Warming Up Google Ads Accounts: The Process, Time, and Costs Involved

In recent years, affiliates involved in both white-hat and gray-hat affiliate marketing have been discussing the necessity of "warming up" their Google Ads accounts. On BHW forum, a dedicated thread was created to explore the best strategies for warming up accounts, but no clear consensus has been reached as of the time of this article.



It is generally agreed upon that warming up an account can help build trust with the Google advertising platform and reduce the risk of what's known as "microspends." In this article, we'll briefly examine whether warming up Google Ads accounts is necessary and how much time and money it typically entails. We will also provide an example of how to address these issues using the agency advertising accounts.

Why Google Ads accounts need to be warmed up​

Warming up is a crucial aspect of working with Google Ads due to the platform's stringent algorithms. Any suspicious activity or an attempt to circumvent Google's rules can lead to restrictions on account functions or even the complete suspension of the account. Even when you have purchased a high-quality farmed account from a store or trusted supplier, it's essential that the proxy and browser fingerprint match the country associated with the account's IP. Additionally, payment instrument BINs should correspond to the account's geographic location or be linked to trusted regions such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, or EU countries.

Typical nuances of warming up a Google account​

Getting a Google account ready, whether you're buying it from a farming service or not, comes with three main challenges for affiliates:

• Time-consuming process: Warming up an account takes time, especially if you plan to use it for legitimate advertising that follows Google's rules. Experts recommend a warming-up period of two to four weeks. During this time, it's best to gradually increase your spending by 15-20% instead of splurging $1-10 all at once. It's important to avoid setting off Google's alarms by behaving like a regular advertiser who doesn't attract attention from moderators.
• Cost concerns: Preparing the account isn't just about the money you spend on ads and payment fees. It also involves promoting other trusted websites and testing your main ad and offer, which can add to the expenses. In the best-case scenario, you might need to set aside around $300 to $500 for indirect costs during the warming-up phase. If you're inexperienced, you could end up losing a significant chunk of your budget on warming up and risk getting your account suspended due to suspicious payments.
• Investment in the account: Some top-quality accounts from certain providers can cost up to $500, and even those accounts might run into problems during additional warming-up stages.

These reasons make it clear that warming up your Google Ads account has become necessary, not only for affiliates working with grayhat offers but also for those working with whitehat offers. But it's important to keep in mind that this process can be quite expensive.

What to do if you don't have the time and money to warm up Google Ads accounts​

In 2023, one popular solution for advertising in gray niches using Google Ads is agency advertising accounts (Google Agency Ad Accounts). These accounts are created by advertising agencies and, after verification by Google, gain platform partner status. They allow clients to connect their Google accounts to the agency's corporate account, enabling simultaneous control of multiple advertising accounts through a single interface.
What benefits do affiliate marketers and advertisers who use agency accounts get?

• Access to advanced features of Google Ads, including Universal App Campaigns (UAC), which is appreciated by affiliates driving traffic to mobile applications.
• Convenient simultaneous management of multiple accounts, facilitating budget distribution and extensive statistical data collection and analysis.
• A convenient payment system: Services providing agency accounts act as intermediaries between the advertising platform and the affiliate, eliminating the need to find suitable payment methods, and even allowing cryptocurrency payments.
• Guaranteed refund of unspent advertising budget in case of account suspension. Service can transfer back the funds to the affiliate in case of an account ban.
• Time and cost savings: Google Ads agency advertising accounts streamline the process, reducing the need for extensive testing of additional tools and account warming.

In conclusion:​

Warming up Google Ads accounts is essential for their long-term viability, even when working exclusively with white-hat verticals. Without proper warm-up, microspends can hinder the timely scaling of advertising campaigns.

However, the warm-up process demands time, effort, and financial investment. Even during the warm-up phase, there's a risk of account suspension due to perceived suspicious activity by Google's system. Therefore, affiliates and marketers must consider the possibility of mass bans and financial losses or opt to simplify the process by using trusted agency advertising accounts.