Campaign Types

Which Google Ads format fits your goal?

Google Ads spans several campaign types, each suited to a different stage of the buying journey. Here is a plain-language guide to the main formats and where each one earns its keep.

High intent

Search campaigns

Text ads shown on Google's results page when someone searches a relevant query. This is demand capture — reaching people who are actively looking right now.

Best for: lead generation, services, and products with clear search demand.

Advantages

  • Reaches people with active intent
  • Highly controllable with keywords & negatives
  • Strong, traceable conversion signal
  • Works on modest budgets

Advantages

  • One campaign across all Google inventory
  • Automation optimises toward your goal
  • Good for scaling proven accounts
  • Uses your assets & audience signals
Goal-based

Performance Max

A goal-driven campaign that serves across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover and Maps from a single setup, guided by Google's automation and the signals you provide.

Best for: accounts with solid tracking and clear conversion goals that want broad reach.

Retail

Shopping campaigns

Product listings with image, price and store name, powered by a Google Merchant Center feed. Ideal for showing the right product to shoppers comparing options.

Best for: e-commerce retailers with a product catalogue.

Advantages

  • Visual, price-led product ads
  • Driven by feed quality, not just keywords
  • High purchase intent
  • Scales across large catalogues

Advantages

  • Huge reach across the web & apps
  • Strong for awareness & remarketing
  • Flexible visual formats
  • Cost-effective impressions
Awareness

Display campaigns

Image and responsive ads shown across the Google Display Network — millions of websites and apps. Best used to build awareness and re-engage past visitors.

Best for: brand building and remarketing to warm audiences.

Engagement

Video & YouTube

Video ads on YouTube and partners — skippable in-stream, in-feed and short formats. Useful for storytelling, demand generation and reaching audiences at scale.

Best for: brand storytelling and upper-funnel demand.

Advantages

  • Rich, memorable storytelling
  • Granular audience targeting
  • Multiple formats & goals
  • Builds demand the funnel can capture later

Advantages

  • Visual, social-style placements (Demand Gen)
  • Automated app promotion at scale (App)
  • Reaches discovery surfaces
  • Goal-optimised delivery
Discovery & mobile

Demand Gen & App

Demand Gen places visual ads across YouTube, Discover and Gmail to spark interest. App campaigns automate promotion of mobile apps across Google's surfaces to drive installs and in-app actions.

Best for: visual demand creation, and app developers seeking installs or engagement.

How we choose

The format follows the goal.

We do not start from a favourite channel. We start from your objective, margins and data — then select and combine the campaign types that fit. Often the answer is a small, focused mix rather than everything at once.

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Want our view on the right mix for you?

Share your goal and budget and we will suggest where to focus first — clearly and without overselling.

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