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Run this with the campaign built and paused, before it goes live. Every row is something that costs money or breaks reporting if it’s wrong at launch and is cheap to fix now.
This checklist assumes the Google campaign process has been followed and the Google campaign brief is complete. It checks the build against the brief; it doesn’t replace either.

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Brief and inputs

  • The Google campaign brief is complete and every linked document resolves.
  • The parent marketing campaign brief lists Google in its channels table with a budget line.
  • Campaign type matches the brief.
  • The product this campaign sells is named in the brief, using an identifier from the product catalog.
  • Every customer profile targeted is linked from the library.
  • Copy is approved and sits within the character limits in the copy template for this campaign type.

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Conversion tracking

  • The conversion action is importing and firing, not just created.
  • How that was verified is written in the brief, with a name and a date. “Verified” with no method behind it is not a check anyone can repeat.
  • The action matches a row in the event tracking plan by name.
  • Primary and secondary conversion goals are set deliberately for this campaign, not inherited from account defaults.
  • Only the actions the campaign should optimize toward are marked primary.
  • Conversion value is being sent, if the bid strategy needs it.
  • Every final URL carries UTMs built to the standard.
  • utm_campaign is the platform campaign name, character for character, not the marketing campaign name or a slug of it.
  • utm_content is different for every ad group. Three groups sharing one tag report as one.
  • utm_medium uses the exact spelling in your medium list, including underscores.
  • Auto-tagging is set as the brief specifies.
  • Clicking each ad’s URL lands on a live page with no redirect chain.
Check the primary and secondary split explicitly. Smart Bidding optimizes toward every primary conversion action available to the campaign, so an inherited account default will send budget after conversions this campaign was never meant to buy.

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Naming

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Settings

  • Daily budget matches the brief, and it is the daily figure (monthly ÷ 30.4), not the monthly one.
  • Bid strategy and its target value match the brief.
  • If a target strategy is set, the campaign has the conversion volume to support it: roughly 30 conversions in 30 days for Target CPA, 50 for Target ROAS. See the thresholds.
  • No shared budget or portfolio bid strategy is silently overriding the campaign-level values in the brief.
  • Networks and surfaces match the brief. Search Partners and Display Network are set deliberately, not left on by default.
  • Locations, languages, and ad schedule match the brief.
  • Location targeting is set to presence rather than interest, unless the brief says otherwise.
  • Flight dates are set and the end date is correct.

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Keywords and targeting

  • On Search, every ad group has a completed search theme brief, and every keyword in the group passes the one-ad test.
  • No keyword appears in two themes, and any term belonging to a neighbouring theme is negated at ad group level.
  • Every theme has a row in the search theme register, with a profile, a landing page, and a copy brief in it.
  • Match types match the match type policy in the brief.
  • Every negative keyword list named in the brief is applied, by name rather than pasted in. Lists live in Google Ads under Tools > Shared library; see keeping negatives in shared lists.
  • If your account has no standing negative list yet, this is the campaign that starts one. Record its name in the brief.
  • Brand terms are negated where the brief says they should be.
  • Audience signals on Performance Max and Demand Gen are attached, and understood as signals rather than restrictions.
  • Auto-applied recommendations are set as the brief specifies. Anything left on can rewrite copy, add keywords, and change the bid strategy after this checklist passes.

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Assets and copy

  • Every required asset ratio and logo size for this campaign type is uploaded. Use the specs for your campaign type; Search needs no image or video assets.
  • Headlines and descriptions come from the approved copy brief, not written at the keyboard.
  • Character limits are respected in every field.
  • On Search, every pin named in the brief is applied, and any claim legal review required is pinned so it appears in every serve.
  • On Search, each responsive search ad has a distinct name per the ad naming conventions, and its filled copy template is filed.
  • Ad strength has been reviewed, and any weak rating is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight.
  • For Shopping and retail Performance Max, the Merchant Center feed is approved and free of disapprovals.

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Landing page

  • The page is live and appears in the landing page library.
  • The page matches the query intent and the ad copy.
  • On Search, the page carries the promise recorded in the theme’s brief, and the theme phrase appears on the first screen.
  • The page’s conversion action fires, confirmed with a test submission.
  • The page loads correctly on mobile.

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Sign-off

  • Approvals recorded, per the approval process, including any legal or brand review the work needed.
  • The owner has confirmed the build against the brief.
  • Launch date and mid-flight review date are recorded in the brief.
Last modified on August 13, 2026