Google Ads Campaign Types Explained (+ When to Use Them)

The Google Ads campaign types include Search, Display, Video, Shopping, App, Demand Gen, and Performance Max. This guide explains how each works and when to use them.

The Google ecosystem is massive, encompassing everything from the Google search engine to Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and Android.

So it comes as no surprise that their paid advertising platform, Google Ads, is the top choice among marketers who want to bring in high-quality leads to boost revenue and drive growth.

But which type of campaign should you use for your pay-per-click marketing (PPC) efforts?

In this guide, we’ll explain the different types of Google Ads campaigns available through your Google Ads account (along with their best uses).

Rachel Corak, associate director of search engine marketing at HawkSEM, shares her expert insights along the way.

7 Google Ads campaign types

1. Search campaigns
2. Display campaigns
3. Video ad campaigns
4. Shopping campaigns
5. App campaigns
6. Demand gen campaigns (formerly Discovery)
7. Performance Max campaigns

1. Search campaigns

Search ads appear on the Google search engine results page (SERP) above the organic Google search results.

These text ads are triggered when someone searches for a product or service relevant to a brand’s ad (these search queries are called keywords).

Brands create search campaigns based on keywords and place a bid for them to appear every time that keyword is searched through the Google Ads auction.

You can spot them by looking for the “Sponsored” tag above the listing. Here’s an example:

Why use search campaigns?

Because 41% of clicks go to the top three paid ads on the search results page.

And with more than 80% of desktop searches taking place on Google, advertising on the search network can be a great way to drive high-intent website traffic.

Google search ads are also relatively easy to set up. And with responsive search ads or RSAs, ongoing optimization can be even easier.

With RSAs, you create multiple headlines and descriptions. From there, Google tests different combinations to see what resonates best to improve campaign performance.

As the search engine itself reports, “Responsive search ads let you create an ad that adapts to show more relevant messages to your customers.”

Summary: Text ads on the Google SERP based on keywords.

Best for: Reaching a high-intent audience, lead generation, and sales-driven campaigns.

Key Features:

• Targeting by relevant keywords
• Ad assets like site links and instant call buttons attached to a listed phone number

2. Display campaigns

Google display ads are banner ads that appear on websites on the Google Display Network. They can be static images, videos, or animated text. Like text ads, the user is taken to the advertiser’s landing page when they click on the banner image,

Display ads are triggered when a user’s recent search behavior and demographics are relevant to the brand’s ad.

Why use display campaigns?

Unlike search ads, display ads are less likely to convert or be clicked. But that doesn’t mean they don’t serve an important purpose in the sales funnel.

Display ads help boost brand awareness and are a great way to reengage with people who have already viewed your ads or visited your website through remarketing.

For people who are still in the evaluation process, seeing a display ad can be the push they need to convert. 

Summary: Visual ads served on Google’s Display Network.

Best for: Brand awareness and retargeting a warm prospect.

Key Features:

• A broad reach with diverse ad formats
• Targeting interest-based, in-market audiences

3. Video campaigns

With video campaigns, your video ad appears on the YouTube video platform and other Google video partner websites to encourage people to take action.

Video ad campaigns can be in the form of:

• Skippable in-stream ads
• In-feed ads
• Non-skippable in-stream ads
• Bumper ads
• Outstream ads

Why use video campaigns?

With over 2 billion monthly users, YouTube alone offers the opportunity to reach a broader audience.

Video ads are especially effective at increasing brand awareness and helping businesses reach new, untapped markets.  

Summary: Video ads are shown on YouTube and Google video partners.

Best for: Brand awareness and brand building/storytelling.

Key Features:

• High engagement
• Effective targeting based on demographics, interests, and behavior

4. Shopping campaigns

Google Shopping ads showcase specific products with images, prices, and details directly on the SERP, the Shopping tab, and other Google properties.

This campaign type makes it easy for shoppers to quickly find your product without scrolling endlessly through page after page of search results.

Using product data from your Merchant Center feed to match user searches, Shopping campaigns help attract high-intent shoppers to online stores.

To create these ads, you need to have Google Merchant Center set up so you can keep your product feed and campaigns organized and updated.

After all, the last thing you want is to promote a product that’s out of stock or with an incorrect price.

Why use shopping campaigns?

Around 30% of product discovery takes place through Google search, making Shopping campaigns a no-brainer for ecommerce businesses.

Summary: Product ads are displayed on Google Shopping and the SERP.

Best for: Ecommerce businesses promoting products to high-intent shoppers.

Key Features:

• Product images, prices, and seller info displayed
• Integration with Google Merchant Center

5. App campaigns

App campaigns promote mobile apps across the Google network, including Search, YouTube, the Display Network, and Google’s app store, Google Play.

With automated targeting, bidding, and ad creation, app ads use assets provided by the advertiser (text, images, and video) to maximize installs.

Why use App campaigns?

App campaigns are a highly effective method of app promotion. By analyzing user behavior and intent, Google App campaigns can drive app engagement and growth.

Summary: Ads that promote app installs or in-app actions across Google’s platforms.

Best for: Mobile-first businesses looking to grow app users.

Key Features:

• Automated ad placements
• Machine learning optimization for installs and engagement

6. Demand Gen campaigns

Demand Gen campaigns help engage and nurture a high-intent target audience.

They do this through targeted, visual-centric ads across Google’s visual platforms like YouTube, Gmail, and Discover (a Google Search feature that shows content relevant to a searcher’s perceived interests).

Replacing Discovery ads back in 2023, these smart campaigns use machine learning automation and creative assets like images and video content for more personalized experiences.

This campaign type helps brands generate leads, boost consideration, and build trust with their audience.

Why use Demand Gen campaigns?

With Demand Gen campaigns, you have access to the billions of people who view Google’s various feeds on platforms.

Not only are these ads customizable and personalized, but they’re also beneficial for social media advertisers looking to leverage multiple formats for their campaigns.

Summary: Ads designed to boost demand and engagement across visual platforms like YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.

Best for: B2C and B2B businesses that want to build interest and nurture potential customers.

Key Features:

• Image ad formats tailored for audience engagement
• Targeting that uses AI focused on user signals and intent

Pro tip: Google suggests using as many assets as possible to maximize the reach of your Demand Gen campaign. 

7. Performance Max campaigns

Performance Max (also called PMax) is one of the newest campaign types available through Google Ads.

Unlike most other Google Ads campaign types that target keywords or audiences, Performance Max campaigns focus on predetermined conversion goals and audience signals.

Essentially, you give Google a goal and cues to which audiences it should look for, then provide it with all the creative assets tied to that goal (think ad copy, images, videos, etc.).

Then Google automatically creates your ads and displays them across all of its channels, strategically searching for audiences that match that goal to bring in more sales and boost conversions.

The Performance Max campaign is essentially multiple PPC campaign types all rolled into one. Once you understand how it works, it will likely be a game changer for your business — broadening your customer base and increasing conversions by optimizing performance in real time.

Two previously offered Google Ads campaign types, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns, were automatically upgraded to Performance Max campaigns and are no longer available.

Not only that, but while the search engine hasn’t officially announced a sunsetting of dynamic search ads, they do recommend upgrading these campaigns to PMax. This means that a sunset could be on the horizon.

Summary: A campaign type that uses preset goals and assets to automatically optimize and display ads across all Google channels — without ad groups.

Best for: Businesses interested in maximum exposure across platforms with one campaign.

Key Features:

• Machine learning optimizes ad placements and targeting through audience signals
• Unified approach across ad formats

Why understanding Google Ads campaign types matters

“It’s important to understand which campaign type can serve a specific purpose so you understand how to execute it and what the potential outcomes may be,” says Corak.

“It’s also important to understand the nuances of the different campaign types so you can ensure you’re structuring things optimally and not missing important settings during the configuration.”

Lastly, she adds that it’s important for marketers at all stages to stay up to date on the different ad types — as she puts it, “things tend to change frequently in the Google world.”

The takeaway

At the end of the day, “most campaign types potentially have their place in a brand’s marketing mix, but choosing which ones to allocate ad spend toward ultimately comes down to factors like budget, audiences, and goals,” says Corak.

Building and managing a successful Google advertising campaign is all about knowing who your audience is so you can set clear and specific conversion goals and campaign settings for each new campaign.

Once your campaign goals are set, you can shift your focus toward optimization.

You may also play with your budget and bidding strategies as time goes on; for example, we generally suggest starting with manual cost per click (CPC), but this can shift as you learn more about your campaigns.

The optimization opportunities to increase those conversions are endless. So, if you need a hand from the experts, give us a shout.

This post has been updated and was originally published in October 2022.