Google Ads Field Manual

Google Ads is Google's advertising system. On the search results page, the top and bottom results marked "Sponsored" are ads. Businesses pay Google to show them there.

For a search campaign, you choose the search words you want to show up for, write a short text ad, and say how much you are willing to pay. You pay only when someone clicks the ad. If the ad shows but nobody clicks, it costs nothing.

The auction, in plain words

Every time someone searches, for example ataşehir oto servis, Google runs a quick auction. All advertisers whose keywords fit that search take part. The auction takes a fraction of a second and happens again for every single search.

The auction does not simply pick the highest bidder. It gives each ad a score called Ad Rank. Ad Rank decides whether your ad shows at all, and in which position.

Google lists six things that feed Ad Rank:

1. Your bid: the most you will pay for a click.
2. Ad and landing page quality: how relevant and useful your ad and the page behind it are. The landing page is the page of your website people arrive on after the click.
3. Ad Rank thresholds: the minimum quality an ad needs to show at all.
4. Competitiveness of the auction: how close you are to the advertisers around you.
5. Context of the search: the person's location, device, time of day, the exact words, and other signals.
6. Expected impact of assets: extra information such as your phone number, address or extra links (Module 05 covers these).

Google says two important things about this. You often pay less than your maximum bid. And higher-quality ads usually get lower CPCs. That second point is the most useful idea in this whole manual: a relevant ad and a good page save you money.

Quality Score: your report card

Quality Score is a number from 1 to 10 that Google shows for each keyword. It tells you how your ad and page compare with other advertisers on the same searches.

Google calls it a diagnostic tool. It is not an input in the auction itself. The auction uses real-time quality signals. Think of Quality Score as a report card that summarises them, so you know where to improve.

It has three parts. Each is rated Above average, Average or Below average, compared with other advertisers over the last 90 days:

A new keyword shows "—" instead of a number until enough people have searched for exactly that keyword.

Google's own advice for improving it: group keywords by tight themes, use the searcher's words in your ads, make a clear offer with a call to action, and send people to a matching page that is fast and works well on a phone.

Worked example: how quality beats money

Google does not publish its Ad Rank formula. Courses teach a simple version to show the idea: Ad Rank ≈ max bid × quality. Treat it as a teaching model only; the real auction also uses thresholds, context and assets.

Three shops bid on the same search. The numbers are illustrative.

Three lessons from this example:

• Kaya wins the top position even though Competitor B bids 50% more.
• Kaya pays only enough to beat the ad below it, about ₺15.01, not its ₺20 maximum.
• Improving quality is often cheaper than raising your bid.

A Google Ads account works like a set of folders inside folders. Each level controls different settings. Getting this right on day one makes everything later easier: reports are clearer, ads are more relevant and you can move money to what works.

Kaya's first structure

The rule is simple: one ad group per service. Each ad group gets keywords about that one service, an ad about that one service, and a link to that service's page. This is what "tight themes" means in Google's Quality Score advice.

Why keep the brand campaign separate? Searches for your own name ("kaya oto servis") are people who already know you. They click more and cost less. If you mix them into the services campaign, they make the numbers look better than they are. Keep them apart so you can see what new-customer searches really cost.

When you create a campaign, Google asks you to choose a campaign type. The type decides where your ads appear (search results, YouTube, websites, Maps) and how much control you keep. Some types let you choose almost everything; others hand most decisions to Google's automation.

For a local repair shop, the most valuable moment is when someone actively searches for a service: "fren tamiri", "oto servis yakınımda". Their car has a problem now. That is called high intent, and Search campaigns capture exactly that moment.

AI Max for Search, briefly

AI Max is a switch inside a Search campaign, announced in May 2025. It adds three features:

• Search term matching: uses broad match and "keywordless" technology to find searches beyond your keywords.
• Text customization: writes extra headlines and descriptions from your ads, website and keywords.
• Final URL expansion: sends people to the page on your site it predicts will work best.

You get controls such as brand inclusions/exclusions and URL inclusions/exclusions. Google says AI Max will not work well on budget-limited campaigns. Google also claims advertisers typically see 14% more conversions at a similar cost per conversion. That is Google's own figure, not independent data.

Google is moving the older Dynamic Search Ads into AI Max. The automatic upgrade of those was postponed to February 2027. Some campaigns that use automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match were scheduled to be upgraded in September 2026, so check your campaign settings to see whether AI Max is on.

A sensible order for a beginner

1. Weeks 0–8: one Search campaign, linked to your Google Business Profile, with a call asset and conversion tracking.
2. When conversions are steady: switch to a conversion-based bid strategy (Module 08), then test AI Max as an experiment.
3. Later: a Performance Max campaign with lead goals, using brand exclusions and negatives. Optionally a small YouTube or Demand Gen campaign for seasonal offers.

A keyword is not the search itself. It is a rule you give Google: "show my ad for searches like this". The match type tells Google how loosely or strictly to apply that rule. The person's actual words are called the search term.

The three match types

Which keywords? Think in intents

Not every search is worth the same. Someone typing "fren balatası değişimi" (brake pad replacement) is close to booking. Someone typing "fren sesi neden gelir" (why do brakes squeak) is curious. Group keywords by intent:

Start with the urgent, service-specific and maintenance rows. Informational searches are usually better served by blog content and SEO (see the SEO Field Manual) than by paid clicks.

Negative keywords: words that block your ad

A negative keyword tells Google: "never show my ad when the search contains this". It is how you stop paying for people looking for a mechanic's job, a DIY video or a second-hand car.

• Negative broad (default): blocks a search if it contains all the negative's words, in any order.
• Negative phrase: blocks searches containing those words in that order.
• Negative exact: blocks only that exact search.

A starter negative list for a car repair shop. Adapt it: never block a word for a service you actually offer.

English negatives work the same way, for example jobs, salary, how to, diy, course, used, for sale, if you also target English searches.

Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner is a free tool inside Google Ads. It gives you:

• Keyword ideas from a word or your website address.
• Monthly search estimates and competition level.
• The top-of-page bid range (low and high): what advertisers typically paid to appear at the top. This is your best local CPC estimate.
• Forecasts of clicks and conversions for a given budget, refreshed daily from the last 7–10 days.

You need billing set up for full access. Accounts with little or no spend may see search volumes only as broad ranges.

The search terms report: the truth

The search terms report lists the actual searches that triggered your ads. It is where you discover that "fren tamiri" also matched "fren tamiri usta maaşı".

Review it at least weekly in the first months:

• Irrelevant search → add it (or its key word) as a negative.
• Good search that brought leads → add it as a new phrase or exact keyword.

The standard text ad on Google Search today is the responsive search ad (RSA). You don't write one fixed ad. You write a set of headlines and descriptions, and Google mixes them for each search, testing which combinations work best. Each time the ad shows, only some of your headlines and descriptions appear.

Kaya's brake ad: 15 headlines, 4 descriptions

Ad group Fren · Final URL kayaotoservis.example/fren-servisi (example address) · Path /fren-servisi/atasehir. Character counts are checked; all fit the limits.

What it might look like

Generic preview · not a real Google screenshot · layout varies

The blue links under the description are sitelinks; the address line comes from the location asset. Both are assets, explained next.

Copy tips

• Put the service + area in at least 2–3 headlines ("Ataşehir Fren Servisi"). This helps ad relevance.
• Give a reason to choose you: speed, warranty, clear pricing, team size, reviews.
• Include a call to action: "Randevu alın" (book), "Hemen arayın" (call now).
• Make headlines work in any order; Google combines them.
• Send each ad group to its matching service page, not the home page (Module 06).

Assets: make the ad bigger and more useful

Assets add information to your ad. They take up more space, give people more reasons to click, and Google counts their expected impact in Ad Rank (Module 01).

The landing page is the page people arrive on after clicking your ad. You pay for the click either way. Whether that click becomes a phone call depends almost entirely on this page.

It also affects your price. Landing page experience is one of the three parts of Quality Score (Module 01). A relevant, fast, mobile-friendly page helps you win auctions at a lower CPC.

Message match

Message match means the page continues the exact conversation the search and the ad started. Someone searched "fren balatası değişimi", saw an ad saying "Fren Balatası Değişimi", and should land on a page whose headline is about brake pads, not on the home page with a slider about tyre storage.

What a good service page has

• A headline that repeats the service and area: "Ataşehir'de Fren Balatası ve Disk Değişimi".
• A sticky call button and a WhatsApp button that stay visible while scrolling on a phone.
• A price or price range ("… ₺'den başlayan") and what is included.
• Real photos of the workshop and team, a warranty note, and the steps ("we call you with the price before starting").
• Reviews from real customers (link or excerpt from your Google profile).
• Address, map, opening hours and a "Yol tarifi al" (get directions) link.
• A short appointment form that leads to a thank-you page (needed for tracking in Module 09).
• Fast loading on mobile data; no huge images or pop-ups covering the call button.
• Every claim in your ads ("aynı gün", "garanti", "ücretsiz kontrol") also stated on the page.

Your landing pages also do SEO work. The SEO Field Manual covers how to write service pages that rank on their own.

Most wasted money in a first campaign does not come from bad ads. It comes from default settings nobody checked. These settings are all at the campaign level (Module 02).

Location: presence, not interest

Google offers two options under Locations → Location options:

Location exclusions always work on presence. The old "search interest" option no longer exists.

Radius or districts? Draw a radius of, for example, 5–15 km around the shop, or target districts (ilçe) by name. In a big city, district targeting plus a radius often works better than a whole province (il). You can see later which areas brought leads and adjust.

Networks: search only

A Search campaign can also show ads on two extra networks:

• Google Search Partners: other sites that show Google search ads. Included by default in new Search campaigns. Untick "Include Google search partners".
• Display Network: banner placements on websites and apps. Practitioners report it is often ticked during creation. Untick it too.

For a first campaign, you want clean data from Google Search only. You can re-enable Search Partners later as a controlled test.

Language, schedule and devices

• Language: Turkish, plus English only if you serve English-speaking customers and write English ads too. Google works out a person's language from signals such as their settings and the language they search in, not from your keyword language; check Google's help page on language targeting for details.
• Ad schedule: show ads when someone can answer the phone. At minimum, schedule the call asset for opening hours only.
• Devices: most urgent local searches happen on mobile. Make sure the landing page has a tap-to-call button before you think about device bid changes.

Auto-applied recommendations

Google shows recommendations in your account: add keywords, raise budgets, change bidding. Some accounts have auto-apply switched on, which means Google makes the change for you. Auto-apply can cover ads and assets, bidding, and keywords and targeting (for example "Add broad match keywords").

• Go to Recommendations → Auto-apply and turn off anything that adds keywords, changes match types or changes bidding.
• Check the History tab to see what was applied.
• Read recommendations weekly and apply only what makes sense to you.

How the daily budget works

You set an average daily budget per campaign. Two rules matter:

• On any one day, a campaign may spend up to 2× its average daily budget, to catch busy days.
• Over a month, you are not charged more than 30.4 × the daily budget (30.4 is the average number of days in a month).

So you plan monthly and divide: monthly budget ÷ 30.4 = daily budget. Example: ₺9,120 a month ÷ 30.4 = ₺300 a day. Some days will spend up to ₺600, but the month stays at or under ₺9,120 of media spend.

Bidding strategies

The bidding strategy tells Google what to aim for when it sets your bid in each auction. Automated strategies that aim for conversions are called Smart Bidding. A conversion is an action you count as valuable, such as a call or a booking form (Module 09 sets these up).

Why this order? Smart Bidding learns from your conversions. With no data it has nothing to learn from, so you start by buying clicks at a controlled price. Once you have a few weeks of tracked leads, Google can find more people like the ones who called. Practitioners suggest setting a first Target CPA a little above (for example 10–20% above) your real CPA, so Google is not starved; treat that as a starting point to test.

What Google Ads really costs in Türkiye

Accounts served from Türkiye are billed by Google Reklamcılık ve Pazarlama Ltd. Şti. (Google Türkiye). Two charges are added on top of what your clicks cost:

• Regulatory operating cost: 4.5% on ads served in Türkiye, from 1 January 2026 (it was 7%). It is Google passing on the digital services tax. It appears as a separate line on the invoice and is itself subject to KDV.
• KDV (VAT) at Türkiye's standard rate, currently 20%, on the total.

Payment is usually by credit or debit card; bank transfer is reported as possible, and PayPal is reported as not available in Türkiye. Check Billing → Payment methods in your account, because options depend on your address and currency.

What do clicks cost? Benchmarks, with care

There is no reliable published CPC figure for car repair in Türkiye. The best public benchmarks are American:

Read these as a range and for the shape, not the price: repair searches convert well (around 15% of clicks become leads in the US data), because people searching for a repair need one. Turkish CPCs differ from US dollar figures. One Turkish agency blog gives an average Google Ads CPC of about $0.65 in Türkiye, but with no auto-repair figure and no clear method, so treat it as a rough indication only. Use Keyword Planner's top-of-page bid range for your district and keywords.

Working out a starting budget

Start from the number of leads you want, not from a round number:

Clicks needed = target leads ÷ conversion rate
Monthly media budget = clicks needed × expected CPC
Daily budget = monthly ÷ 30.4

A lead here means a tracked call tap, WhatsApp click or form. Not every lead becomes a paying job; Module 09 shows how to count those.

A conversion is an action you count as valuable: a phone call, a WhatsApp chat, a booking form. Conversion tracking tells Google Ads which clicks led to these actions. Without it you only know you spent money; with it you know which keywords and ads bring customers. It is also the fuel for the Smart Bidding strategies in Module 08.

What Kaya counts

Calls in Türkiye: the workaround

So, in practice:

• Treat ad call conversions as call-button clicks, not completed calls.
• Track taps on the phone number on your mobile site with a tag.
• Compare both with the shop's real call log. Ask every caller "Bizi nereden duydunuz?" (where did you hear about us?).
• Optional: use a separate virtual number (from a sanal santral, cloud phone provider) only in Google Ads. The phone system's log then shows calls from ads.

How the pieces connect

The tools, one by one

• Google tag (gtag.js, or installed via Google Tag Manager) goes on every page of the site. Conversion events for form, phone tap and WhatsApp tap are built on top of it.
• GA4 import: if Google Analytics 4 is set up, you can import its key events (GA4's name for important actions, renamed from "conversions" in 2024) into Google Ads instead of using the Ads tag. Link the accounts and keep auto-tagging on. Don't make both the Ads tag and the GA4 import primary for the same action, or you count it twice.
• Enhanced conversions: sends hashed (scrambled) email or phone from your form to improve matching. Since April 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads are being unified into one setting.
• Offline conversion import (later stage): record which leads became paid jobs, with their value, and upload them. Smart Bidding then optimises for real jobs, not just taps. Auto-tagging (GCLID) must be on. For developers: since 15 June 2026, these uploads go through the Data Manager API.

Everything from Modules 01–09 now comes together. Follow the steps in order. Menu names in Google Ads change from time to time; if a label differs, search for it in the account's search bar.

1. Create the account. Go to ads.google.com and sign in with a Google account the business owns (not a staff member's personal email). If the guided setup steers you toward a simplified Smart campaign (Module 03), make sure you end up creating a Search campaign instead. Choose TRY as currency and Europe/Istanbul as time zone. The currency can't be changed later, and changing the time zone afterwards is restricted and muddles your reports, so get both right now.
2. Set up billing. Add the business details and a payment method under Billing. Invoices come from Google Türkiye with KDV and the 4.5% regulatory cost (Module 08).
3. Complete advertiser verification. Google requires business and identity documents. Have your vergi levhası (tax certificate) or ticaret sicil (trade registry) documents ready; the exact list appears in the account. In Türkiye, the Ads Transparency Center shows the advertiser and paying entity.
4. Link accounts. Link your Google Business Profile (for location assets) and GA4. Install the Google tag on every page, with the consent banner in place.
5. Create conversion actions. Form, phone tap, WhatsApp tap as primary; directions as secondary. Test each one yourself on a phone and check that it registers (Module 09).
6. Create the Search campaign. Goal: Leads. Type: Search. Networks: untick Search Partners and Display. Location: 10 km radius or districts, Presence. Language: Turkish. Schedule: opening hours. AI Max: off for now.
7. Set budget and bidding. Daily budget = monthly ÷ 30.4. Bidding: Maximize clicks with a max CPC cap from Keyword Planner (or Manual CPC).
8. Build ad groups. 4–7 ad groups by service, each with 5–15 phrase and exact keywords, including district and "yakınımda" (near me) variants.
9. Add negatives. Create the shared negative list (Module 04) and apply it to the campaign.
10. Write ads. One RSA per ad group, rated Good or Excellent, pointing to its own service page.
11. Add assets. Call (scheduled), location (GBP), 4+ sitelinks, 4+ callouts, a structured snippet, real images.
12. Check auto-apply. In Recommendations, turn off auto-apply for anything that adds keywords or changes bidding.
13. Publish and wait for review. Ads go through a policy review before they can show. Check the status column for "Eligible" or any "Disapproved" message the next day.

Pre-launch checklist

• Account in TRY, time zone Europe/Istanbul, owned by a business Google account
• Billing set up; advertiser verification started or done
• Google Business Profile linked; location asset shows the correct address
• Google tag on every page; consent banner working
• Form, phone-tap and WhatsApp-tap conversions tested on a real phone
• Search Partners and Display Network unticked
• Location option set to Presence; radius or districts correct
• Ad schedule matches the hours someone answers the phone
• Keywords in phrase/exact; shared negative list applied
• Each ad group links to its own service page; all ad claims appear on that page
• Call asset, sitelinks, callouts, structured snippet and images added
• Auto-apply recommendations reviewed; risky ones off
• Lead sheet ready; staff ask "Bizi nereden duydunuz?"

Clear checklist ticks

Key metrics

Your routine

When X happens, do Y

Microsoft Advertising shows search ads on Bing and Microsoft's partner sites. It is organised much like Google Ads, and it can import your Google Ads campaigns directly.

• Availability: a Türkiye-based account can reportedly be opened and Turkish is reported as a supported ad language (per a Turkish agency guide). Microsoft lists Turkish Lira but notes it is "not yet available for everyone". Check at signup.
• Google import: Microsoft Advertising can import campaigns, ads, targeting, assets, settings and budgets from Google Ads, once or on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly). Not everything carries over, so review everything after importing.
• Tracking: it uses its own conversion tag (UET). You need it only if you run Bing ads.

Common beginner mistakes

Ten mistakes that waste the most money in a first campaign, each with the module that fixes it.

Case studies

No verifiable Türkiye auto-repair Google Ads case study with published numbers was found during research for this course. The examples below are from the US. They are self-reported marketing material by agencies or vendors, not independent audits. Read them for what was done, not for the exact numbers.

Glossary

Ad group

One theme inside a campaign (e.g. one service), holding its keywords and ads.

Ad Rank

The score Google calculates in each auction from bid, quality, thresholds, competition, context and assets. Decides if and where your ad shows.

Ad Strength

A rating (Poor to Excellent) of the variety and relevance of an RSA's headlines and descriptions.

AI Max for Search

An optional layer on a Search campaign (2025) with broader query matching, generated text and automatic landing pages.

Asset

Extra information on an ad: call, location, sitelinks, callouts, snippets, images. Formerly "extension".

Auto-tagging / GCLID

Google Ads adds a click ID (GCLID) to your landing page link, so conversions can be traced back to the click.

Campaign

A container with its own budget, bidding, networks, locations, language and schedule.

Conversion

An action you count as valuable, e.g. a form, phone tap or WhatsApp tap. Primary ones drive bidding.

CPA

Cost per acquisition (per conversion) = cost ÷ conversions.

CPC

Cost per click. Max CPC is the most you'll pay for a click.

CTR

Click-through rate = clicks ÷ impressions.

Enhanced conversions

Sends hashed email or phone from your form to improve conversion matching.

Impression share (IS)

Impressions received ÷ impressions you were eligible for. Lost IS splits into budget and rank.

KDV

Turkish VAT; 20% standard rate, added to Google Türkiye invoices.

Key event

GA4's name for an important action (formerly "conversion" in GA4).

Keyword

A word or phrase that tells Google which searches may show your ad.

Landing page

The page people arrive on after clicking your ad.

Match type

How loosely a keyword matches searches: broad, phrase or exact.

Negative keyword

A word that stops your ad from showing. Does not match close variants.

Performance Max

A goal-based campaign that runs across all Google channels, with Google choosing placements.

Presence

Location option that reaches only people physically or regularly in your target area.

Quality Score

A 1–10 diagnostic per keyword, from expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience.

Regulatory operating cost

Google's 4.5% surcharge on ads served in Türkiye (from 1 Jan 2026), shown as a separate invoice line.

RSA

Responsive search ad: up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions that Google combines.

Search Partners

Non-Google sites showing Google search ads. On by default in new Search campaigns.

Search term

What a person actually typed. Seen in the search terms report.

Smart Bidding

Automated bid strategies that aim for conversions or value (Maximize conversions, Target CPA, Target ROAS).

Sources

1. Google Ads Help — About Ad Rank: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722122
2. Google Ads Help — About Quality Score: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118
3. Google Ads Help — 5 ways to use Quality Score: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167130
4. Google Ads Help — About assets: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7331111
5. Google Ads Help — About location assets: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2404182; Link your GBP: answer/13450314
6. Google Ads Help — Highlights of 2025 (PMax negatives, search terms): support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16756291
7. Google — Demand Gen: business.google.com; Video Action → Demand Gen: answer/15110871
8. Google Ads Help — How Smart campaigns work: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7652860
9. Google Ads Help — Transition from call ads to call assets: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16598240
10. Google — Local Services Ads availability: support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841
11. Google Ads Help — How AI Max works: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910187
12. Search Engine Land — AI Max for Search: searchengineland.com
13. Google blog — DSA upgrade to AI Max (2026): blog.google
14. Google Ads Help — About keyword matching options: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7478529
15. Google Ads Help — About negative keywords: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2453972
16. Google Ads Help — About Keyword Planner: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243
17. Google Ads Help — About responsive search ads: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7684791
18. Google Ads Help — Advanced location options: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722038
19. Google Ads Help — About the Google Search Network (Search Partners): support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722047
20. Google Ads Help — About average daily budgets: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375423
21. Google Ads Help — Choosing a bid strategy: answer/2472725; About Maximize conversions: answer/7381968; Phone call conversions (learning period): answer/16559798
22. Google Ads Help — Google forwarding numbers: answer/2382961; Call reporting: answer/2454052; Website calls: answer/6095883; Track call clicks: answer/13768416
23. Google Ads Help — Enhanced conversions for leads: answer/11021502; Offline imports: answer/2998031; Auto-tagging: answer/3095550
24. Google Analytics Help — Key events vs conversions: support.google.com/analytics/answer/13965727
25. Google Ads Yardım — Ülkenizdeki vergiler: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375370?hl=tr
26. Google Ads Yardım — Yargı alanına özel ek ücretler: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9750227?hl=tr
27. EY Tax News — Türkiye DST rates 2026/2027: taxnews.ey.com
28. Practitioner sources on TRY currency and payment methods: seydaasan.com.tr; bursayazilim.com
29. WordStream — 2026 Google Ads Benchmarks: wordstream.com
30. LocaliQ — Automotive Search Advertising Benchmarks 2026: localiq.com
31. 212 Medya — Türkiye Google Ads click costs 2026 (indicative only): 212medya.com.tr
32. Google Ads Help — Impression share: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7103314
33. Google Ads Help — Applying recommendations automatically: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10279006
34. Google Ads Policy — Ads transparency, Türkiye: support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/13733850
35. Microsoft Learn — Currencies: learn.microsoft.com; Google Ads import: learn.microsoft.com
36. GreatAds — Microsoft Advertising guide (Türkiye): greatads.com.tr
37. StatCounter — Search engine market share, Türkiye (Sep 2026): gs.statcounter.com; Platform share (mobile): gs.statcounter.com
38. Case studies: Lasso Up; LinkNow Media; LocaliQ — Empire Auto Spa; KUKUI