Campaign types, used for the right job
- Search: people actively looking for what you sell. Usually the foundation for lead generation.
- Performance Max: one campaign across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display and more, driven by your conversion data and assets.
- Shopping: product listings with price and image, powered by your Merchant Center feed.
- YouTube and Demand Gen: reaching people before they search, with video and visual ads.
Automation needs good data
Google's bidding is largely automated now, which makes the conversion data you feed it the main lever you control. I start by making sure every sale and qualified lead is tracked accurately, with enhanced conversions and offline imports where relevant. See conversion tracking.
Structure and search terms
Campaigns are organised around your most profitable products, services and locations. Search term reviews, negative keywords and clear ad copy keep spend on the searches that convert.
Landing pages
Clicks need a page that continues the ad's promise and loads fast. Where pages hold the account back, I fix them through conversion rate optimisation rather than paying for traffic that bounces.
Organic and paid together
Search term data shows which keywords convert before you invest in SEO for them, and product feeds serve both Shopping ads and free listings, as covered in e-commerce SEO.