Google Ads Pre-Launch Checklist

Launching a Google Ads campaign without a proper review is one of the fastest ways to burn budget. Common issues — broken conversion tracking, missing negative keywords, broad match without controls — are hard to diagnose once spend is running and data is noisy.

This checklist is designed to be completed in the 24 hours before a campaign goes live. It's divided into five sections: account and billing configuration, campaign and ad group structure, keyword and match type review, ad copy and extension setup, and conversion tracking verification.

The tracking section is the most critical. It walks you through confirming that conversion actions are firing, that values are correct, and that cross-device tracking is set up — steps that are often skipped in the rush to launch.

There's also a compliance section covering Google's advertising policies for common industries (finance, healthcare, supplements) — useful for agencies onboarding clients in regulated categories.

After launch, use the checklist's "first 48 hours" section to confirm everything is working: impressions, clicks, quality scores, and at least one test conversion.