Understanding Google Ads Campaign Types: The Complete Guide
Running Google Ads effectively starts with one crucial choice: selecting the right campaign type. Each campaign determines where your ads appear, which formats are available, and how Google’s AI delivers them to users. The right choice means efficient spend, strong ROI, and measurable growth — the wrong one can waste your budget fast.
There are seven main Google Ads campaign types, each designed for a specific purpose within the marketing funnel:
1. Search Campaigns
These text-based ads appear on Google Search results and target high-intent users actively searching for your product or service. Perfect for lead generation and direct conversions.
2. Display Campaigns
Focused on brand awareness and remarketing, Display campaigns show visual ads across over 2 million websites and apps in the Google Display Network. They’re ideal for introducing your brand and staying visible to past visitors.
3. Video Campaigns
Run on YouTube and the Display Network, using video to engage users emotionally and visually. Best for storytelling, product launches, and brand-building through immersive content.
4. Shopping Campaigns
For eCommerce, Shopping ads display product images, prices, and store names directly in search results. They reach users with high purchase intent and showcase key product details upfront.
5. App Campaigns
Designed to promote app installs and in-app actions, these campaigns use Google’s automation to target users across Search, Play Store, YouTube, and Display.
6. Demand Gen Campaigns
The evolution of Discovery ads, Demand Gen helps brands build interest and consideration before users even start searching — across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail feeds.
7. Performance Max (PMax) Campaigns
The most advanced campaign type — powered by Google AI — that consolidates all channels (Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps) under one goal-driven system. It’s perfect for advertisers looking to maximize conversions and scale efficiently.
Choosing the Right Type
Each campaign has its strengths. Search captures demand. Display builds awareness. Shopping drives direct sales. PMax automates it all. The key is aligning your choice with your business objective — and feeding each campaign the right creative and data inputs to let Google optimize effectively.
Read the full breakdown of all campaign types, with examples and strategic use cases here:
👉 https://agrowth.io/blogs/google-ads/google-ads-campaign-types