What Are the Different Google Ad Campaign Types

(Source: Squid Group)

‍

Are you looking to include Google Ads in your digital marketing strategy? If you are, that's great! 

Google Ads is one of the most powerful tools available for those looking to increase their web traffic. However, Google Ads can also be a burden if you don't know how to correctly choose or set up an ad for the right campaign type.

This article will cover all of the major Google Ads campaign types and give an overview of each. By the end, you should know to have an idea of which Google Ads are right for you!

‍

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is an online advertising platform by Google. It allows advertisers to bid for the best position and display advertisements to web users, from short and sweet text adverts to product listings to promotional videos.

With Google Ads, advertisers can choose to position their ads on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and non-search websites, apps and videos.

When you are deciding to launch a campaign on Google also don't forget other smaller competitors like Bing Ads as they can also give you a great ROI and have less competition than Google.

Search Campaigns

The first type of Google Ads campaign is through the Google Search Network. Search Network campaigns are most common for businesses wanting to increase website traffic. 

With a Search Network campaign, your ads will be shown on Google's search engine results pages (SERPs) when someone searches for a relevant keyword to your business. Your ads will include a headline, description, and URL.

Search Network campaigns are a great way to increase traffic to your website and generate leads. To succeed with responsive search ads, you will need a well-optimised website and relevant keywords.

‍

Text Search Ads

The most common type of search campaign is text ads, which help advertisers reach people searching on Google for products and services that a business offers.

‍

Dynamic Search Ads

Businesses and websites very commonly use dynamic search ads.

‍

Smart Search Ads

Smart Search ads and campaigns are often used for easy setup.

‍

Display Campaigns

The second type of Google Ad campaign is through the Google Display Network. Display Network campaigns are designed for businesses that want to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to their website.

With a Display campaign, your ads will be shown on websites, apps, and videos that are part of the Google Display Network. Your ads can include images, videos, or text and be customised to target a specific audience. 

Display campaigns, Video campaigns, and Image ads heavily depend on creatives instead of ad groups that include text ads. Display Network campaigns are a great way to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to your website. However, they require you to have well-designed creative assets to succeed.

‍

Video Ad Campaigns

Video is another type of Google Ad campaign. Video ad campaigns are designed for businesses that want to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to their website using video content. Video ads campaigns show your video ads on YouTube and other websites.

With a Video ad campaign, your ads will be shown on YouTube and other video-sharing websites. Your ads can include images, videos, or text and can be targeted just like other campaign types.

Some Video campaign types can boost general brand awareness, while others are designed to drive conversions or get web users to shop on your website. Video ad campaigns are a great way to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to your website using video content.

‍

Google Shopping Ad Campaigns

The fourth type of Google Ads campaign is Shopping ads. Google Shopping campaigns are designed specifically for e-commerce businesses that sell physical products.

With a Google Ads Shopping campaign, your ads will be shown on Google's shopping pages and other sites that are part of the Google Display Network. Your ads will include product images, pricing, and additional relevant information pulled directly from your e-commerce store.

When people search for products that are similar to yours, they will appear in Google Shopping ads. This type of Google Ads campaign can help provide exposure for your products more rapidly as opposed to Google Display ads or Google App campaigns. There are different types of Shopping campaigns, like Smart Shopping and Standard Shopping.

Shopping ad campaigns are a great way to increase Google search traffic to your online store and generate more sales. They require a bit more set-up than other types of campaigns, as you'll need to connect your e-commerce platform to Google for the ads to populate correctly, often done through the Google Merchant platform.

Though they require some extra steps to set up, Shopping ads are the perfect tools for any e-commerce business that wants to use the Google Ads platform to its fullest potential.

‍

Smart shopping campaigns in the Merchant Centre will automatically be upgraded to Performance Max in 2022.

Google has announced that Smart Shopping ads and campaigns created in the Merchant Centre will be upgraded to Performance Max automatically in 20222. This new upgrade to Performance Max campaigns will help businesses reach more shoppers across all of Google Ads’ channels, from YouTube to Search to Discover.

‍

App Campaigns

The fifth type of Google Ad campaign is the App campaign. They are designed for businesses that want to increase mobile app downloads.

This campaign type uses information from your app and automatically optimises ads across the Search, Play, YouTube and Discover networks, along with another 3 million sites and apps.

With an App campaign, your ads will be shown on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and other app-related websites. This is usually the best way to market an app, as you can cross-target other apps that are considered competitors or in your niche.

‍

Local Ad Campaigns

The sixth type of Google Ad campaign is Local ads. Google’s Local campaigns often contain search ads designed for businesses that rely on foot traffic, such as brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, and service-based businesses. 

With a Local campaign, your ads will be shown on Google Maps and other local directories when someone searches for a business like yours in their area. Your ads will include your business name, address, phone number, and additional relevant information. Local ads are optimised across Search, Display, Google Maps, and YouTube.

Local Search campaigns are a great way to increase foot traffic to your business. To run this type of ad, Google will require you to have a physical location and a Google My Business listing. Business and online store owners can use Local Inventory ads to promote products available at physical locations.

‍

Local campaigns will automatically be upgraded to Performance Max from August 2022 onwards.

Google has announced that all Local campaigns will be upgraded to Performance Max automatically, starting in August 20222. However, you can upgrade them yourselves using the new, one-click tool Google has provided to unlock additional inventory and formats that reach new customers.

‍

Performance Max Campaigns

Another type of Google Ads campaign is Performance Max. As the name suggests, this type of campaign is all about maximising your performance – meaning your click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, return on investment (ROI)/return on ad spend (ROAS), and more.

With a Performance Max campaign, you're giving Google's algorithm free rein to show your Google Ads as often as possible, in as many places as possible. The algorithm will also constantly be testing and tweaking your ad copy, landing pages, and targeting options to try and find the best combination for maximum performance.

The main benefit of a Google’s Performance Max campaign is that you don't have to worry about managing your ads daily. However, the downside is that you will have less control over where and how your Google Ads are shown.

In one of our latest blog posts, you can learn how to set up a Performance Max campaign.

‍

Smart Campaigns

One of the types of Google Ads that are rising in popularity rapidly is Smart. Smart campaigns are designed for businesses using machine learning to automate and optimise their ad campaigns. 

Smart campaigns are often considered the easiest way to automate and quickly get your ads set up and running effectively. By entering your business details and creating a few ads, Google can find the best targeting method to bring you the most clicks and conversions for your time and money.

With a Smart campaign, Google will automatically use your account's past performance to generate ad campaigns tailored to your business goals. You can still customise your targeting and budget, but Google will do the heavy lifting for you to optimise your campaigns. Smart campaigns are a great way to use Google's machine learning technology to optimise your ad campaigns.

‍

Smart shopping campaigns will automatically be upgraded to Performance Max in 2022.

As we mentioned before, under the Google Shopping ads section, Smart Shopping campaigns will be upgraded to Performance Max automatically in 20222.

‍

Discovery Ad Campaigns

The last type of Google Ad campaign is Discovery. Discovery campaigns are designed for businesses that want to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to their website.

With a Discovery campaign, your ads will be shown on Google's discovery pages, such as the Google Homepage, Gmail, and YouTube. Your ads can include images, videos, or text and be customised to target a specific audience.

Discovery campaigns are a great way to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to your website. Having a solid foundation of digital assets is key to success with this ad campaign type.

‍

Which Ad Campaign Type is the Best?

Though it would be nice if there were one definite answer to this question, that is simply not the case. The truth is that the best ad campaign type just won't be the same for every single business running Google Ads. 

Depending on your business model, business type, niche, and other factors, the best Google Ads campaign type will vary wildly.

The most commonly-used Google Ads campaign type is the Search ads. This is because search ads account for a large majority of ad spend on Google, but it's not the right choice for everybody.

The best thing to do if you are just starting with Google Ads would be to talk to a digital marketing Napier or New Zealand agency that specialises in PPC ads to learn what type of Google Ads campaign would be best for your business.

‍

The Importance of Picking the Right Ad Type

Here are a few key reasons why it is crucial to pick the right ad campaign type for your business. 

1. First, if you don't pick the right ad campaign, you could be wasting money on ads that simply don't work for your business model. 

2. Second, picking the wrong ad campaign type could result in lower quality traffic to your website or application.

‍

If you want to be successful with Google Ads, it is important to pick the correct type of ad campaign for your business. Choosing the wrong ad campaign can result in wasted money and lower quality traffic.

The best way to learn which ad campaign type is best for your business is to talk to digital marketing or Google Ads agency specialising in PPC ads. This way, you can get tailored advice for your specific business goals.

Digital marketing agencies can help you pick the right ad campaign type for your business and advise you on other important aspects of your Google Ads account, such as targeting, budgeting, and more.

‍

The Most Affordable Ad Type

There is no easy answer regarding which ad type is most affordable. The cost of each ad type can vary greatly depending on your business model, niche, and other factors.

That being said, there are a few general trends you can keep in mind regarding the cost of Google Ads. Search ads tend to be the most expensive, followed by Display ads.

App ads are usually the most affordable, but this can vary depending on your business model and other factors.

The best way to learn which ad type is most affordable for your business is to talk to a pay-per-click (PPC) that specialises in Google Ads and helps companies find the right ad campaign.

‍

Let's Recap

We’ve covered the various types of Google Ad campaigns, their benefits, how to pick one, and what to do if you are overwhelmed during the process. 

With this knowledge, you are well-equipped to ensure that your campaigns perform well and that you pick the right drive for your product and audience.

If you have further questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us for a chat or free Google Ads consultation.