google-ads-strategy

SKILL.md

Google Ads Strategy Builder

Conversation Starter

Use AskUserQuestion to gather initial context. Begin by asking:

"I'll help you create a Google Ads strategy that drives profitable customer acquisition.

Please provide:

  1. Business Type: What do you sell? (Product, service, SaaS, e-commerce, lead gen)
  2. Target Customer: Who are you trying to reach? (B2B/B2C, demographics, job titles)
  3. Monthly Budget: What's your starting budget? ($1K, $5K, $10K+)
  4. Goal: What's the primary objective? (Leads, sales, signups, demo requests)
  5. Current State: Have you run ads before? What worked/didn't work?
  6. Key Competitors: Who are you competing against in search?"

Research Methodology

Use WebSearch extensively to find:

  • Current Google Ads benchmarks for their industry (CPC, CTR, conversion rates)
  • Competitor ad copy and landing page strategies
  • High-intent keywords in their space
  • Google Ads best practices and recent algorithm changes

Strategy Framework

1. Campaign Architecture

Campaign Type % of Budget Purpose
Brand Search 10-15% Protect, high ROAS
Non-Brand High Intent 50-60% Primary driver
Competitor 10-15% Conquest
Retargeting 15-20% Conversion lift
Awareness 0-10% Scale phase only

See references/templates.md for detailed architecture diagram.

2. Keyword Strategy

Categories to research:

  • Brand: [brand name], [brand] + review, [brand] + pricing
  • High Intent/BOFU: best [category], [category] software, [competitor] alternative
  • Competitor: [competitor name], [competitor] pricing
  • Research/TOFU: what is [category], how to [solve problem]

For detailed BOFU keyword generation, use bofu-keywords skill.

Match type strategy (2026):

Google has broadened match behaviors—exact match now triggers close variants and related terms, phrase match overlaps heavily with broad.

Match Type When to Use Keywords per Ad Group
Exact High-intent precision, control 5-10 keywords
Phrase Skip in new campaigns—redundant in 2025 N/A
Broad Discovery, conversational queries 1-2 phrases (3-5 words each)

Recommended mix: ~70% exact match (control) + ~30% broad match (discovery)

Ad group structure:

  • One theme per ad group (e.g., all "knee sleeves for running")
  • Maximum 20 keywords per ad group
  • Build negative keywords aggressively (block: "DIY", "repair", "free", "job")

See references/templates.md for keyword tables and negative keyword list.

3. Ad Copy Framework

RSA Structure: 15 headlines (30 char) + 4 descriptions (90 char)

Headline categories:

  • Value proposition: "[Main Benefit] in [Timeframe]"
  • Social proof: "Trusted by [X]+ Companies"
  • CTA: "Get Your Free [Offer]"
  • Features: "[Key Feature] Built-In"
  • Urgency: "[X]% Off - Limited Time"

Required extensions:

  • Sitelinks (4-6): Pricing, Features, Case Studies, Free Trial
  • Callouts: Free Trial, No Credit Card, 24/7 Support
  • Structured snippets: Types, Services

See references/templates.md for complete ad copy library.

4. Audience Strategy

Search (Observation Mode First):

  • In-Market: +20-30% bid adjustment
  • Custom Intent: Build from competitor URLs + keywords
  • Remarketing: +50-150% based on recency

Retargeting segments:

  • Hot (7 days): "Still thinking about [Product]?"
  • Warm (30 days): "[Offer] - Limited Time"
  • Abandoners: "Complete your signup"

5. Landing Page Requirements

Message match matrix:

Ad Theme Landing Page Headline
"[Category] software" /lp/category "The [Category] That [Benefit]"
"[Competitor] alternative" /lp/vs-competitor "Why Teams Switch"

Checklist:

  • Headline matches ad copy
  • Single, clear CTA above fold
  • Trust badges visible
  • Mobile-optimized, <3s load time

6. Bid Strategy Phases

Phase Timeline Strategy
Launch Weeks 1-4 Manual CPC / Max Conversions
Optimize Weeks 5-8 Target CPA
Scale Week 9+ Target ROAS

Budget rules:

  • Never pause Brand
  • Shift budget from losers weekly
  • Scale only after CPA stabilizes

7. Tracking Setup

Required conversions:

  • Primary: Lead submit, Demo request, Trial signup, Purchase
  • Secondary: Pricing page view, Feature page view

Setup checklist:

  • GA4 linked to Google Ads
  • Enhanced conversions enabled
  • Audiences synced
  • GTM conversion tags firing

8. Optimization Cadence

Ongoing roadmap (keyword research is never "done"):

Phase Timeline Focus Actions
Launch Weeks 1-2 Data gathering Launch campaigns, gather data, add obvious negatives
Refine Weeks 3-4 Search term mining Review search term reports, add top performers as exact match
Optimize Month 2 Match type tuning Refine negatives, adjust match types based on data
Scale Month 3+ Expansion Build new themed ad groups from emerging patterns

Daily/Weekly/Monthly actions:

Frequency Actions
Daily Check spend pacing, pause broken ads
Weekly Search terms → negatives, pause losing ads, adjust bids
Monthly Full audit, new ad tests, competitor research
Quarterly Strategy review, budget planning

Output Format

# GOOGLE ADS STRATEGY: [Company Name]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences on strategy and expected results]

## Campaign Architecture
[Structure + budget allocation]

## Keyword Strategy
[Full keyword list by campaign]

## Ad Copy Library
[Headlines, descriptions, extensions]

## Audience Strategy
[Targeting + bid adjustments]

## Landing Page Requirements
[Structure + message match]

## Bid Strategy & Budget
[Phased approach + allocation]

## Tracking & Measurement
[Conversion setup + KPIs]

## Optimization Playbook
[Schedule + troubleshooting]

## Implementation Checklist
[ ] Week 1: Set up tracking + build campaigns
[ ] Week 2: Launch Brand + High Intent
[ ] Week 3: Launch Competitor campaign
[ ] Week 4: First optimization review
[ ] Month 2: Switch to automated bidding

Quality Standards

  • Research benchmarks: Use WebSearch for current industry CPCs and CTRs
  • Copy-ready: All ad copy ready to paste into Google Ads
  • Compliant: Follow Google Ads policies (no superlatives without proof)
  • Data-driven: Every recommendation backed by logic or data
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GitHub Stars
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First Seen
Feb 4, 2026
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