In today’s faced-paced digital and competitive world, where ad dollars are tight, and ROI is the focus, it’s crucial for marketers to have a well-organized and streamlined advertising strategy in place.
That’s where the power of Google Campaign Structures comes in!
Yes, you’ve read right – structures! Plural! And there’s a reason for that – not all business objectives, audiences, and budgets are the same and therefore require a customized approach.
In this article, we’ll discuss what Google Ads Account Structure is and explore the different types of structures available to create a successful and manageable Google campaign structure.
So, let’s dive in with insights from a Google Ads Agency!
What is Google Ads Account Structure?
In order to create a Google Ads campaign, you must first set up an account.
Within that account, you can then create individual ad groups, each of which can contain one or more ads. You can also target specific demographics, locations, and devices within each ad group.
The entire account structure is designed to give you maximum control over your campaigns so that you can achieve your desired results.
In short, the account structure is the foundation upon which your entire Google Ads campaign structure will be built.
If you take the time to set it up properly, it will improve your PPC marketing strategy and result in a higher ROI.
Google ads account structure is comprised of 4 main aspects:
- Campaign structure
- Ad Group Structure
- Keyword Structure
- Ad Structure
Each aspect plays a crucial role in the success of your Google Ads campaign, so it is important to understand how they work together to create a well-organized and effective account structure.
Campaign Structure
A campaign is the highest level in your account structure. Within a campaign, you can set a specific budget, target certain demographics and locations, and choose which networks (such as search or display) your ads will appear on.
For instance, if you have a startup offering both a free and a premium subscription model, you may want to create separate campaigns for each one so that you can accurately track performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
When setting up a campaign, it’s important to choose a clear and specific goal, such as increasing website traffic or generating leads. It’s also a good idea to give your campaign a descriptive name to make it easy to find and manage later on.
For instance, instead of naming a campaign “user acquisition,” you could name it “Q4 user acquisition – paid channels.”
In order to maximize efficiency and performance, it’s also helpful to pay attention to keywords.
Depending on your campaign goals, there are three main match types to choose from: broad, phrase, and exact.
Let’s consider each type to have a better understanding of how to use them in your campaign structure.
Keyword Match Types
In online advertising, keyword match types are used to control how closely a keyword must match a customer’s search term in order for the ad to appear.
This helps ensure that your ad is being shown to the most relevant audience possible, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions.
Here are the three main match types:
Broad Match Type
The broad match type allows your ad to appear for any search that includes your selected keyword or a similar variation.
For instance, if you choose the keyword “growth marketing” for a broad match, your ad could potentially appear for searches such as “growth marketing techniques” or “startup growth marketing.”
This can be helpful for generating a larger volume of traffic but may also lead to irrelevant clicks and lower conversion rates.
Phrase Match Type
The phrase match type allows your ad to appear for any search that includes the exact keyword or a close variation with additional words before or after.
Using the example above, a phrase match for “growth marketing” would result in your ad appearing for searches such as “startup growth marketing” or “growth marketing strategies.”
This can help target a more specific audience while still allowing for some variations in search terms.
Exact Match Type
The exact match type allows your ad to appear only for searches that include the exact keyword without any additional words.
In our example, an exact match for “user acquisition” would result in your ad appearing only for that specific search term and not variations such as “startup user acquisition” or “user acquisition strategies.”
The exact match type is typically the most targeted and can lead to higher conversion rates but may also result in lower volumes of traffic.
When setting up your campaign structure, it’s important to consider the balance between targeting and volume.
A well-organized account structure can lead to a higher return on investment (ROI) for your Google Ads campaign.
By choosing specific and relevant keywords and utilizing the different match types, you can ensure that your ads are reaching the right audience and driving conversions.
5 Tips to Improve Campaign Structure
Each business and industry will have unique needs for their Google Ads campaigns, but there are some general tips to keep in mind when creating and organizing your account structure:
Budget
The most crucial thing to consider when setting up your campaign structure is how you will allocate your budget.
Consider which campaigns, ad groups, and keywords are most important for your goals, and allocate a larger portion of your budget to those.
Bid Strategy
In addition to budget allocation, it’s important to determine the best bidding strategy for each campaign and ad group.
Some options include manual bidding, where you manually set bids for each keyword; automatic bidding, where Google sets bids based on your target; or a mix of both manual and automatic bidding.
Location Targeting
If your business serves a specific geographic area, make sure to set location targeting for your campaigns.
This will help ensure that your ads are only being shown to customers in the areas where you can actually serve them.
Device Targeting
In addition to location targeting, consider the different devices that customers may be using to search for your products or services.
For instance, mobile device users may have different intentions and needs than desktop users.
You can choose to create separate campaigns for each device type or use device bidding adjustments to adjust bids for certain devices within a single campaign.
Brand vs. Non-Brand
When determining which keywords to target, it’s important to consider the balance between brand and non-brand keywords.
Brand keywords are those that directly reference your business or product names. These can be helpful for driving brand awareness and increasing website traffic.
Non-brand keywords, on the other hand, are more generic terms related to your products or services. These can be useful for reaching new potential customers who might not be familiar with your brand.
Ad Group Structure
The second ad group level of organization in a Google Ads account is the ad group. Ad groups contain your actual ads and keywords and typically have a specific theme or focus.
For example, in a campaign for an e-commerce shoe store, you may have ad groups for specific types of shoes, such as “running shoes” or “dress shoes.”
Within each ad group, you can have several closely related keywords and multiple ads that address the needs and interests of potential customers searching for those terms.
It’s important to have tightly themed campaigns and ad groups, as this will help ensure that your ads are relevant to the keywords and search queries they are being triggered for.
This can lead to higher quality scores, lower costs, and, ultimately, better performance for your campaigns.
There are five types of ad groups:
- Single Keyword Ad Group
- Single Theme Ad Group
- Single Product Ad Group
- Alpha / Beta Ad Groups
- Match Type Focused Ad Group
Single Keyword Ad Group
This type of ad group is focused on one specific keyword. This can be helpful for targeting very specific, high-conversion terms or for conducting split tests on different ad copy and landing pages for that term.
Single Theme Ad Group
Similar to single keyword ad groups, this type of ad group is focused on one particular theme or topic. However, instead of just one keyword, this ad group will contain multiple related keywords.
Single Product Ad Group
If you are selling a specific product or offering a specific service, it can be beneficial to create an ad group specifically for that offering. This allows you to tailor your ads and landing pages to the specific product or service, potentially resulting in higher conversion rates.
Alpha / Beta Ad Group
In this type of ad group structure, you separate your keywords into two groups – alpha and beta. Alpha keywords are those with higher search volume and potential for conversions, while beta keywords have lower search volume but may still be relevant to your offering.
You can then set different bids for each group and adjust as needed based on performance.
Match Type Focused Ad Group
In this ad group structure, you separate keywords by their match type – broad, phrase, or exact. This allows you to tailor your ads and landing pages specifically for the intent of those searching with each type of match type keyword.
Ultimately, the specific ad group structure you choose will depend on your business and campaign goals.
Experiment with different structures to see which works best for your account.
Keyword Structure
So, now that you’ve got a basic understanding of campaign and ad group organization let’s talk about keyword structure.
Keywords are the actual terms or phrases that trigger your ads to be displayed in search results.
In order to be successful with pay-per-click advertising, it’s important to have a well-organized and thorough list of relevant keywords.
Here are four tips to keep in mind when building your keyword list:
Look for high-volume, low-competition keywords
Ideally, you want to target keywords that have a high search volume but low competition from other advertisers. This can help ensure that your ads are being displayed to a large audience and that you aren’t overpaying for clicks for an effective.
Consider negative keywords
In addition to targeting specific keywords, you also want to consider adding negative keywords.
These are terms that you do not want your ads to be displayed for.
For example, if you are a shoe store that only sells high-end designer shoes, you may add “cheap” or “discount” as negative keywords to prevent your ads from being triggered by those search terms.
Consider branded or non-branded keywords
Including both branded and non-branded keywords can help ensure that you are targeting both people searching specifically for your brand, as well as those who may not be familiar with your brand but are still searching for products or services that you offer.
When targeting keywords, make sure to use the appropriate match type
There are three different match types – broad, phrase, and exact.
Using the correct match type can help ensure that your ads are being displayed for relevant searches.
For example, using a broad match type for the keyword “startup growth” could result in your ad being displayed for searches like “startup growth hacks” or “startup growth strategies.”
However, using an exact match type for the same keyword would only trigger your ad for the exact search term “startup growth.”
As you can see, having a well-organized and thorough list of keywords is crucial to the success of your PPC campaigns. Take the time to research and carefully select your keywords, and regularly review and adjust as needed.
Ad Structure
The last aspect of PPC organization to discuss is ad structure.
Your ads are what actually appear in search results and can greatly impact the success of your campaigns.
Here are five tips for creating an effective ad structure:
Consider Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that generally have lower search volume but also less competition and may result in higher conversion rates.
So, while they might not drive as much traffic to your website, the visitors who do click through are more likely to be genuinely interested in your offerings.
Make Sure to Include Numbers or Figures
Including numbers or figures in your ad copy can help catch the attention of potential customers and give them a clear understanding of what you are offering.
For example, instead of simply saying “affordable furniture,” you could say “affordable furniture starting at $99.”
Consider Keyword Insertion
Keyword insertion is a feature that automatically inserts the search term that triggered your ad into the ad copy.
This may help make your ads more relevant and personalized to the searcher, resulting in a higher click-through rate.
Ensure Your Brand Message Is Clear and Concise
Your ad should clearly convey your brand message and what sets you apart from competitors.
So, make sure to include unique selling points or promotions in your ad copy.
When Creating Your Ad, Be Sure to Use Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are additional features that can be added to your ads, such as site links, call buttons or location information.
These can provide more information to potential customers and improve the visibility and performance of your ads.
There are different types of ad extensions available. Here are a few to consider using:
- Sitelink extensions: These provide additional links to specific pages on your website
- Callout extensions: These allow you to highlight unique offerings or promotions.
- Structured snippet extensions: These allow you to showcase specific aspects of your business, such as services or products.
- Call extensions: These add a clickable phone number to your ad, allowing potential customers to easily contact you.
- Lead form extensions: These allow potential customers to easily fill out a form with their contact information, making the lead generation process easier.
- Location extensions: These display your business address and allow potential customers to easily locate your physical store location.
- Affiliate location extensions: These display locations of your affiliated stores, helping to drive foot traffic to those locations as well.
- Price extensions: These display the prices of specific products or services, providing additional information to potential customers.
- App extensions: These display a link to download your mobile app, driving app installs and engagement.
As you can see, ad extensions can provide a lot of additional information and improve the performance of your ads. Be sure to take advantage of them in your PPC campaigns.
How To Create Successful Google Campaign Structures?
The way you structure your Google Ads campaigns will have a big impact on your results.
Get it right, and you could see a significant increase in leads and sales. Get it wrong, and you could waste a lot of money with little to show for it.
To help ensure your success, there are some important factors to take into account when creating your campaign structure.
Your Website
Take a look at your website and analyze how it is structured.
Is it organized by product categories or services? Do you have separate landing pages for different target audiences or locations?
Your campaign structure should mirror the organization of your website to make it easier for potential customers to navigate and convert.
Your Objectives
Consider your overall advertising objectives and what actions you want potential customers to take.
Do you want them to make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, or download a guide?
Your campaign structure should be organized in a way that aligns with these goals and allows you to track the effectiveness of each campaign.
Your Products or Services Offered
This is probably the same as your website structure, but it’s important to consider how you want to segment your products or services.
Do you want separate campaigns for each individual offering, or do you want to group them together in broader categories?
This will depend on the specific offerings and your advertising goals.
Location of Your Business
If you have a physical location or serve specific geographic areas, consider creating campaigns targeted to those areas.
This can be particularly useful for local search advertising, search network, and driving foot traffic to your store for effective search campaigns.
Your Budget
This is perhaps the most practical factor to consider when creating your campaign structure.
You want to make sure you allocate your budget in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of your ads and allows you to track performance.
For example, if you have a limited budget, it may not make sense to create separate campaigns for each product or service.
However, if you have a larger budget and a diverse range of offerings, segmenting your campaigns can help you allocate resources and track performance more effectively.
Turn Your Business into a Revenue-Generating Machine
We hope this article has helped you understand how to structure your Google Ads campaigns for success.
Keep in mind that the best way to learn is to experiment and try different structures and strategies until you find what works best for your business.
With the right campaign structure and a well-thought-out strategy, you can see a significant boost in leads and sales!
