Google Ads Account Setup Checklist for Marketers (2026)

#01What goes on the checklist?

#02Why does each one matter?

Conversions come first because Smart Bidding optimises only towards primary actions (lesson 3). A newsletter signup set as primary will be chased as hard as a demo request.

Auto-apply recommendations can add keywords, change bid strategies or adjust targets. Google notes you can only turn it on at account level and that applied changes show in the History tab and Change history. Since 26 January 2026, the "Add responsive search ads" recommendation no longer auto-applies.

The account negative list is the cheapest protection you have. One list of up to 1,000 terms applies to Search and Shopping inventory across Search, Performance Max, App, Shopping, Smart and Local campaigns. Lesson 8 gives a starter list.

Brand lists work with broad match to catch brand variants and other languages. You can have 10 brand lists per campaign and 5,000 brands per list.

#03A starter account negative list

jobs
careers
salary
internship
login
sign in
customer service phone number
free download
template free
course

Adjust it: if you sell courses, "course" obviously stays out of this list. Use phrase match for multi-word terms you never want.

Our view: leave Optimization score as a prompt, not a target. A score of 100% means you accepted Google's suggestions, not that the account is profitable.

#04How do you run the audit, step by step?

Work through the account in this order. Each step depends on the one before it, so don't skip ahead to bids or ads.

1. Access and security. Open Admin → Access and security. Remove anyone who has left, replace shared logins with named users, and keep admin access to the smallest group that can fix billing and access problems. Turn on two-step verification for every user.
2. Account settings. Note the time zone and currency. Check auto-tagging is on (Admin → Account settings) so clicks carry a GCLID for conversion tracking and GA4.
3. Conversions. Open Goals → Conversions → Summary. For each action, write down status, primary or secondary, source (website, GA4, import) and value. Anything with no recent conversions or an error status goes on the fix list.
4. Customer data and consent. Check enhanced conversions is on and the customer data terms are accepted. If you have EEA, UK or Swiss visitors, confirm consent signals are reaching Google (lesson 5).
5. Auto-apply. Open Recommendations → Auto-apply and list every type that is switched on. Turn off anything you didn't choose deliberately.
6. Negatives and brands. Check the account-level negative list and brand lists. Add the starter list above if there is none.
7. Links. Confirm the Google Ads to GA4 link, Search Console link and Merchant Center (if you sell products).
8. Campaign settings. For each campaign, check networks, locations, languages, ad schedule and bid strategy match the plan.

#05Which account settings deserve a closer look?

#06What edge cases come up in inherited accounts?

• Duplicate conversion tags. The same form fires a Google Ads tag and a GA4-imported conversion, both primary. Every lead is counted twice and bidding overvalues it. Lesson 6 shows how to fix this.
• Old manager account links. A former agency's manager account may still have access. Check linked managers under Admin → Access and security → Managers.
• Paused campaigns with live shared budgets. A shared budget can still be attached to campaigns you've forgotten. Check Shared library → Budgets before deleting anything.
• Account-level negatives blocking good traffic. Someone added "free" as a broad negative, and now "free trial" never shows. Search the list for words your offer actually uses.
• Auto-applied keywords. Look in Change history for changes made by "Recommendations auto-apply" to see what was added without review.

#07How do you prove the account is fixed?

Write a short audit log: date, finding, change, owner. After two weeks, check that conversion actions report as expected, that no unexpected auto-apply changes appear in Change history, and that the search terms report is free of the terms you blocked.

#08Worked example: Ledgerline's account audit

Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details and numbers are illustrative.

Ledgerline's audit found auto-apply switched on for keyword and target recommendations, three primary conversion actions (demo request, ebook download, newsletter signup) and no account negatives. The team turned auto-apply off, set only demo requests and qualified leads as primary, and added 40 account-level negatives, mostly job and login searches that the search terms report showed were costing money.

Walkthrough: the audit log Ledgerline kept

Two weeks later, Change history showed no new auto-applied changes and the search terms report no longer showed job-seeker searches.

#09Try it yourself

Audit your account in one sitting using the eight steps above.

1. Create a sheet with the columns Area, Finding, Change, Owner, Date.
2. Work through steps 1-8 and log every finding, even small ones.
3. Fix the access, conversion and auto-apply findings first.
4. Book a 15-minute check two weeks later to confirm the fixes held.

#10Quick quiz

1. Why check auto-tagging early?

Answer: Without it, clicks don't carry a GCLID, which weakens GA4 attribution of Ads traffic and offline conversion imports.

2. Where can you see changes applied automatically by recommendations?

Answer: In Change history, where they appear as made by recommendations auto-apply.

3. Why might "free" be a bad account-level negative?

Answer: It would also block searches like "free trial" if your offer includes one.

#11What should you check before the next lesson?

• Confirm which conversion actions are primary and why.
• Decide your auto-apply policy and write it down for the team.
• Add an account-level negative list of at least 10 terms.
• Create brand lists for your brand and your main competitors.
• Link GA4, and follow Linking Search Console and Google Ads to GA4.

Next: Conversion goals: primary vs secondary actions. Or return to the Google Ads for Marketers track.

#12Common questions

Should I turn off auto-apply recommendations? Review them first. You can only switch auto-apply on or off at account level. Many teams keep it off and apply recommendations by hand so every change is deliberate.

Is AI Max on by default? For new Search campaigns, AI Max is on by default, according to Google's AI Max help page. Check the setting on each new campaign before launch.

How many account-level negative keywords can I add? Up to 1,000. They apply to Search and Shopping inventory across Search, Performance Max, App, Shopping, Smart and Local campaigns.