, and logos.
Enable the hidden Call-to-Action Text under Ad URL Options → More Options to force “Shop Now” or “Subscribe” below your responsive ad.
4. Tracking and Measurement
4.1 Tracking Template
Attach a robust template at campaign level and test it before launch:
{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand-Geo-Objective-MMYY-(BidStrategy)&utm_content=adcopy1&utm_term={placement}&device={device}&devicemodel={devicemodel}&creative={creative}&campaignid={campaignid}&adgroupid={adgroupid}
4.2 Conversion Setup
- Google Tag Manager – Deploy Google Ads Conversion Tracking tag with Conversion ID & Label on the thank-you page.
- Offline Imports – If sales close offline, import leads via GCLID or OCI (Offline Conversion Import).
- GA4 Sync – Link GA4, mark key events as conversions, and import them into Google Ads.
- Data-Driven Attribution – Set the account default; never settle for Last Click in 2025.
4.3 Account Verification & Billing
From Tools and Settings → Billing:
- Complete Advertiser Verification.
- Add at least one valid payment method.
5. Bidding & Budgeting
| Phase | Strategy | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Enhanced CPC | 0–49 conversions |
| Scale | Target CPA | ≥ 50 conversions / 30 days |
| Revenue-Driven | tROAS | If value data exists and ≥ 50 conv. |
Control spend granularity by setting Campaign Budget and Max CPC caps at the ad-group level.
6. Targeting Hygiene: Exclusions and Controls
- Placement Exclusions – Remove kids’ apps and MFA sites.
- Topic Exclusions – Block irrelevant content sectors.
- Keyword Exclusions – Deploy on a case-by-case basis to dodge brand-unsafe terms.
- IP Exclusions – Up to 500 rows to filter internal teams and known click fraud ranges.
- Content Exclusions – Opt out of sensitive categories (Shocking, Tragedy, Mature).
Add historical Placement Exclusion Lists two weeks post-launch once data reveals problematic domains.
7. Geo-Location, Schedule and Device Optimisation
7.1 Location Layers
Target the entire country at launch, but add city or region bid modifiers for hotspots. Example: Nairobi + Mombasa at +20 %, rural at baseline.
7.2 Ad Scheduling
Google lets you create up to six schedule blocks per day. After two weeks, pull the “Time of Day” report and bid-adjust high-CVR windows.
7.3 Device and OS Targeting
Under Settings → Devices choose Mobile, then dive into Networks and Operating Systems (Android vs. iOS) once you collect performance data. Split-test device models when {devicemodel} proves impact.
8. Automation and Recommendations
One week after launch, head to Recommendations and toggle Auto-Apply only for:
- Add Audience Segments
- Remove Redundant Keywords
- Upgrade Legacy Text Ads
Skip automated budget or bid changes; keep strategy human-controlled.
9. Launch and Two-Week Timeline
| Timeframe | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | QA checklist, publish campaigns |
| Week 1 | Enable selective Auto-Apply; review initial placement quality |
| Week 2 | Add schedule bid mods; upload placement exclusion list; switch to tCPA if 50 + conversions |
Once the 50-conversion threshold is met, also test Performance Max with identical creatives, Offline Conversion Imports, and tROAS.
10. Advanced Audience Engineering
10.1 Customer Match
Upload hashed emails/phone numbers to build high-intent segments—useful for SaaS renewals or retail loyalty pushes.
10.2 Super Custom Segments
Mine GA4 for top-converting URLs and in-app events, then create Custom Audiences from:
- Top Websites visited
- Top Mobile Apps installed
Launch each in its own ad group two weeks post-live for granular control.
11. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting
Daily – Scan spend vs. budget, pause outliers.
Weekly – Pull audience, placement, and creative reports; rotate in fresh ads.
Monthly – CRO audit landing pages; analyse Data-driven Attribution (DDA) paths; adjust Target Cost-Per-Acquisition (tCPA) / Target Return-On-Ad-Spend (tROAS) targets.
Automate data pulls via Google Ads Scripts or Looker Studio dashboards. If you manage high-volume accounts, a simple daily Slack/Teams digest can flag anomalies in seconds.
12. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Single-Ad AdGroups – Starves Google of testing data.
- No CTA in Image – Tanks the Click Through Rate (CTR).
- Last-Click Attribution – Over-credits lower-funnel and blocks scale.
- Skipping GA4 Link – Loses remarketing gold and cross-network insights.
- Static Bids – Fails to ride auction volatility; let Smart Bidding flex after data maturity.
13. Putting It All Together
Launching profitable Display campaigns is less about secret hacks and more about disciplined execution:
- Plan – Name, group, and label everything.
- Build – Craft excellent, CTA-heavy creatives.
- Secure – Tag, verify, and attribute every conversion.
- Protect – Exclude junk placements, topics, and IPs.
- Optimise – Shift to Smart Bidding, schedule bids, and device targeting once data sings.
- Scale – Deploy Performance Max, Customer Match, and super-custom segments for incremental wins.
Follow this checklist and you’ll slash CPAs, lift ROAS, and give Google’s machine learning the rich data it needs to do the heavy lifting—without handing it your budget blindfolded.
Need Hands-On Help?
Interactive Digital Marketing implements this framework daily for SMEs and enterprise brands alike. From tracking setup to creative production and bid automation, we’ve got Display down to a science. Book a free strategy call and turn every impression into profitable growth.
