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Platform Setup Checklists

skills/paid-ads/references/platform-setup-checklists.md

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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

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