Yandex Direct setup is not "flip a switch and wait for clients". It is the link between account, campaign structure, ads, landing page, and Metrica goals. When one element is weak, the whole channel looks "expensive".

NUGU is a digital agency in Sochi. We set up Direct together with a new site or after auditing an existing landing page so advertising rests on measurable results, not guesses.

Stage 1. Account and analytics

  • Direct account access, organisation link, payment method.
  • Yandex Metrica counter on all site pages.
  • Goals: form submit, phone click, Telegram — see Metrica and goals.
  • Import goals into Direct; enable auto-targeting only after basic semantics are clear.

Without this stage, Direct setup becomes click management.

Stage 2. Keywords and structure

Collect queries people actually use for your service:

  • Commercial: "order", "price", "turnkey", "Sochi", district names.
  • Negative keywords at campaign and group level.
  • Separate Search and YAN — different campaigns, different KPIs.

For one service at start, one search campaign with 2–4 intent-based groups is enough. Query logic — in Yandex contextual advertising.

Stage 3. Ads and landing pages

Each group gets a headline close to the user's query. Body text: benefit, geography, call to action. Sitelinks — to prices, cases, contacts.

The URL leads to a landing page with the same promise as the ad. Check the page with website before Direct: speed, mobile, form, legal pages.

Stage 4. Bids, budget, moderation

  • Daily budget with room for at least 10–15 clicks per day to gather data.
  • On test — manual bids or "Conversion optimisation" only with enough history.
  • After moderation — check display from different devices and geo.

First two weeks after launch

  1. Daily: spend, impressions, bounce rate, irrelevant query leaks.
  2. Every 3–4 days: search query report → new negatives.
  3. Reconcile Metrica leads with CRM or the manager's sheet.
  4. A/B one element: ad headline or landing first screen — not everything at once.

Setup cost

At NUGU we do not sell Direct setup separately from common sense: if the landing is weak, we fix it first. Landing from 30 000 ₽, service website from 50 000 ₽. Campaign setup and management — after brief; depends on services, regions, and keyword volume.

When to hand setup to NUGU

  • No time for negatives and reports.
  • Leads exist but you cannot tell which queries pay back.
  • Launching a new service and need site + ads + analytics from day one.

Send the task via contacts with your site URL and competitor examples. See our approach in portfolio and services.