About 15 minutes.
Madder does not create Google Ads accounts. Today you register the account in Madder by its Customer ID (Home → Sources → Connect an ad account → Google Ads → Add manually → Register account); one-click connect for Google follows. Drafting and applying campaigns on Google follows the connect step. Once the account is registered, the agent drafts campaigns paused and every spend waits for your approval.
Before you start#
- A Google account (Gmail or Google Workspace) that you, not an employee or agency, own.
- The currency you invoice in and the time zone you report in. Both are permanent.
- A payment card or bank account. Nothing is charged until an ad runs.
1. Start sign-up and skip the guided campaign#
Go to ads.google.com and click Start now. Google's sign-up walks you toward a first campaign (business name and URL, goals, budget). As of September 2026 the sign-up flow offers an option to create an account without a campaign; take it. In older flows the same escape hatch was the small link Switch to Expert Mode, then Create an account without a campaign. Either way you end with an empty account you control — Madder drafts the campaigns later.
2. Set billing country, time zone and currency#
Google asks for Billing country, Time zone and the currency before the account exists. Choose deliberately: Google states that your time zone and your currency are "permanently set when you set up your account" and cannot be updated afterwards; the only fix is a new account. Pick the time zone your reports and Madder's daily budgets should follow, and the currency you pay in.
3. Add a payment method#
Under Account type keep Organization unless you advertise as a private person, then add a card, PayPal or bank account. See Billing and policies for automatic vs manual payments.
4. Find the Customer ID#
Sign in and, as of September 2026, click your profile picture in the top right corner: the customer ID is listed under your account name, ten digits like 123-456-7890. It is also on Google Ads emails and billing statements. Only share it with people you trust.
5. Register the account in Madder#
In Madder go to Home → Sources → Connect an ad account → Google Ads → Add manually. Paste the Customer ID into Account id, give the account a Name, enter the same Currency and Timezone you chose in step 2, and click Register account.
If it doesn't work#
- No "without a campaign" option is visible — finish Google's guided steps with the smallest budget, then pause that campaign immediately in Campaigns; Madder ignores paused campaigns it did not draft.
- Wrong currency or time zone — create a new account; Google cannot change either. Register the new Customer ID in Madder and disconnect the old one.
- Customer ID is not ten digits — you are looking at a manager account (MCC) or at a Business Profile ID. Open the ad account itself, then the profile picture.
- Madder rejects the id — remove spaces; dashes are fine.