Stop 06 · Paid Advertising (PPC)Topics · 2/12

Google Ads Fundamentals

In short

Google Ads looks scary because of all the buttons. Underneath, every account is the same simple ladder: account, campaigns, ad groups, then keywords and ads.

Google's advertising platform spanning Search, Display, YouTube and Shopping — campaign structure (campaigns → ad groups → ads → keywords) is the organizational backbone you'll use across every campaign type.

The blob stands in front of a cutaway mall building with three floors of little shops.

Think of it like this

A shopping mall's layout

A mall has floors (electronics, clothing), each floor has shops, and each shop has products. Rent and opening hours are set per floor. In Google Ads, budget and location are set per campaign, and ad groups hold related keywords and ads.

Watch it happen

How a coaching institute's account is organised

Account

Campaign: CAT

Campaign: GATE

Group: Online

Group: Delhi

Keywords

Ads

Group: Mock tests

1/4The account holds billing and access. One business usually has one account.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Settings flow downward

Budget and location live on the campaign. Every ad group inside it follows those settings.

One theme per ad group

Keep each ad group tight so the ad text can match the searches closely.

Start with the goal

Pick what success means first: calls, leads, sales or visits. Google uses it to guide choices.

Many campaign types

Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Performance Max and more all share the same basic ladder.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Putting every keyword into one giant ad group.

Do this instead

Split by theme. 'GATE mock tests' and 'GATE coaching Delhi' need different ads.

Oops

Mixing cities with very different budgets in one campaign.

Do this instead

If Delhi needs more money than Lucknow, give each its own campaign so budgets stay separate.

Your mission

Sketch an account on paper

~20 min

Quick check

You want different daily budgets for Mumbai and Chennai. Where should that split happen?

Go deeper

1Explore Google Ads' interface (free account, no need to spend) to see the campaign hierarchy.
2Learn the difference between campaign-level and ad-group-level settings.
3Practice mapping a hypothetical campaign structure before touching the interface.