Run this top to bottom before a campaign spends its first dollar. Every item traces to a section of the Google Ads for Owners guide — the checklist is the guide with checkboxes.

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Before the account (the parts that aren't Google Ads)

Break-even per lead and per click computed from your real marginWithout it, no result can be judged — you don't know what a lead is allowed to cost.
Dedicated landing page whose H1 restates the ad's promiseSending paid clicks to your homepage is the most expensive common mistake in local PPC.
Conversion fires on the thank-you page (or confirmed submit) — tested with a real submission, counted exactly onceClick-based counting inflates; double tags corrupt bidding forever.
Calls tracked (call asset or forwarding number) if the phone matters to youFor most service businesses, half the conversions are calls — invisible without this.
Someone owns responding to leads within minutes, with a backup, after-hours plan decidedAds that feed slow follow-up pay full price to lose the race.

Account settings (the silent budget leaks)

Location targeting set to PRESENCE — people in your area, not 'interested in' itThe default quietly includes searchers anywhere on earth thinking about your city.
Search Network only — Display Network and search partners unchecked at launchDisplay spend hides inside search campaigns via this default.
Keywords in phrase or exact match; zero broad match at launchBroad match earns its place only after conversion history can steer it.
Negative keyword list loaded before launch (jobs, DIY, free, cheap, wrong cities)The universal junk is predictable — pre-block it instead of buying it first.
Bidding starts on manual CPC or maximize clicks with a bid cap — not target CPA on day oneAutomated targets need conversion history you don't have yet.
Ad schedule matches your ability to answer (or after-hours plan exists)A 9pm lead nobody answers until 8am belonged to a competitor by 9:15.

The ads

One tight theme per ad group; every keyword in the group could share one headlineMixed themes make message match impossible — for the ad and the page.
Headlines echo the search; at least 8 genuinely different angles; all within character limitsThe algorithm can only test variety you actually provide.
Sitelinks, callouts, and call asset filled in with true contentFree ad real estate; skipping it hands rivals a bigger ad at the same bid.
Final URLs carry your UTM conventionEvery lead should arrive stamped with the campaign that produced it.

The first two weeks

Weekly search-terms review on the calendar (a real recurring slot)The optimization that actually works, and the first thing busy owners skip.
Agreed with yourself: no structural edits for 14 days, whatever the daily numbers doEarly data swings wildly; reacting to day 3 destroys the learning you're paying for.
Auto-apply recommendations turned OFFGoogle's suggestions serve Google's revenue more reliably than yours.

Progress saves in your browser only — nothing leaves this page. Print it, share the link, run it as many times as you launch.

Google Ads Launch Checklist

Before the account (the parts that aren't Google Ads)

Account settings (the silent budget leaks)

The ads

The first two weeks