Platform Setup Checklists
Complete setup checklists for major ad platforms.
Contents
- Google Ads Setup (Account Foundation, Conversion Tracking, Analytics Integration, Audience Setup, Campaign Readiness, Ad Extensions, Brand Protection)
- Meta Ads Setup (Business Manager Foundation, Pixel & Tracking, Domain & Aggregated Events, Audience Setup, Catalog, Creative Assets, Compliance)
- LinkedIn Ads Setup (Campaign Manager Foundation, Insight Tag & Tracking, Audience Setup, Lead Gen Forms, Document Ads, Creative Assets, Budget Considerations)
- Twitter/X Ads Setup (Account Foundation, Tracking, Audience Setup, Creative)
- TikTok Ads Setup (Account Foundation, Pixel & Tracking, Audience Setup, Creative)
- Universal Pre-Launch Checklist
Google Ads Setup
Account Foundation
- Google Ads account created and verified
- Billing information added
- Time zone and currency set correctly
- Account access granted to team members
Conversion Tracking
- Google tag installed on all pages
- Conversion actions created (purchase, lead, signup)
- Conversion values assigned (if applicable)
- Enhanced conversions enabled
- Test conversions firing correctly
- Import conversions from GA4 (optional)
Analytics Integration
- Google Analytics 4 linked
- Auto-tagging enabled
- GA4 audiences available in Google Ads
- Cross-domain tracking set up (if multiple domains)
Audience Setup
- Remarketing tag verified
- Website visitor audiences created:
- All visitors (180 days)
- Key page visitors (pricing, demo, features)
- Converters (for exclusion)
- Customer match lists uploaded
- Similar audiences enabled
Campaign Readiness
- Negative keyword lists created:
- Universal negatives (free, jobs, careers, reviews, complaints)
- Competitor negatives (if needed)
- Irrelevant industry terms
- Location targeting set (include/exclude)
- Language targeting set
- Ad schedule configured (if B2B, business hours)
- Device bid adjustments considered
Ad Extensions
- Sitelinks (4-6 relevant pages)
- Callouts (key benefits, offers)
- Structured snippets (features, types, services)
- Call extension (if phone leads valuable)
- Lead form extension (if using)
- Price extensions (if applicable)
- Image extensions (where available)
Brand Protection
- Brand campaign running (protect branded terms)
- Competitor campaigns considered
- Brand terms in negative lists for non-brand campaigns
Meta Ads Setup
Business Manager Foundation
- Business Manager created
- Business verified (if running certain ad types)
- Ad account created within Business Manager
- Payment method added
- Team access configured with proper roles
Pixel & Tracking
- Meta Pixel installed on all pages
- Standard events configured:
- PageView (automatic)
- ViewContent (product/feature pages)
- Lead (form submissions)
- Purchase (conversions)
- AddToCart (if e-commerce)
- InitiateCheckout (if e-commerce)
- Conversions API (CAPI) set up for server-side tracking
- Event Match Quality score > 6
- Test events in Events Manager
Domain & Aggregated Events
- Domain verified in Business Manager
- Aggregated Event Measurement configured
- Top 8 events prioritized in order of importance
- Web events prioritized for iOS 14+ tracking
Audience Setup
- Custom audiences created:
- Website visitors (all, 30/60/90/180 days)
- Key page visitors
- Video viewers (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%)
- Page/Instagram engagers
- Customer list uploaded
- Lookalike audiences created (1%, 1-3%)
- Saved audiences for common targeting
Catalog (E-commerce)
- Product catalog connected
- Product feed updating correctly
- Catalog sales campaigns enabled
- Dynamic product ads configured
Creative Assets
- Images in correct sizes:
- Feed: 1080x1080 (1:1)
- Stories/Reels: 1080x1920 (9:16)
- Landscape: 1200x628 (1.91:1)
- Videos in correct formats
- Ad copy variations ready
- UTM parameters in all destination URLs
Compliance
- Special Ad Categories declared (if housing, credit, employment, politics)
- Landing page complies with Meta policies
- No prohibited content in ads
LinkedIn Ads Setup
Campaign Manager Foundation
- Campaign Manager account created
- Company Page connected
- Billing information added
- Team access configured
Insight Tag & Tracking
- LinkedIn Insight Tag installed on all pages
- Tag verified and firing
- Conversion tracking configured:
- URL-based conversions
- Event-specific conversions
- Conversion values set (if applicable)
Audience Setup
- Matched Audiences created:
- Website retargeting audiences
- Company list uploaded (for ABM)
- Contact list uploaded
- Lookalike audiences created
- Saved audiences for common targeting
Lead Gen Forms (if using)
- Lead gen form templates created
- Form fields selected (minimize for conversion)
- Privacy policy URL added
- Thank you message configured
- CRM integration set up (or CSV export process)
Document Ads (if using)
- Documents uploaded (PDF, PowerPoint)
- Gating configured (full gate or preview)
- Lead gen form connected
Creative Assets
- Single image ads: 1200x627 (1.91:1) or 1080x1080 (1:1)
- Carousel images ready
- Video specs met (if using)
- Ad copy within character limits:
- Intro text: 600 max, 150 recommended
- Headline: 200 max, 70 recommended
Budget Considerations
- Budget realistic for LinkedIn CPCs ($8-15+ typical)
- Audience size validated (50K+ recommended)
- Daily vs. lifetime budget decided
- Bid strategy selected
Twitter/X Ads Setup
Account Foundation
- Ads account created
- Payment method added
- Account verified (if required)
Tracking
- Twitter Pixel installed
- Conversion events created
- Website tag verified
Audience Setup
- Tailored audiences created:
- Website visitors
- Customer lists
- Follower lookalikes identified
- Interest and keyword targets researched
Creative
- Tweet copy within 280 characters
- Images: 1200x675 (1.91:1) or 1200x1200 (1:1)
- Video specs met (if using)
- Cards configured (website, app, etc.)
TikTok Ads Setup
Account Foundation
- TikTok Ads Manager account created
- Business verification completed
- Payment method added
Pixel & Tracking
- TikTok Pixel installed
- Events configured (ViewContent, Purchase, etc.)
- Events API set up (recommended)
Audience Setup
- Custom audiences created
- Lookalike audiences created
- Interest categories identified
Creative
- Vertical video (9:16) ready
- Native-feeling content (not too polished)
- First 3 seconds are compelling hooks
- Captions added (most watch without sound)
- Music/sounds selected (licensed if needed)
Universal Pre-Launch Checklist
Before launching any campaign:
- Conversion tracking tested with real conversion
- Landing page loads fast (<3 sec)
- Landing page mobile-friendly
- UTM parameters working
- Budget set correctly (daily vs. lifetime)
- Start/end dates correct
- Targeting matches intended audience
- Ad creative approved
- Team notified of launch
- Reporting dashboard ready