Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Google Ads for Financial Advisors

Google Ads is one of the most powerful tools financial advisors can use to attract qualified prospects online. After all, Google captures over 90% of all search engine traffic, making it the go-to search engine for people seeking financial guidance.

And unlike search engine optimization (SEO), which can take months to gain momentum, Google Ads can place your firm at the top of the search results almost instantly. Even so, many advisors shy away from creating their own campaigns, assuming the setup process is too technical, too expensive, or overly complex.

The reality? When you understand the steps involved, Google Ads is far more approachable than it seems. Below, we’ll break down the setup process step-by-step and explain how the right support can help you launch campaigns confidently, compliantly, and cost-effectively.

What Are Google Ads For Financial Advisors and How Do They Work?

Google Ads is Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that allows businesses to pay for prime placements across Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and the broader Google Display Network.

When someone types a query into Google, the platform instantly runs a real-time auction to determine which ads will appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Google evaluates advertisers targeting various keywords based on their:

• Bid amount – How much the advertiser is willing to pay for a click.
• Quality score – How relevant and helpful Google believes the ad and landing page will be to the user.

Google uses these factors to determine advertisers’ Ad Rank, and only the ads with the strongest Ad Rank win the top placements. With the right strategy, you can use this system to appear in front of high-intent prospects at the exact moment they’re actively searching for financial guidance online.

Google Ads Compliance Considerations for RIAs

Before we dive into the campaign process, it’s important to note that financial services is a highly regulated industry. Thus, you should always coordinate with your compliance department before launching a new Google Ads campaign.

According to the SEC’s Marketing Rule, your ads must avoid any misleading or promissory language, including guarantees of performance or implied outcomes. If you use testimonials, they must include clear disclosures explaining who provided them, whether they were compensated, and any relevant conflicts of interest.

Learn More: Your 2025 Financial Advisor Marketing Plan: 10 Steps to Success

11 Steps to Set Up a Financial Advisor Google Ads Campaign

With these compliance considerations in mind, let’s dive into the 11 steps involved in creating a successful Google Ads campaign.

Step 1: Create Your Google Ads Account

If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to make a Google Ads account for your firm. This process is quick and easy. All you need to do is:

1. Go to ads.google.com.
2. Sign in with your Google Workspace or Gmail account.
3. Enter your business name, website URL, and billing information.
4. When prompted, switch to Expert Mode to bypass Google’s automated “Smart Campaigns,” which are typically too broad and generic for financial advisors.
5. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the main dashboard tabs (Campaigns, Ads & Assets, Keywords, Audiences, Settings, and Tools & Billing), as these are the areas you’ll use most when creating and managing campaigns.

Step 2: Define Your Campaign Goals

After you create your account, Google will prompt you to choose a campaign goal. Your goal selection helps Google optimize your ads and determine your bidding strategies.

Financial advisors typically choose from the following goal options:

• Lead generation – This is the most common choice for financial advisors. It helps optimize your campaign to drive more form fills, booked calls, and landing-page conversions.
• Website traffic – This goal is a great option for early-stage campaigns when you want to drive visitors to your site so you can test messaging, evaluate keyword performance, or gather data before shifting to a lead-generation focus.
• Brand awareness – This goal is less common for financial advisors, but it can be useful if you operate in a competitive metro area, are rebranding your firm, or attempting to boost your local visibility.

Learn More: How to Attract and Retain Clients as a Financial Advisor

Step 3: Set Your Advertising Budget

Google Ads lets you set precise spending limits. This is particularly important for advisors, since financial services is one of the most expensive categories on the platform. While the average Google Search cost-per-click (CPC) is roughly $2.69, advisor-related keywords often exceed $4 per click.

To ensure you have sufficient funds to get your campaign off the ground, consider following this budgeting benchmark:

• $300–$600/month for initial testing
• $750–$1,500/month for steady lead flow
• $2,000+/month if your firm operates in a competitive metro area

Learn More: Digital Marketing for Financial Advisors: How to Generate Leads Online in 2026

Step 4: Choose Your Campaign Type

After determining your budget, the next step is selecting your campaign format. Financial advisors often have the greatest success with the following options:

• Search campaigns – These text ads appear at the top of Google’s search results when someone types in specific keywords. They’re the most effective option for high-intent searches and local or niche queries, like “fiduciary advisor near me” or “financial planner for engineers.”
• Display campaigns – These visual banner ads are shown across Google’s network of partner websites. They’re best suited for brand awareness and remarketing campaigns, as they can help you stay top-of-mind with prospects who have already visited your website.
• Video campaigns – These short video ads play before, during, or after YouTube videos. They work well if you produce educational content on YouTube or want to build visibility with video-focused prospects.

Learn More: Short-Form Content Marketing for Financial Advisors

Step 5: Set Up Your Geographic Targeting

Next, you need to choose where you want your ads to appear. Google Ads offers several ways to target your ideal locations. For example, you can restrict your ads to:

• Specific cities
• Counties
• ZIP codes
• A radius around your office
• Multiple metro areas

You can also run a nationwide campaign if your firm serves clients across the country. However, it’s far more cost-effective to focus your targeting on locations where your ideal prospects actually live and are most likely to convert.

Step 6: Refine Your Audience Targeting

After setting your location targeting, it’s time to narrow down what types of people will see your ads. Google allows you to tailor your audience so you allocate your ad spend to qualified prospects—not random searchers.

You can filter your audience based on:

• Age ranges
• Household income brackets (as allowed by Google’s data)
• Major life events (retirement, marriage, new job, etc.)
• In-market financial behaviors (people actively researching financial services)
• Device type (mobile vs. desktop)
• Interests and affinity categories

While audience targeting is optional for Search Campaigns, it can significantly reduce wasted clicks. After all, if your ideal clients are 45–65-year-old executives, there’s no need to pay for clicks from 18-year-olds or retirees searching for free budgeting help.

Step 7: Choose Your Keywords

With your targeting in place, it’s time to tackle the most crucial step: choosing your keywords. The right keyword mix ensures your ads reach high-intent prospects who are actively looking for the services you provide.

For the best results, build a balanced keyword list that includes:

• Local keywords, such as “financial advisor Denver” or “fee-only planner in Austin.”
• Niche keywords, like “financial advisor for physicians” or “Medicare planning.”
• Long-tail keywords, like “best fiduciary advisor for small business owners.”

Learn More: From Google Maps to New Clients: How to Master Local SEO for Financial Advisors

How to Research Financial Advisor Keywords

Start by asking yourself what your ideal clients would type into Google if they were actively looking for an advisor and brainstorm 10 to 20 phrases that reflect your niche, location, and services. Next, enter these ideas into Google’s Keyword Planner. This helpful tool will:

• Suggest additional keyword variations
• Show each keyword’s estimated CPC
• Display each keyword’s average monthly search volume

When evaluating keywords, avoid choosing terms solely because they’re popular. These high-volume keywords are typically the most expensive and the least specific. Instead, look for keywords that strike the right balance between search volume, cost, and intent.

Long-tail keywords (which contain four words or more) usually cost less per click, face less competition, and attract prospects who are closer to making a decision. As a result, they tend to deliver stronger, more cost-effective conversions than broad phrases like “financial advisor.”Step 8: Select Your Keyword Match Types

As you add keywords to your campaign, Google requires you to select a match type, which determines how closely a user’s search must align with your keyword for your ad to appear.

• Exact match ads only show searches for your exact keyword. For example, if your keyword is “financial advisor for dentists,” your ad may show up for “financial advisor for dentists” searches, but not those for “advisor for dentists.” This match type is best for niche advisors and highly targeted searches. It’s also the most effective for controlling your campaign costs.
• Phrase match ads appear when someone searches a phrase that has the same meaning as your chosen keyword. For instance, a search for “fee-only financial advisor Denver” may still show up for a “fee-only advisor in Denver” search, since the omission of the word “in” doesn’t alter the phrase’s meaning. Phrase match is a popular option for location-based searches and mid-budget campaigns.
• Broad match ads boast the highest reach, but they also introduce the greatest risk. These ads appear for searches that are loosely related to your keyword. For example, your “financial advisor” keyword ad may show up for “jobs in finance” or “free financial advice” searches.

Most financial advisors achieve the best results with a mix of exact and phrase match keywords. Meanwhile, broad match is best reserved for firms with larger budgets that can afford to prioritize visibility over precision.

Step 9: Write Your Google Ads’ Headlines and Descriptions

Your ad copy is often the deciding factor in whether a prospect clicks your ad or keeps scrolling. Google Search Ads only allow headlines up to 30 characters and descriptions up to 90 characters. With such limited space, every word must earn its place. 

Your ad copy should be clear, simple, benefit-driven, niche-specific, and closely aligned with the associated keyword. Here are some examples of strong headlines and descriptions: 

Headlines:

• Local Financial Advisor Near You
• Speak With a Fiduciary Today
• Retirement Planning for Engineers

Descriptions:

• Fee-only planning tailored to your goals. Book a consultation today.
• Fiduciary guidance for families, professionals, and business owners.
• Independent wealth management with clear, transparent pricing.

Compliance reminder: Avoid any language that suggests guaranteed performance, specific outcomes, or promises of superior returns.

Step 10: Build a High-Converting Landing Page

Getting searchers to click your ad is only the first step. Once they arrive on your landing page, you must persuade them to take meaningful action, whether that’s booking a consultation, downloading a resource, or visiting your website.

Here are seven best practices for building an effective Google Ads landing page:

1. Match your content to your keyword – If someone searches “financial advisor for retirees,” your landing page should speak directly to retirees—not business owners, teachers, or young professionals.
2. Reinforce your unique value proposition – Explain who you serve, how you help, and what sets your firm apart.
3. Showcase trust signals – Feature your credentials (CFP®, CFA®, CPA), fiduciary status, years of experience, and other relevant accolades.
4. Make it mobile-friendly – Over 60% of Google Ads clicks come from mobile devices. Thus, your landing page should load quickly, resize properly, and display well on smaller screens.
5. Ensure a fast loading speed – Even a one-second delay can cause impatient searchers to click away from your landing page, driving up your ad costs and reducing your Quality Score.
6. Feature one clear CTA – Every landing page should guide visitors towards one primary action, such as “Schedule a Consultation,” “Book an Intro Call,” or “Download the Guide.”
7. Maintain strong compliance – Include the appropriate disclosures, your privacy policy, and ADV link, if required.

Learn More: Form ADV: Full 2025 Guide for Investment Advisors

Step 11: Launch, Monitor, and Optimize Your Campaign

Google Ads are not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy—they require consistent monitoring and refining. You should closely monitor new campaigns daily for the first week. After that, conduct weekly reviews to assess their performance and make necessary adjustments.

Some of the most important metrics to monitor include your:

• CPC
• Click-through-rate (CTR)
• Quality Score
• Conversion Rate
• Cost-per-lead (CPL)

You should also regularly review your keyword selection. If certain keywords are underperforming, swap them out, lower their bids, or add certain terms to your negative keyword list (“free,” “jobs,” “DIY investing,” etc.) to eliminate irrelevant traffic. Beyond keywords, you can also:

• A/B test new headlines and descriptions
• Adjust your landing page copy or layout
• Refine your audience or geographic targeting

Ongoing optimization ensures your Google Ads campaign becomes more efficient over time, reducing costs while increasing high-quality leads.

Launch Your Next Google Ads Campaign With Alden Investment Group

In summary, Google Ads can help you attract and convert clients faster than most digital marketing methods. But to achieve worthwhile results, you need the right strategy, ongoing optimization, and strict adherence to compliance rules.

The good news? You don’t have to manage all of that alone. At Alden Investment Group, we support independent advisors with coordinated digital marketing resources, innovative technology, and comprehensive compliance oversight.

Ready to launch your next Google Ads campaign with confidence? Reach out to Alden Investment Group today!

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