Google Ads for Beginners: From Zero Clicks to Small Wins!

Google Ads: One Week, One Win, One “Oops”—What I Learned as a Beginner

So, I just finished running a one-week Google Ads campaign for a small business project. And let me tell you—it was a wild ride of clicks, confusion, and a healthy dose of “Oh no, what did I do?

We started simple:
One campaign, two ad groups.
The goal? Promote distillery tours and gin online sales.

Guess what happened?

One ad worked. The other? Absolutely nothing.

The Distillery Tours ad got some attention. People clicked, one person even booked a tour. Success!
Meanwhile, the Gin Sales ad? It just sat there. No clicks. Not even a curious accidental one.
Only 11 impressions and… that’s it.

At first, I thought, “Okay, maybe people just aren’t in the mood for gin this week?” But nah. It was my setup.

Time to rethink: Split campaigns, smarter targeting

We decided to switch things up.
First, we split the ad groups into two separate campaigns—one dedicated to tours, the other just for gin sales. It gave us better control, clearer focus, and honestly, it just made more sense.

Second, we changed the location targeting. Initially, we treated everyone the same. But people in Ireland looking to book a weekend tour are not the same as someone in another country just trying to order a bottle.
Different goals need different messages.

After those changes? Things started to make sense. The numbers improved. Clicks came in. One “oops” turned into one “aha.”

So, what did I actually learn?

Google Ads is not “set it and forget it.” It’s more like “set it, watch it, panic a little, adjust it, test again.”

Seriously though—here are my personal takeaways:

Don’t try to do too much in one campaign. One goal per campaign works best.

Location targeting matters. More than I expected.

Keep checking and adjusting. Even in a short campaign, small changes make a difference.

And yes, your first try might flop. Totally normal.

Now I’m curious—what’s your secret?

This was just my first hands-on campaign, but I’d love to hear how others approach Google Ads.

Do you run separate campaigns for each product? How do you keep the budget under control? Ever had a “zero-click” moment like me?

Let’s swap ideas! Drop your thoughts in the comments or shoot me a message. I’m still learning—and I know there’s always a better way to do it.

Until next time,
Juniya