Before you set up a single campaign or spend a single rupee of your client’s budget, you need to ask the right questions. A structured Google Ads client onboarding questionnaire helps you as an agency or freelancer fully understand the client’s business, goals, audience, and expectations  so the campaigns you build are built on clarity, not assumptions.

This questionnaire covers everything you need to gather from a new client before getting started, from campaign objectives and keyword preferences to budget, bidding strategy, ad copy direction, and account access.

Google Ads Onboarding Questionnaire

Search, Display & YouTube Advertising | Please complete before your onboarding call

• Business Name:
• Date:
• Website URL:
• Industry:
• Primary Contact:
• Email:

SECTION 1 : Business & Offering Overview

Q1. Describe your business and the products/services you want to advertise on Google.

Q2. Who is your ideal customer? Describe your target audience. Include age, gender, location, profession, search intent, and key pain points.

Q3. Which locations should your ads target?

• [ ] Specific City/Cities
• [ ] State / Region
• [ ] All India
• [ ] International

Q4. Who are your top competitors? (Please list their website URLs)

Q5. What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Why should someone click your ad over a competitor?

SECTION 2 : Campaign Goals & Objectives

Q6. What is the primary goal of your Google Ads campaign?

• [ ] Lead Generation
• [ ] Sales / E-commerce
• [ ] Website Traffic
• [ ] Brand Awareness
• [ ] App Downloads
• [ ] Local Store Visits
• [ ] Phone Calls
• [ ] Other

Q7. What campaign types are you interested in?

• [ ] Search Ads
• [ ] Display / Banner Ads
• [ ] Shopping Ads
• [ ] YouTube / Video Ads

Q8. What specific action do you want users to take after clicking your ad?

• [ ] Submit an enquiry form
• [ ] Make a purchase
• [ ] Call your business
• [ ] Download / Sign up

Q9. Do you have a dedicated landing page for the campaign?

• [ ] Yes, existing landing page
• [ ] Yes, need a new one
• [ ] No, using homepage
• [ ] Multiple landing pages

Q10. What are your target KPIs? (cost per lead, ROAS, conversion rate, CPC, etc.)

SECTION 3 : Keywords & Search Intent

Q11. List the main keywords or search phrases your customers would use to find you. Do not worry about being exhaustive. We will conduct full keyword research. These help us understand your business.

Q12. Are there any keywords or topics you want to EXCLUDE from your campaigns? (negative keywords)
Example: if you sell premium services, you may want to exclude searches with “free” or “cheap”.

Q13. What match types do you prefer, or are you open to our recommendation?

• [ ] Broad Match
• [ ] Phrase Match
• [ ] Exact Match
• [ ] Open to recommendation

Q14. Do you sell products online? If yes, do you want to run Google Shopping campaigns?

• [ ] Yes, have product feed
• [ ] Yes, need to set up feed
• [ ] No, services only
• [ ] Not applicable

SECTION 4 : Budget & Bidding

Q15. What is your monthly Google Ads budget? (ad spend only, excluding management fees)

• [ ] Under ₹10,000
• [ ] ₹10,000 to 30,000
• [ ] ₹30,000 to 75,000
• [ ] Above ₹75,000

Q16. Is your budget fixed or flexible based on performance?

• [ ] Fixed budget
• [ ] Flexible, scale if performing well
• [ ] Not sure yet
• [ ] Need your recommendation

Q17. What bidding strategy do you prefer, or are you open to our recommendation?

• [ ] Maximise Conversions
• [ ] Target CPA (cost per acquisition)
• [ ] Target ROAS
• [ ] Open to recommendation

Q18. When do you want to launch your first campaign?

• [ ] As soon as possible
• [ ] Within 2 weeks
• [ ] Next month
• [ ] Specific date, see below

Q19. Are there seasonal promotions, events, or peak periods we should plan for?

SECTION 5 : Google Account & Technical Setup

Q20. Do you have an existing Google Ads account?

• [ ] Yes, active account
• [ ] Yes, inactive / old account
• [ ] No, need to create
• [ ] Not sure

Q21. Is Google Analytics (GA4) installed and configured on your website?

• [ ] Yes, verified and working
• [ ] Yes, but not sure if working
• [ ] No
• [ ] Not sure

Q22. Is Google Tag Manager set up on your website?

• [ ] Yes
• [ ] No
• [ ] Not sure

Q23. Is conversion tracking set up in Google Ads? (form fills, purchases, calls, etc.)

• [ ] Yes, verified
• [ ] Yes, but not sure if working
• [ ] No
• [ ] Not sure

Conversion tracking is essential for optimising campaigns. We will set this up if not already done.

Q24. Have you run Google Ads before? If yes, what worked and what did not?

• [ ] No, first time
• [ ] Yes, ran ourselves
• [ ] Yes, via another agency
• [ ] Yes, via freelancer

SECTION 6 : Ad Copy & Creative

Q25. What are the key messages you want highlighted in your ad copy?
Examples: free delivery, 24/7 support, best price guarantee, 10 years experience, etc.

Q26. What offers or promotions can we feature in ads? (discounts, free trials, free consultation, etc.)

Q27. For Display or YouTube ads, do you have existing banner/video creative assets?

• [ ] Yes, ready to use
• [ ] Yes, need editing
• [ ] No, need to create
• [ ] Not running Display/YouTube

Q28. Describe your brand tone. How should your ads speak to your audience?

• [ ] Professional & formal
• [ ] Friendly & approachable
• [ ] Urgent & direct
• [ ] Luxury & premium

Q29. Are there any messages, claims, or visuals we should AVOID in your ads?

SECTION 7 : Access Checklist

Please share the following access before or during your onboarding call:

• Google Ads Account, add our email (MCC access or admin user)
• Google Analytics (GA4), add our email as Editor or Admin
• Google Tag Manager, add our email as Publish access
• Google Search Console, add our email as Full User
• Google Merchant Center, if running Shopping campaigns (admin access)
• YouTube Channel, if running Video campaigns (manager access)
• Brand assets folder, logos, images, videos, brand guide (Google Drive / WeTransfer)

Download the Google Ads Client Onboarding Questionnaire

Want a ready-to-use copy of this questionnaire? We have put together a clean, printable PDF version you can share with your client before the onboarding call.

Click here to download the Google Ads Client Onboarding Questionnaire PDF

Also Looking For Other Client Onboarding Questionnaires?

If you manage more than just GoogleAds for your clients, we have got you covered. Check out our other free onboarding questionnaires below:

• SEO Client Onboarding Questionnaire
• Meta Ads Client Onboarding Questionnaire

Conclusion

A well-prepared Google Ads client onboarding questionnaire is what separates agencies that deliver results from those that waste budget. When you take the time to ask these questions before touching the account, you walk into every campaign with a clear picture of who the client is, what they want to achieve, and what success looks like to them.

From understanding the target audience and campaign goals to getting the right account access and ad creative direction, every section of this Google Ads intake form feeds directly into smarter campaign decisions. Make this part of your standard process for every new client and you will spend less time guessing and more time delivering results that matter.