Set up targeting
Targeting is the first step of the campaign wizard. You pick what to advertise, who can see it, and which queries to start from. Every choice here shapes the keywords, ad copy, and budget the later steps generate, so it's worth getting right before you continue.
Pick a product
Choose the product these ads promote from the product dropdown. The dropdown lists the products set up on your active Google Ads account.
If you have only one product, the wizard selects it automatically. If you need a new one, set it up first, see Add another product, then return to the wizard.
The product you pick determines which product context Hero Marketer draws on to draft keywords and ad copy. If you switch products partway through the wizard, anything already generated below has to be regenerated from the new product's context.
Choose a campaign type
Pick whether the campaign is Non-branded, Branded, Competitor, or Other. The type changes how Hero Marketer filters keywords and writes ad copy, and it appears in the campaign name (for example Search | Competitor | … | US).
- Non-branded. Generic category searches like "project management software" or "best CRM for sales teams". Most B2B SaaS demand capture sits here. This is the default.
- Branded. Searches that include your own product name. The searcher already knows who you are, so the copy reinforces trust with brand-anchored CTAs like "Try Linear Free" or "Linear Pricing". Use this when you have meaningful brand search volume worth capturing before competitors do.
- Competitor. Searches that include a competitor's name, usually with a modifier ("X alternative", "X vs", "X pricing"). The competitor's name drives targeting so you show up on those queries, but the ad copy stays compliant with Google's trademark policy (see the note below).
- Other. A general option for anything that doesn't fit the three above. Hero Marketer applies the Non-branded playbook with a slightly looser keyword filter.
For a deeper comparison of the four types, see Campaign types in Hero Marketer.
What changes per campaign type
| Non-branded | Branded | Competitor | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword filter biases toward… | Generic category terms | Your brand + modifier | Competitor + modifier | Generic, looser BOFU filter |
| Headlines lead with… | Category language and value props | Your brand name | Comparative angles, no competitor name | Same as Non-branded |
| Default CTAs | "Try Free", "Get a Demo", "See Pricing" | "Try [you]", "[you] Pricing", "Get a Demo" | "See How We Compare", "Switch & Save", "Free Migration" | Same as Non-branded |
Why Competitor campaigns never name the competitor in ad copy
Bidding on a competitor's brand name as a keyword is allowed. Putting that competitor's name in your headline or description is not, even in a comparative phrase like "Better than [Competitor]". Google's trademark policy restricts ad text to the trademark owner, authorized resellers, and informational sites. Comparative ads often pass automated approval, but the trademark owner can file a complaint at any time, and Google then disapproves the ads and applies the restriction across your whole domain.
Hero Marketer treats this as a hard rule. For a Competitor campaign, the wizard generates ad copy that positions your product as the alternative without naming the competitor in headlines or descriptions. The competitor's name still drives targeting; it just never appears in the ad text.
If you're weighing whether to name a competitor in copy anyway, see Ad copy or sitelinks rejected by Google for what happens after a complaint is filed.
Choose a region
Pick the country or region where ads should run. You can target:
- A whole country (for example, United States).
- A sub-region (a state, province, or metro area).
- Multiple regions, if you sell into more than one geography.
For a first campaign, start narrow. One country, or even one metro, gives you cleaner data than a sprawling international target, and you can expand later once you know what works. If your product only serves customers in specific places, list only those, Google won't override your geo settings, so anything outside your selection never sees ads.
Add seed keywords
Seed keywords are short phrases that describe what your customers might type into Google when looking for what you sell. Hero Marketer uses these seeds as the starting point for keyword research in the next step.
Aim for one to three seeds. Good seeds are:
- Specific. "Project management for engineers" is better than "software".
- In customer language. Use the words a customer would use, not your internal language. "Alternative to Jira" beats "agile workflow optimization".
- Aligned with the campaign type. Branded campaigns lead with your product name. Competitor campaigns lead with the competitor's name plus a modifier. Non-branded campaigns lead with the category.
You can add more seeds or refine them after seeing the first round of clusters. If the keyword step comes back thin or empty, the seed is almost always the cause, see No keyword clusters found.
Set the landing page
The landing page is where clicks send traffic. By default. Hero Marketer uses your product's website URL, and you can override it for this specific campaign. Common reasons to override:
- A campaign promoting a specific feature can link to that feature's page.
- A retargeting campaign can link to a pricing page.
- A campaign for a new release can link to a launch announcement.
The landing page must be a valid URL on a domain Google can crawl. URLs longer than 2,048 characters are rejected.
Attach extensions in Advanced settings
The Advanced settings dialog holds options most campaigns don't need to change:
- Sitelinks. Pick existing sitelinks from the account or generate new ones, see Add sitelinks.
- Other extensions. Callouts, structured snippets, and prices, see Add other extensions.
Configure extensions here or skip them and add them on the ad copy step later.
Continue to keywords
Once the form is complete, the Continue button enables. Clicking it queries Google for keyword data, runs clustering, and shows the results on the next step.