# The First 90 Days of Google Ads > A step-by-step first Google Ads test for a local business: readiness, tracking test, small launch, search-terms reviews, a hypothetical starting budget, stop conditions, and a first decision. Canonical: https://vassalmarketing.com/information/paid-search/first-90-days-of-google-ads/ **Maintained by Vassal Marketing** · Last updated on September 26, 2026 Reviewed at least quarterly and whenever a platform or rule it cites changes. General information, not legal or professional advice. Check rules that affect your business with a qualified professional. Treat your first 90 days as a test. Check readiness, test tracking, launch one small Search campaign, review search terms weekly, and make a keep, fix, or stop decision at the end. Set the budget from estimated cost per click and how many inquiries you need, and write down in advance what would make you stop. ## Why this matters The first months of a Google Ads account are mostly learning: what people actually search, what a click costs in your area, whether the landing page converts, and whether leads turn into jobs. A small, focused test keeps that learning affordable. Deciding up front what would make you stop protects you from both quitting too early and spending too long. Hypothetical example: Google's Keyword Planner estimates about $8 per click (CPC, cost per click) for your main service. You assume 1 in 10 clicks becomes an inquiry and want about 25 inquiries to judge. That's 250 clicks, or about $2,000 of ad spend over the test—roughly $22 a day for 90 days. Real prices and conversion rates will differ, so check them at week four. ## Responsible practices ### Weeks 0–2: readiness and tracking test Work through Google Ads readiness and confirm your business owns the account. Set up conversions for delivered forms and calls over your minimum length, then send test forms and calls to make sure each records once. See Google Ads conversion tracking. ### Week 2: launch one small Search campaign Start with one Search campaign for your most profitable service, in the area you serve best, with a few focused ad groups and matching landing pages. Use phrase or exact match to start if you want tighter control. Hold off on Performance Max until tracking is proven. ### Weeks 2–6: review search terms weekly Each week, read the search terms report, add negatives for clearly unwanted searches, and check that calls and forms arrive. Answer every lead and label what happened. See keywords, search terms, and negatives. ### Week 6: check your assumptions Compare actual cost per click and inquiry rate with your estimate. If clicks cost far more or convert far less, adjust the budget, narrow the targeting, or fix the landing page. Don't restructure the whole account. ### Weeks 6–12: follow leads to jobs Keep labeling leads and track which became booked jobs. Review waste: wrong areas, broken pages, auto-applied changes. Hold changes to one or two at a time so you can tell what worked. ### Week 12: make a first decision Work out cost per booked job with full costs, using paid search acquisition economics. Decide to keep, adjust, or stop. If Search works, you might test more services, Local Services Ads, or Microsoft Advertising, which can import Google Ads campaigns directly. ## First 90 days plan checklist 1. Complete the Google Ads readiness checklist. 2. Set the test budget from estimated cost per click and the inquiries you need. 3. Write down your stop conditions before launch. 4. Test every conversion with a real form and call before turning ads on. 5. Launch one Search campaign for your most profitable service. 6. Review search terms and lead outcomes every week. 7. At week 12, calculate cost per booked job and decide to keep, adjust, or stop. ## Avoid these failures - Launching several campaigns, services, and areas at once so nothing can be learned - Changing bids, keywords, and landing pages every few days - Judging the test on clicks or Google's conversion count instead of booked jobs - Having no written stop conditions, so the test never ends - Adding Performance Max or broad automation before tracking counts real leads ## Questions business owners ask ### How much should we spend in the first 90 days? Work backward from what you need to learn. Estimate cost per click in Keyword Planner, assume a conversion rate, and budget for enough clicks to get roughly 20–30 inquiries. The hypothetical example above comes to about $2,000 in ad spend, plus any management fee. ### What are good stop conditions? Examples: tracking breaks and can't be fixed within a week; cost per click is more than double your estimate after adjustments; no qualified leads after half the budget is spent; or you can't handle the leads you get. Write yours down before launch. ### When should we try Local Services Ads or Microsoft Advertising? Once one Search campaign is tracked and understood. Local Services Ads suit eligible service categories and charge per lead. Microsoft Advertising can import your Google Ads campaigns so you can test Bing with little rebuild. ### Why does the first month often look expensive? You're paying to learn which searches and pages work. Late conversions and unbooked leads also make recent weeks look worse. Judge the test at the end, using booked jobs. ## Primary guidance - [Google Ads: Account setup best practices](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167145?hl=en) - [Google Ads: Use Keyword Planner](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243?hl=en) - [Google Ads: About the search terms report](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2472708?hl=en) - [Microsoft Advertising: Google Ads import](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/google-ads-import?view=bingads-13) ## Connected guidance - [Google Ads readiness](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/paid-search/google-ads-readiness.md): The checks to finish before the first campaign goes live. - [Google Ads conversion tracking](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/paid-search/google-ads-conversion-tracking.md): Set up and test the conversions the first test will be judged on. - [Paid search acquisition economics](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/paid-search/paid-search-acquisition-economics.md): Work out cost per booked job and what each job leaves at the end of the test. Auctions, traffic, conversions, lead quality, acquisition cost, booked work, margin, and revenue are not guaranteed.