Google Ads sign-up guide

Create a Google Ads account: how to sign up

Account setup

Sign up with Google Ads to start reaching new customers with online ads tailored to your business goals and budget. This guide will walk you through creating your Google Ads account and setting up your first ad campaign.

Before you begin

To create your Google Ads account, you’ll need an email address and website for your business. Even if you don’t have a website, you can still advertise on Google using Smart campaigns, the default Google Ads experience for new advertisers. You can also create your first ad in just 15 minutes.

Note: Newly created accounts will no longer support URLs in the account name.

SIGN UP FOR GOOGLE ADS

Instructions

Google Ads provides two modes when you’re creating an account. These are Smart mode and Expert mode. By default, your account will be created in Smart mode. However, if you’re a professional marketer, you can switch to Expert mode. Learn more about Smart mode and Expert mode

Note: After you've created an account in Smart mode, you can always switch to Expert mode. However, when you switch your account to Expert mode, you can’t revert back to Smart mode.

Smart mode

When you create an account in Smart mode, you also have to create your first campaign.
  1. In Google Ads, sign in to your existing Google Account or create a new one.
    • If you already have a Google Account (in other words, if you use any other Google product, such as Gmail), enter your Google email address and password, then click Sign in.
    • If you don’t have an existing Google Account, or want to use a different email address to sign in, click Create an account at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions to create and confirm your new Google Account.
  2. To create your first campaign, set up the following:
    • Campaign goal
    • Business name and website
    • Ad (including headlines, descriptions and a phone number)
    • Keyword themes
    • Location settings
    • Budget
  3. On the last page, set up your billing information by following these steps:
    1. Click the 'Billing country' drop-down menu and select the country or territory where your billing address is located. Your billing country determines the billing options that are available for your location and currency.
    2. Make sure that the correct time zone has been selected. If not, click the drop-down menu to change it. Your reports, statistics and billing are all affected by the time zone that you select, so choose carefully.
    3. If you have a promotional code (also known as coupons or vouchers), enter the code in 'Introductory offer' and click Apply.
    4. You'll be prompted to select either an existing payment profile or to create a new one. Your 'Account type' will default to 'Organisation', but you can change to 'Individual' if appropriate, for tax purposes in your country.
    5. Enter information for the payment method that you want to use for this account, such as a credit or debit card, PayPal or bank account.
  4. Click Submit to create your campaign and complete your account setup.

After you’ve created your campaign and set up your account, it will take about a day to approve your ad. Then it can start showing to potential customers.

Expert mode

When you create an account in Expert mode, you can do so with or without a campaign at the start.
  1. In Google Ads, sign in to your existing Google Account or create a new one.
    • If you already have a Google Account (in other words, if you use any other Google product, such as Gmail), enter your Google email address and password, then click Sign in.
    • If you don’t have an existing Google Account, or want to use a different email address to sign in, click Create an account at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions to create and confirm your new Google Account.
  2. On the 'New campaign' page, click Switch to Expert mode at the bottom of the screen.

From there, you can choose to create your account with or without a campaign by following either of the steps below:

With a campaign

  1. If you’re creating an account with a campaign, you’ll need to set up the following:
    • Campaign goal
    • Campaign type
    • Campaign settings and features, depending on your chosen campaign type
    • Ad group
    • Ad
    • Billing, including payment method
  2. Click Submit to create your campaign and complete your account setup.

Without a campaign

  1. Click Create an account without a campaign to skip campaign creation.
  2. Confirm your business information, including billing country, time zone and currency.
  3. Click Submit to complete your account setup.

To set up a campaign after you've created your account, proceed to setting up your first campaign.

Tip

Do you need more people to access your new Google Ads account? You can invite them after you've created your account and signed in to Google Ads. Learn more about access levels in your Google Ads account

How to fix a problem with creating or signing in to a Google Account

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