Free PPC Course: Learn Google Ads From Scratch
Seven modules and nineteen lessons, start to finish: account setup, keyword research, conversion tracking, bidding, ad copy and optimization. Watch it all right here. No email required, no credit card, nothing held back for a paid upsell.
This free PPC course takes you from never having opened Google Ads to launching and running an account on your own. Every lesson is a full video from the Surfside PPC channel, laid out in the order you should watch them. Work straight through, or jump to the module you are stuck on.
From how the auction works to applying it to a real business.
Every one a full video you can watch right now.
No credit card and no trial that turns into a bill.
The email signup below is optional.
Prefer one sitting? Watch the complete course in one video
The original full-length Google Ads walkthrough, start to finish. It is the most-watched video we have ever published, at over 685,000 views.
Watch the Full CourseThe Curriculum
What You Get Out of This Free PPC Course
Not "understand Google Ads." By the end you can actually do these things, in your own account.
Set up the account, build a search campaign and a Performance Max campaign, and get them live without wasting the first month's budget.
Install Google Tag Manager and GA4, and track form fills, phone calls and button clicks as real conversions.
Use Keyword Planner properly, read match types, and build the negative keyword list that stops the budget leaking.
Know when to use Maximize Conversions, tCPA or tROAS, and how to pace a budget so it lasts the month.
Responsive search ads, assets and extensions, and the levers that actually move click-through rate.
Run the same audit checklist Surfside PPC uses on client accounts, and know the ten mistakes to look for first.
1Start Here: How Google Ads Actually Works
The mental model, before you touch a single setting. These two lessons give the rest of the course its spine.
- Google Ads Tutorial (EASY) 2026: How Anyone Can Run Google Ads. The whole platform end to end, assuming you have never opened it.
- Google Ads Strategy: The 6 Step Process For 2026. The order to do things in, so every later module has somewhere to fit.
2Keyword Research
Finding demand before you spend anything against it. Get this wrong and no amount of bidding will fix it.
- Google Ads Keyword Research in 2026: How To Actually Find The Best Keywords. The research process from a blank sheet to a keyword list you can build campaigns from.
- Google Keyword Planner Tutorial 2026. Reading the bucketed volume ranges without fooling yourself.
- Best Free Keyword Research Tools 2026. The free tools worth using alongside Keyword Planner.
3Conversion Tracking
The module most people skip, and the reason their account never improves. Without tracking, Google's bidding has nothing to learn from.
- Install Google Tag Manager, Analytics 4, Search Console and Google Tags. Do this first. Everything else in the module depends on it.
- Google Ads Conversion Tracking With Google Tag Manager. Turning actions on your site into conversions Google Ads can see.
- Lead Form Conversion Tracking With Google Tag Manager. Tracking form submissions reliably, including forms that do not load a thank-you page.
- Phone Call Conversion Tracking Using Google Tag Manager. Essential for local service businesses, where the call is the lead.
4Bidding and Budget
Where the money actually goes, and how to stop it going there too fast.
- Google Ads Budget Pacing and Bidding Strategy 2026. Setting a daily budget that lasts the month and a bid strategy that fits your data.
- Target ROAS and Target CPA Deep Dive. When to hand the bidding over to Google, and when not to.
- How To Bid Optimally in Google Ads: Podcast Episode 15. A longer conversation on bidding decisions in real accounts.
5Ads, Assets and Click-Through Rate
The part the customer actually sees. Better ads lower your costs and raise your share of clicks at the same time.
- Google Ads Assets and Ad Extensions Explained. Sitelinks, callouts, calls and the rest, and which ones to set up first.
- Responsive Search Ads: Best Practices To Drive More Conversions. Writing the ad itself: headlines, pinning, and what to test.
6Optimization and Cleanup
What to do in week two, and every week after.
- Google Ads Negative Keywords Made Easy. The fastest way to stop wasting spend in a new account.
- Google Ads Auction Insights: Why It Matters For Competitive Analysis. Reading who you are actually bidding against, and what it costs you.
- 10 Common Google Ads Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs. The checklist to run against any account, including your own.
7Putting It to Work
Applying all of it to a real business.
- Google Ads Tutorial For Local Service Businesses. The full setup for a business that serves a local area.
- Google Local Services Ads Explained For Beginners. The other Google channel local businesses should be on, and how it differs.
Want the Two Account-Launch Videos?
The course above is free and open, no email needed. If you also want the two longer account-launch walkthroughs that are not on YouTube, drop your email and they come straight through. Unsubscribe anytime. We do not call or text you.
What the $49 Course Adds That This One Does Not
If the free course is enough, use the free course. Here is the actual difference.
| This Free Course | Google Ads Course, $49/yr | |
|---|---|---|
| Core Google Ads training | Yes, all 7 modules | Yes, 9 structured modules |
| Format | YouTube lessons, watch in any order | Sequenced lessons with exercises |
| Performance Max in depth | Covered at a high level | Full module, start to finish |
| Landing pages and offers | Not covered | Full module |
| Reporting and dashboards | Audit checklist only | Full module |
| Community and questions | YouTube comments | Private community access |
| Kept current | New videos as they publish | Updated yearly, past years archived |
Ready for the structured version?
Twelve months of access to the Google Ads Course, every other Surfside PPC course, and the private community, for $49.
See the Paid CourseBefore You Start
Is this actually free, or is it a trailer for the paid course?
Actually free. Every lesson is a full video you can watch right now without giving us anything. The paid course exists and is linked above, but nothing in this course is cut short to push you towards it.
How much do I need to spend to follow along?
Nothing to watch. To practice in a live account you will need a budget you are comfortable losing while you learn. The conversion tracking module exists so that money teaches you something.
How long does it take?
Most people work through it over a couple of weeks, a module at a time. It is not designed to be watched in one sitting. If you do want one sitting, the full-length course video above is built for that.
Is it current?
The core path is rebuilt for 2026. A few deeper lessons are older where the mechanics have not changed.
Do I need my own website?
To run ads properly, yes. You need somewhere to send the click and something to track when it converts.
In Summary
This free PPC course is the full path from a blank Google Ads account to one that is live, tracked and improving. Seven modules, nineteen lessons, all free to watch, in the order that makes each one easier than the last.
If you only do one thing, do Module 3. Conversion tracking is the difference between an account that learns and one that just spends.
When you want the structured version with landing pages, reporting and a community to ask questions in, the Google Ads Course is $49 for the year.