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Hey there! If you’re looking to step up your clients’ marketing game, you’ve come to the right place. Google Ads is the go-to platform for putting your client’s business in front of a massive audience. But with so many Google Ads campaign types available, how do you know which one’s the perfect fit? This guide will give you all of the details on Google Ads campaign types so you can choose the best options for your clients.
Google Ads is pretty much the spot for businesses of all sizes to be found. As digital advertising continues to evolve, Google Ads has upped its offerings with various campaign types for different business objectives and target audiences. According to Statista, Google controls a whopping 86% of the Global search engine market share. Since that’s most of the people in the world, it’s a big deal!
We love a good graphic, so we’ll start here and break it down below for you.
Search campaigns are the OG of Google Ads campaign types. When users go to Google and search for something, advertisers showcase text ads on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). Because those searches are intent based (according to Google, 90% of consumers research products and services using search engines), search campaigns are super effective in driving highly relevant website traffic and generating leads or sales.
Search ads are perfect for businesses that know what their clients are searching for and for businesses looking to leverage that insight to generate leads or purchases. Search campaigns are intent-driven and work equally well for B2B and B2C businesses.
When users search for relevant keywords, they show text ads on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and the pages of their Search Partners. These ads appear as sponsored results at the top of the page and the top of each successive page.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) are an often forgotten feature of search ads. Rather than using keywords, they use dynamic ad targets to find the right audience. These targets are categories, specific webpages on your site, and all pages on your site. Your ad headlines are generated dynamically, but you write the description lines.
This type of ad is really powerful because they go beyond keywords to find your audience. This is a big game changer when you don’t know the exact search terms users are typing in.
Search ads are most often associated with the purchase section of the funnel, although they can also be used in the consideration phase by using research focussed keywords or adding a remarketing list to keep existing (non-purchasing) site visitors engaged. Due to the more intent-based nature of search keywords, people are closer to the end of the funnel than the beginning. They are actively researching something they have interest in, and looking to complete a goal.
You can check out our previous post on this topic, but suffice to say there are many ways you can optimize your Search campaigns. Below are a few of the basics that will help you set your ads up for success.
Google’s Display Network allows you to show off your client’s brand identity. Through a combination of banner ads and responsive display ads, you can create brand awareness, announce sales and events, and let people know you have the products and services they’re searching for. The Display Network includes millions of websites, apps, and YouTube videos. These campaigns are fab for raising brand awareness and reaching more eyeballs.
With Google Display ads, you select the interests, behaviors, keywords, and demographics you’d like to use for targeting. You can even choose specific placements, which means you can choose which websites and YouTube channels your ads show on.
This ad type is less conversion-driven and more about brand awareness. While these campaigns do generate conversions, their conversion rates tend to be lower because the user wasn’t actively looking for a solution to a problem.
The one exception is retargeting campaigns, also known as remarketing on Google Ads; you’re more likely to enjoy an improved conversion rate because you’re increasing the touchpoints with a user who has already been to your site.
Unlike Search campaigns, Display campaigns sit at the top of the funnel. They are a fantastic way to spread brand awareness because your ads appear across the whole Display Network. That means you’ll be on publisher sites, YouTube, Google websites, Google Finance, Gmail, apps, and Blogger. Such a wide scope of coverage is perfect to get your name out there.
Remarketing ads are the exception to Display’s top of funnel status. These ads are on the Display Network but are relevant from interest through to the purchase phases of the funnel.
Optimization hinges on getting a potential customer’s attention when they’re scrolling through a website or on YouTube. That means you’ll have to be on top of your game with your creatives and copy. Here are a few optimizations to focus on:
Shopping campaigns are the chef’s kiss for e-commerce businesses. These campaigns combine your product images, prices, descriptions, and store info right on Google’s SERPs. “Google economists released its conservative estimate of $8 in profit for every dollar a business spends on Google Ads,” according to Fit Small Business. Fit Small Business also note that there are a lot of factors that impact a businesses ROI on Google, so that number isn’t an absolute, but more an indicator of the value available to advertisers.
Shopping campaigns run on the data in your Merchant Centre account. This data generates the images and copy used for your shopping ads. You choose the targeting, like interests (in-market and affinity) and placements, to get your ads in front of the right people.
Shopping ads have many advantages for e-commerce businesses. They allow advertisers to show ads for as many or as few of their products as they want with relative ease. They are visible via the Shopping tab, Google Maps (if you’re using Local Inventory ads), Google Images, Google Search (next to Search ads), and Google Search Partner sites.
Shopping campaigns are in the middle and bottom of the funnel. These ads are best for people who are comparing products and doing research. They also work well when people know which product or brand they want and are narrowing things down to a final decision – often based on price.
We’ve published a more detailed guide on this before for you to check out. Essentially, shopping campaigns have far fewer levers to pull in terms of optimization, but here are some meaningful changes you can make:
Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are a workhorse campaign type with a ton of versatility. They offer a fantastic opportunity for advertisers to increase leads, sales, and even store visits. We’re going to break PMax into two types:
Local campaigns have been transitioned to Performance Max. Local Performance Max campaigns are tailor-made for driving foot traffic and local actions like phone calls. This campaign type is perfect for businesses with real-life, brick-and-mortar locations. Think about it like a goal-driven shopping campaign that appears across all of Google’s Networks and channels.
Performance Max campaigns use machine learning to optimize placements and bids to achieve your goals. With your Google Business profile connected, you’ll show on Google Maps. Potential customers will be able to see that the business is local.
Performance Max campaigns show on all of Google’s networks, properties, and Partners, including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Search and Search Partners, Google Display, YouTube, and Discover on Google Search.
Machine learning uses complex audience signals to find the best audience for your ads. You provide in-market interests, custom segments, affinity audiences, and retargeting audiences to help direct targeting.
Since machine learning is a key feature of this campaign type, your optimization options are limited compared to Search and Display campaigns. Below are some of the optimizations that will ensure your campaigns are in tip-top shape.
Performance Max campaigns are Google’s heavy hitter. They’re really an all-purpose campaign driven by goals rather than clicks. With the power of AI behind audience targeting, budget and bid optimization, and creative assembly in real time, these campaigns optimize in real time, giving your client an advantage no human can leverage on their own.
As we explained previously in the local campaigns section (see above) machine learning, and your audience signals, help Google find the best audience for your ads.
Performance Max campaigns are unique. They cover every part of the funnel from brand awareness all the way to retargeting. Since they can appear on any network, they allow for you to get great mid-to lower funnel coverage. So while you can use them for the top of your funnel, we recommend feeding them as much data as possible and using them in the decision stage of the funnel.
You may have less control over this campaign type, but that doesn’t mean optimization is out of your hands.
Video campaigns let businesses flaunt their products and services on YouTube and other video partner sites. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube can be a high value place to be. People search for product reviews, how-tos, entertainment, and more, making the network key for any brand’s digital marketing strategy. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world!
Video ads are shown before, during, and after YouTube videos, in YouTube search, on the YouTube home feed, and on Google Video Partners sites. You can reach your audience via their interests, demographics, their affinities, placements, and more.
Video campaigns increase brand awareness, improve website traffic, assist with brand and product consideration, and increase conversions. Businesses of all types can benefit from the reach and awareness this type of campaign generates.
Video campaigns are a useful top of funnel tool. They’re a fabulous way to spread the word about your product or service. Since they’re visual, you can grab someone’s attention and show them benefits, features, or even tell a story. People connect better with video than other forms of communication, so it will put you in a good position to consider whatever you’re offering.
When optimizing video campaigns, you’ll need to adjust your videos and not just your campaign settings. Here are a few ways you can improve your results.
App campaigns promote mobile apps across Google’s networks, like Search, Display, and YouTube. There were 110 billion mobile app downloads on Google Play in 2022 alone!
App campaigns are a little different than most Google Ads campaigns. They don’t require a lot of design or copywriting. When you begin an app campaign, you provide ad copy, a budget, and a starting bid. Google uses images, text, videos, and other assets from your Google Play listing, though you can supply a few landscape and portrait images and videos.
These ads appear on Google Play, YouTube, Google Search, Google Display, and Discover on Google Search. If you’re looking for app downloads, this type of campaign will give you plenty of coverage.
App campaigns are in the lower funnel. Since their main goals are to drive installs and in-app actions, they are more effective at the decision stage.
Smart campaigns use the power of Google’s machine learning to automate ad creation, targeting, and bidding. These campaigns are designed for users with little to no Google Ads experience rather than professional marketers. They’re very basic and let clients get up and running quickly without a lot of stress. They’re great for you to understand, but rarely something you’d put in place if you’re a professional marketer managing accounts on behalf of clients.
For this type of campaign, you write a description of your business. This will become your ad. You choose keyword themes and select a budget. Smart campaigns show on Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Search, and Google Partner sites.
Smart campaigns are technically for every stage of the funnel. However, you have no control over when they show, and you can’t tailor your message for different stages of the funnel. Meaning, they technically cover the funnel from top to bottom, but are hardly a real solution in a competitive niche.
These campaigns don’t have as many moving parts as your typical campaign, but you can still optimize them.
To find the perfect Google Ads campaign type for your clients, weigh their goals, target audience, budget, and resources. Align the campaign type with their objectives, and continually check in on and tweak their campaign performance to crush those goals.
We just took you through the different Google Ads campaign types you have to choose from. By understanding the ins and outs and building blocks of each campaign type, you’re ready to help your clients kill it in their marketing game and drive some serious success.
Stay in the know, keep your knowledge current and keep experimenting with Google Ads because the digital advertising world is always changing! Welcome to the never-boring world of digital marketing.
We love talking PPC and spend most of our time chatting with agencies, so if you have a question please do drop us a line!
Also, Adpulse comes with a 14-day free trial, and right now the first month is only $19.99/mth, so it’s a low-risk way to try it for yourself. Sign up now!
