In 2025, Google Ads is a must-have for every service and e-commerce business in the United States. Having some presence on Google’s inventory is compulsory for a company to scale and grow. There are different Google Ads campaign types. ‘Which Google Ads campaign types are best for my business?’ has always been a hot question.
A lot of businesses get confused about what type of Google Ads campaign is best for their business. Some of them keep running ads for an irrelevant campaign and waste a lot of money with no gains.
So today, I am going to present a guide that will help you understand Google Ads campaign types. Further, it will help you choose the best campaign type for your business and get better results to scale your business.
What are the types of Google Ad campaigns
Each Google Ads campaign type is designed to meet specific marketing goals. The main types are Search, Display, Shopping, Video, App, Discovery, Local Services, and Performance Max. In 2025, Google is introducing Search Max as well.
Choosing the right campaign type depends on your marketing goals. It’s the basis of your success with google ads. The most popular campaign types are search, shopping and performance max.
Difference between Google ads and PPC
Google Ads is a specific platform, while PPC is a broader advertising model. PPC refers to any type of online advertising where advertisers pay when a user clicks on their ad. This can happen on various platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Google Ads is Google’s proprietary PPC platform that allows businesses to create and run ads. It include Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and the Display Network. In simple terms, Google Ads is one of the most popular tools used to run PPC campaigns.
Google Ads Search Campaigns
Google Search Ads appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). It targets users actively searching for specific products, services, or information. They show up on Google Search and search partners (YouTube, Amazon, etc.).
What You Need to Run a Google Search Ads Campaign:
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Keyword research targeting relevant search queries.
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Well-crafted headlines and descriptions that align with user intent.
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Ad extensions.
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A Conversion Optimized Landing Page.
Who Should Run a Google Search Ads Campaign?
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Businesses offering products or services people are actively searching on Search engines.
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Those wanting to capitalize on high-intent users who are ready to take action.
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Companies operating in competitive markets where visibility in search results is critical.
Pro Tip: Search ads are good for your business if there is existing demand for your product or services on Google. Search Ads work very well for Service businesses in the US.
Need to choose the best Google Ads campaign type for your business? Get a Free Strategy at our Google Ads Agency
Google Ads Display Campaigns
Google Display Ads are visual ads that appear on websites, apps, and YouTube within the Google Display Network. This type of Google Ads campaign covers websites on Google.
What You Need to Run a Google Display Ads Campaign:
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Eye-catching visual creatives (images or videos).
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Audience targeting criteria, such as demographics, interests, or behaviors.
Who Should Run a Google Display Ads Campaign?
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Businesses focused on retargeting users who have interacted with their website or app.
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Companies that are looking to raise brand awareness among a broader audience.
Pro Tip: Display Ads work best for retargeting visitors that came through Google Search Ads.
Google Shopping Ads
Shopping Ads showcase product images, prices, and store information. Showing directly in search results them perfect for e-commerce businesses.
What You Need to Run a Google Shopping Ads Campaign:
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A Merchant Center account linked to Google Ads.
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A product feed with accurate information (title, price, image, etc.).
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Bids and budgets tailored to your marketing goals.
Who Should Run a Google Shopping Ads Campaign?
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Businesses selling physical products online.
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Those wanting to drive traffic directly to product pages.
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Companies aim to highlight specific items with competitive pricing and visuals.
Pro Tip: Shopping Ads are highly underrated as of 2025. Unlike search ads for e-commerce, here users click on your ad after seeing the price and product image. Additionally, you get cheaper traffic than search.
Google Video Ads
Google Video Ads were maily on Youtube. They enable businesses to connect with audiences through engaging video content.
Video Action campaigns are updated to demand-gen campaigns.
What You Need to Run a Google Video Ads Campaign:
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Professionally created video content.
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A clear audience target (age, interests, etc.).
Who Should Run a Google Video Ads Campaign?
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Businesses want to tell a compelling brand story.
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Those looking to generate demand for their product or service.
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Companies retarget non-converted users with a better offer or video testimonials.
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Businesses offering visually engaging products or services.
Pro Tip: Skippable video ads on YouTube are effective. Here, you pay only when a user chooses to see your video ad.
Google App Ads
Google App Ads promote mobile applications on Google Search, YouTube, and the Play Store. It helps businesses to increase downloads and user engagement.
What You Need to Run a Google App Ads Campaign:
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An App available on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
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Clear in-app goals (downloads, purchases, or engagement).
Who Should Run a Google App Ads Campaign?
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Businesses that rely on app downloads for growth.
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Companies want to increase app usage and retention rates.
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Industries like gaming, finance, or e-commerce.
Google Demand Gen Ads
Google Demand Gen are visually rich and engaging ads. These ads appear across Google’s Discover feed, YouTube, and Gmail. Recently, Google merged Video Ads into demand gen campaigns.
What You Need to Run a Google Demand Gen Ads Campaign:
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High-quality visuals or videos.
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Engaging ad copy that captures attention.
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Well-defined audience targeting criteria.
Who Should Run a Google Demand Gen Ads Campaign?
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Businesses aim to inspire and connect with audiences by exploring new interests.
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Companies want to complement other Google Ads campaigns with immersive creatives.
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Businesses that want to capture and generate demand
Google Local Services Ads
Google Local Services Ads qucikly connect users with service providers in their area. It makes easier and simple for local businesses to find new customers.
What You Need to Run a Google Local Services Ads Campaign:
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A verified Local Services profile.
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Licenses and certifications (depending on the industry).
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A pay-per-lead budget.
Who Should Run a Google Local Services Ads Campaign?
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Businesses offering local services like plumbing, cleaning, or landscaping, and lawyers.
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Companies are looking for direct leads rather than clicks.
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Businesses that value geographical precision in targeting.
Pro Tip: Works very well for service-based businesses along with Google Search Ads.
Google Ads Performance Max Campaign
Google Performance Max combines all Google Ads campaign types into a single campaign. It tries to maximize results across platforms like Search, Display, Shopping, and YouTube.
What You Need to Run a Google Performance Max Campaign:
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High-quality assets (text, images, and videos).
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Better understanding of how performance max works
Who Should Run a Google Performance Max Campaign?
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Businesses want to use all of Google’s inventory in a single place
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Companies focused on achieving specific marketing objectives, such as conversions or ROI.
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Businesses where it take multiple touchponts to convert the visitors.
Pro Tip: Performance Max is good for retargeting users and is quite effective. Recommended as a secondary campaign along with Search or Shopping. Service businesses for Lead generation don’t find much success in targeting cold traffic.
Best campaign type on Google Ads for Lead Generation
The most popular campaign type for Lead Generation is Search campaign. Most of the demand on Google is captured by running search ads. You can use manual and smart bidding strategies based on your goals.
DSA campaigns are also effective for Lead Generation. They come under the shadow of Search campaigns. Dynamic ad group is used instead of standard. DSA helps to find relevant keywords. To counter the challenge of rising CPCs, dsa has been very effective. The combination of DSA with regular search campaign work very well.
The third popular type is Performance Max. Performance max has proved to be very cost efficient. But there are concerns of it’s lead quality. The best way to use performance max for lead generation is to use qualified leads as conversions. A major part of performance max target warm traffic which can be good or bad depending on the goals.
The Fouth most popular is Demand generation. Now, Youtube campaigns come under demand generation campaign type. So to create demand, Youtube sequencing campaigns work very well for lead generation.
Have a Proper Google Ads Account Structure
A proper Google Ads account structure is essential for maximize the performance. Understand the business and services to it’s core. Try to fulfill those unique goals in the form of account structure. Account structure reflects your business goals inside google ads.
The ideal structure follows a clear hierarchy.
Account → Campaigns → Ad Groups → Ads & Keywords.
At the account level, you manage billing, users, and account level settings. Make sure account level settings and assets are relevant. Organize campaigns by marketing goals like Lead Generation or Sales. Each campaign with its own budget and targeting settings. Within each campaign, create ad groups themed around specific services.
Ad groups contains relevant ads and a focused set of keywords that aligns with landing pages. This structure improves ad relevance an Ad score. It also ensures better control over budget allocation and performance tracking. A clean, logical setup makes it easier to scale google ads and optimize as your business grows.
Google Ads Campaign Types: Conclusion
Google Ads Campaigns are your doorsteps to success with AdWords. A proper understanding of how each campaign type work let you make better decisions. Different campaigns serve different objectives. Your business goals decide the campaigns to use.
Use a combination of Google Ads campaign types for yourself. Having the best Google Ads structure is your foundation of success. Your active campaigns must complement each other for the best results. E-commerce and service-based businesses need different combinations for success.
If you need help to make the best choice for your business, we are here to help. Contact our Google Ads agency to get a Free Strategy for lead generation.