Unlike SEO which takes months, Google Ads work within 24 hours. This guide walks you through exactly how to set up your first Google Ads campaign for a Bangalore restaurant — even if you've never done it before.
Step 1 — Create Your Google Ads Account
Go to ads.google.com and sign in with your Google account (ideally the same one managing your Google My Business).
When Google prompts you to create your first campaign, click "Switch to Expert Mode" at the bottom of the screen. The default 'Smart' campaign is very limited — Expert Mode gives you full control over keywords, bids and targeting.
Fill in your billing details (UPI, credit/debit card or net banking are all accepted in India). You only get charged when someone clicks your ad.
Step 2 — Choose the Right Campaign Type
For a restaurant in Bangalore wanting to drive calls and visits, use a Search campaign — this shows text ads when people search relevant terms on Google.
When setting up:
- Campaign objective: Leads (for reservations/calls) or Store visits & Promotions (for walk-in traffic)
- Campaign type: Search
- Bidding strategy: Start with Maximise Clicks until you have conversion data (50+ conversions), then switch to Maximise Conversions
- Daily budget: Start with ₹500–₹800/day. This gives enough data to optimise without excessive risk
Step 3 — Set Up Location Targeting Properly
This is the most important targeting decision for a restaurant. Your ads should only show to people physically near your restaurant — not all of Bangalore.
Settings:- Location: Target by radius — enter your restaurant's address and set a 5–8 km radius
- Location options: Change from "People in or who show interest in your targeted locations" to "People in or regularly in your targeted locations" — this prevents your ads showing to people researching Bangalore from another city
- Bid adjustments: Add your specific neighbourhood as an additional targeted location with a +15–20% bid adjustment to prioritise the most local searchers
Step 4 — Research and Select the Right Keywords
For a restaurant Google Ads campaign in Bangalore, focus on high-intent keywords — searches from people who are hungry and looking to eat now:
Keyword types to target:- Cuisine + location: "biryani restaurant Yeshwanthpur", "south Indian food Malleshwaram"
- Category + near me: "cafe near me", "restaurant near Hebbal"
- Specific dishes: "butter naan restaurant Bangalore", "wood-fired pizza North Bangalore"
- Occasion-based: "birthday dinner restaurant Bangalore", "family restaurant Rajajinagar"
Step 5 — Write Ad Copy That Makes People Want to Visit
Each ad has 3 headlines (30 characters each) and 2 descriptions (90 characters each).
High-performing restaurant ad formula:- Headline 1: Your cuisine + location: "Authentic Biryani in Yeshwanthpur"
- Headline 2: Your USP: "Dine-In & Takeaway | Open Daily"
- Headline 3: CTA: "Book a Table — Call Now"
- Description 1: Specific details: "Fresh ingredients, family recipes. Serving Yeshwanthpur & Rajajinagar since 2018. AC dining. Ample parking."
- Description 2: Offer or urgency: "Weekend special: complimentary dessert for groups of 4+. Reserve your table today."
Step 6 — Monitor, Optimise and Scale
After your campaign has been running for 7 days, review these metrics:
- Search Terms report (Keywords tab → Search Terms) — what actual searches triggered your ads. Add irrelevant terms as negative keywords.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) — below 3% means your ad copy needs improvement. Above 8% is excellent for restaurant ads.
- Cost Per Click (CPC) — typical for Bangalore restaurant searches: ₹8–₹25 per click
- Conversions — make sure call tracking and website conversion tracking are set up so you can see which clicks turned into calls or bookings
After 30 days, pause keywords with zero conversions, increase bids on keywords generating calls/bookings, and test new ad copy variations.
Frequently Asked Questions
A minimum of ₹500/day (₹15,000/month) is recommended for meaningful results. Below this, you may get some traffic but insufficient data for optimisation. The first month is primarily a learning phase — results typically improve significantly in months 2 and 3 as the algorithm optimises for your best-performing keywords and audiences.
Both serve different purposes. Google Ads captures people actively searching for a restaurant to visit — highest intent, best for dine-in and table bookings. Zomato Ads captures people already on the Zomato app, ready to order delivery or dine-in through Zomato. The best strategy for most Bangalore restaurants uses both: Google Ads for direct dine-in traffic, Zomato Ads for delivery orders.
You need a landing page — which should ideally be a dedicated page on your website. At minimum, it must have: your restaurant's menu or cuisine description, address and map, phone number with a click-to-call button, and photos. Sending Google Ads traffic to a social media profile or a Zomato listing significantly reduces conversion rates compared to a proper website landing page.