Google Search Ads Builder

Build a complete Google Search Ads campaign from scratch. This skill handles everything from deep keyword research through community and review language mining, to ad copy generation and campaign structure — outputting files ready to import into Google Ads Editor.

Core principle: Most early-stage teams waste their first $5K on Google Ads because of bad keyword strategy and bad structure. This skill builds the strategic keyword foundation AND a tight, well-organized campaign from day one.

When to Use

• "Set up Google Search Ads for us"
• "Build a Google Ads campaign for [product]"
• "I want to start running search ads — help me set it up"
• "Create a PPC campaign structure"
• "Generate Google Ads copy for our product"
• "Do keyword research for Google Ads"
• "What keywords should we bid on?"
• "Build a keyword strategy for paid search"
• "Find high-intent keywords in our space"

Phase 0: Intake

1. Product name + URL — What are we advertising?
2. One-line value prop — What does it do, for whom?
3. Product category — How would a buyer search for this? (e.g., "sales automation", "AI writing tool")
4. ICP — Who is searching for this? (Role, pain, company stage)
5. Monthly budget — What are you willing to spend? (Affects structure and bid recommendations)
6. Goal — Free trial sign-ups / Demo bookings / Content downloads / Direct purchase
7. Landing pages — URLs you'll send traffic to (or "need to create")
8. Competitor domains — 3-5 competitors (for keyword gap analysis)
9. Geographic targeting — Countries/regions
10. Existing keywords? — Any keywords you already know work or are currently bidding on
11. Known converting keywords? — Any existing performance data

Phase 1: Deep Keyword Research

1A: Seed Keyword Generation

From the product description and ICP, generate 3 keyword buckets:

Bucket	Intent	Examples
Problem-aware	Searching for solutions to a pain	"how to automate outbound", "fix slow sales pipeline"
Solution-aware	Searching for a category of product	"AI SDR tool", "outbound automation software"
Brand/Competitor	Searching for you or competitors by name	"[your brand]", "[competitor] alternative"

1B: Competitive Keyword Mining

For each competitor domain, research their organic keyword rankings and ad presence using web_search:

Search: site:<competitor_domain> [product category keywords]
Search: <competitor> SEO keywords ranking
Search: <competitor> top pages organic traffic
Search: "[competitor] site:google.com/ads" OR "[competitor] PPC keywords"
Search: "[competitor]" alternative OR vs OR comparison
Search: best [product category] tools 2026

Use fetch_webpage on competitor landing pages and pricing pages to extract the language and positioning they use — these reveal keyword opportunities.

Extract keywords with buying intent — skip informational-only terms.

1C: Review Language Mining

The exact language buyers use matters more than what marketers think they search. Mine review sites for real buyer vocabulary.

Use web_search to find reviews:

Search: "[product name]" site:g2.com reviews
Search: "[product name]" site:capterra.com reviews
Search: "[competitor name]" site:g2.com reviews
Search: "best [product category]" site:g2.com

Use fetch_webpage on the top review pages to extract phrases like:

• "I was looking for a [term] that could..."
• "We switched from [X] because we needed..."
• "Best [term] for [use case]"

These phrases reveal how real buyers describe the problem and the solution — gold for keyword targeting.

1D: Reddit Community Terminology Mining

Reddit threads contain the unfiltered language your ICP actually uses.

Option A — Apify Reddit Scraper (if APIFY_API_TOKEN is set):

POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/trudax~reddit-scraper-lite/runs?token=${APIFY_API_TOKEN}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "searches": ["best <category> tool OR software OR platform"],
  "maxItems": 30
}

Then poll for results:

GET https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/trudax~reddit-scraper-lite/runs/{RUN_ID}?token=${APIFY_API_TOKEN}

Once status is SUCCEEDED, fetch dataset:

GET https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/{DATASET_ID}/items?token=${APIFY_API_TOKEN}

Output fields: Each item has dataType ("post" or "comment"), title (posts only), body, communityName, upVotes, url, createdAt.

Option B — Web search fallback:

Search: site:reddit.com "best [product category] tool" OR "recommend [product category]"
Search: site:reddit.com "[competitor name]" alternative
Search: site:reddit.com "[pain point]" solution software

Extract the terminology, slang, and product descriptions real users use in these threads.

1E: Hacker News Terminology Mining

HN discussions reveal how technical buyers describe tools and problems.

Use the free HN Algolia API:

GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=<product category>&tags=story&hitsPerPage=20
GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=<competitor name>&tags=story&hitsPerPage=20
GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=<pain point>&tags=comment&hitsPerPage=30

No API key needed. Extract terminology and product framing from titles and comment text.

1F: Your Site Content Audit

Use fetch_webpage to crawl key pages on the user's own website:

• Homepage
• Product/features pages
• Pricing page
• Blog posts (top 5-10)
• Any existing landing pages

Identify:

• Pages that could serve as ad landing pages
• Keywords the site content already targets (leverage in ads)
• Gaps — search terms the site doesn't cover yet
• Language and positioning already in use

1G: Search Suggest & Related Terms

Search: "[category] tool" → note Google autocomplete suggestions
Search: "[category] software for [ICP role]"
Search: "[pain point] solution"
Search: "how to [problem your product solves]"

1H: Keyword Expansion

For each seed keyword discovered across all sources, expand with:

• Modifiers: best, top, free, cheap, enterprise, for startups, for [role]
• Long-tail: "[category] for [specific use case]"
• Question queries: "how to [solve problem your product addresses]"
• Comparison: "[competitor] vs [your brand]", "[competitor] alternative"

Phase 2: Keyword Architecture

2A: Funnel Stage Mapping

Organize ALL discovered keywords by buyer journey stage:

Stage	Intent Signal	Example Keywords	Bid Priority
Problem-aware	Searching for solutions to a pain	"how to scale outbound without hiring SDRs"	Medium — educational intent
Solution-aware	Searching for a category	"AI SDR tool", "outbound automation platform"	High — comparing options
Product-aware	Searching for specific products	"[competitor] alternative", "[competitor] vs"	Very high — close to purchase
Most-aware	Searching for your brand	"[your brand]", "[your brand] pricing"	Must-have — defend brand

2B: Intent Classification

Intent Type	Ad Group Strategy	Landing Page Strategy
Transactional ("buy", "pricing", "free trial")	Aggressive bid, exact match	Direct product/pricing page
Commercial ("best", "top", "vs", "alternative")	Strong bid, exact + phrase	Comparison or feature page
Informational ("how to", "what is", "guide")	Low bid or skip — save for SEO	Blog/resource (if targeting)
Navigational (brand searches)	Must-bid, exact match	Homepage or brand LP

2C: Competitive Density Assessment

For the top 30 keywords, estimate competition level:

Density	Signal	Strategy
Low	Few ads showing, no big brands	Bid aggressively — first mover advantage
Medium	Some competitors, not saturated	Bid strategically — differentiate with copy
High	Major players dominating	Bid selectively — long-tail variants, exact match only
Very high	Big ad budgets, position 1-4 locked	Avoid head-on — focus on long-tail or competitor terms

2D: Match Type Matrix

Keyword	Exact [keyword]	Phrase "keyword"	Broad keyword	Recommendation
[keyword 1]	Y	Y	N	Start exact, expand to phrase after data
[keyword 2]	Y	N	N	Exact only — too broad in phrase
[keyword 3]	Y	Y	Y	All match types — high-volume, need coverage

General match type rules:

Keyword Type	Recommended Match	Reason
Brand terms	Exact	Protect — don't waste spend on broad
High-intent solution	Exact + Phrase	Capture precisely, discover adjacent
Competitor terms	Exact + Phrase	Control the narrative
Problem-aware	Phrase + Broad (with negatives)	Cast wider net for top-of-funnel

2E: Keyword Scoring

Keyword	Est. Volume	Intent Strength	Competition	Priority
[keyword]	[H/M/L]	[High/Med/Low]	[H/M/L]	[1-5]

Priority scale:

• 5 = High intent + medium competition (sweet spot)
• 4 = High intent + high competition (important but expensive)
• 3 = Medium intent + low competition (good for budget stretch)
• 2 = Low intent + low competition (awareness only)
• 1 = Skip — too broad or irrelevant

2F: Quick Wins List

Identify the top 10 keywords to launch with — highest intent, manageable competition:

#	Keyword	Match Type	Intent	Competition	Why
1	[keyword]	Exact	Transactional	Medium	[Reason]

Phase 3: Campaign Structure

3A: Ad Group Design

Group keywords by theme and intent. Each ad group = one tight topic.

Structure template:

Campaign: [Product Name] — Search
+-- Ad Group: [Problem Keyword Theme 1]
|   +-- Keywords (5-15 per group)
|   +-- Ads (3 responsive search ads)
+-- Ad Group: [Problem Keyword Theme 2]
+-- Ad Group: [Solution Category]
+-- Ad Group: [Competitor Alternatives]
|   +-- "[Competitor A] alternative"
|   +-- "[Competitor B] alternative"
|   +-- "best [category] alternative"
+-- Ad Group: [Brand]
    +-- "[Your brand name]" (defense)

Rules:

• Max 15 keywords per ad group
• All keywords in an ad group should share a theme
• Each ad group gets its own landing page (if possible)
• Use the match type matrix from Phase 2D to assign match types

Phase 4: Ad Copy Generation

Per Ad Group: 3 Responsive Search Ads

Each RSA needs:

• 15 headlines (max 30 chars each)
• 4 descriptions (max 90 chars each)

Headline Framework (15 per ad group)

Slot	Purpose	Example
1-3	Keyword match — Include the search term	"AI Outbound Automation"
4-5	Value prop — Primary benefit	"10x Your Pipeline in 30 Days"
6-7	Social proof — Credibility	"Trusted by 500+ B2B Teams"
8-9	Differentiation — Why you vs alternatives	"No-Code Setup in 5 Minutes"
10-11	CTA — Action driver	"Start Free Trial Today"
12-13	Offer/Urgency — Incentive	"Free 14-Day Trial"
14-15	Trust/Risk reversal — Remove friction	"No Credit Card Required"

Description Framework (4 per ad group)

Slot	Purpose	Example
1	Feature-benefit — What + so what	"Automate personalized outbound emails so your team closes more deals without the manual work."
2	Pain-agitate — Problem + solution	"Tired of reps spending 4 hours on prospecting? Our AI handles it in minutes."
3	Social proof + CTA	"Join 500+ growth teams. Start your free trial — no credit card needed."
4	Differentiator + CTA	"Unlike legacy tools, [Product] works out of the box. See it in action — book a 15-min demo."

Phase 5: Negative Keywords

5A: Universal Negatives (Apply to all campaigns)

free (if not freemium)
jobs, careers, hiring, salary, internship
tutorial, course, certification, learn, how to become
review, reddit, quora, forum (if not desired)
login, support, help desk, documentation
download, open source (if not applicable)

5B: Category-Specific Negatives

Industry-specific terms that share words with your keywords but have wrong intent. Based on keyword research, add terms that would waste spend.

5C: Intent Negatives

Terms that indicate the searcher is not a buyer:

• Job seekers: "jobs", "careers", "hiring", "salary"
• Students: "tutorial", "course", "certification", "assignment"
• Support seekers: "login", "support", "help", "docs"

5D: Competitor Brand Negatives (Optional)

If NOT running competitor campaigns, negative-match competitor brand names to prevent waste. If you ARE running competitor campaigns, apply these as negatives only on non-competitor ad groups.

5E: Ad Group-Level Negatives

Cross-negative between ad groups to prevent internal keyword cannibalization. Each ad group should only trigger for its own theme.

Phase 6: Bid Strategy Recommendation

Budget Range	Recommended Strategy	Reason
< $1K/mo	Manual CPC or Max Clicks	Need data first — don't let Google optimize on nothing
$1K-5K/mo	Max Conversions (after 30+ conversions)	Enough data for Google's algo
$5K+/mo	Target CPA or Target ROAS	Optimize for efficiency at scale

First 2 weeks: Always start with Manual CPC or Max Clicks with a daily budget cap. Collect data before switching to automated bidding.

Budget Allocation by Funnel Stage

Funnel Stage	% of Budget	Reasoning
Brand defense	[X%]	Protect brand searches
Competitor capture	[X%]	High-intent, ready to switch
Solution-aware	[X%]	Category buyers — highest volume
Problem-aware	[X%]	Only if budget allows

Phase 7: Output Format

7A: Campaign Strategy Doc

# Google Search Ads Campaign — [Product Name] — [DATE]

## Campaign Overview
- **Goal:** [Conversions / Demos / Trials]
- **Monthly budget:** $[X]
- **Geographic targeting:** [Countries]
- **Bid strategy (start):** [Manual CPC / Max Clicks]
- **Bid strategy (after 30 conversions):** [Max Conversions / Target CPA]

## Research Summary
- Sources analyzed: [competitor SEO, G2/Capterra reviews, Reddit, Hacker News, site audit]
- Total keywords discovered: [N]
- After dedup + filtering: [N]
- Recommended for campaign: [N]

## Competitive Density Map

| Keyword Theme | Your Position | Top Competitors Bidding | Density | Recommendation |
|--------------|--------------|------------------------|---------|---------------|
| [Theme] | [Not bidding / Bidding] | [Names] | [H/M/L] | [Bid / Skip / Long-tail] |

## Campaign Structure
[Visual tree of campaigns -> ad groups]

## Keywords by Ad Group

### Ad Group: [Name]
**Landing page:** [URL]
| Keyword | Match Type | Funnel Stage | Intent | Priority |
|---------|-----------|-------------|--------|----------|
| [keyword] | Exact | Solution-aware | Commercial | High |
| [keyword] | Phrase | Problem-aware | Informational | Medium |

### Ad Group: [Name 2]
...

## Ad Copy

### Ad Group: [Name]
**RSA 1:**
Headlines: [list of 15]
Descriptions: [list of 4]

**RSA 2:** ...
**RSA 3:** ...

## Negative Keywords

### Campaign-Level Negatives
[List]

### Ad Group-Level Negatives
[Per ad group]

## Bid & Budget Recommendations
[Strategy + daily budget recommendation + funnel stage allocation]

## Quick Wins — Top 10 Launch Keywords
| # | Keyword | Match Type | Intent | Competition | Why |
|---|---------|-----------|--------|-------------|-----|
| 1 | [keyword] | Exact | Transactional | Medium | [Reason] |

## Launch Checklist
- [ ] Verify landing pages load and track conversions
- [ ] Set up conversion tracking (Google Tag / GA4)
- [ ] Confirm geographic targeting
- [ ] Set daily budget cap
- [ ] Review ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)
- [ ] Enable search term report review (weekly)

7B: Google Ads Editor Import CSV

Generate a CSV file importable into Google Ads Editor:

Campaign,Ad Group,Keyword,Match Type,Max CPC,Final URL,Headline 1,Headline 2,Headline 3,Description 1,Description 2

Save strategy doc to google-search-campaign-[YYYY-MM-DD].md in the current working directory (or user-specified path). Save CSV to google-ads-import-[YYYY-MM-DD].csv in the current working directory (or user-specified path).

Cost

Component	Cost
Keyword research (web search)	Free
Review mining (web search)	Free
Reddit scraping (Apify, if used)	~$0.05-0.10
HN Algolia API	Free
Site content audit (fetch_webpage)	Free
Ad copy generation	Free (LLM reasoning)
CSV generation	Free
Total	Free-$0.10

Tools Required

• web_search — for keyword research, competitor analysis, review mining, Reddit mining
• fetch_webpage — for landing page review, competitor page analysis, site content audit
• HN Algolia API — https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search (free, no key needed)
• Optional: Apify Reddit scraper — requires APIFY_API_TOKEN env var

Trigger Phrases

• "Set up Google Search Ads for [product]"
• "Build a PPC campaign"
• "Create Google Ads for our product"
• "I need search ad keywords and copy"
• "Generate a Google Ads Editor import file"
• "Do keyword research for Google Ads"
• "What keywords should we bid on?"
• "Build a keyword architecture for [product]"
• "Find high-intent search keywords"