OverviewOne builder, all campaign types
AdBuilder originally built only search campaigns; today you can use it to set up all major Google Ads campaign types. You choose a type for each campaign, and the builder automatically tailors its questions, copy, and visuals accordingly. Every campaign type is built from your website analysis and written in your project's language.
The typesCampaign types at a glance
Each type reaches people in a different way. Here is what they do and when to use them:
- Search campaign: text ads that appear when people search on Google. The go-to choice for reaching people who are already searching with purchase intent; you target by keywords and match types.
- Performance Max: Google automatically distributes your budget across all channels (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps) and optimizes for conversions. You supply copy, images, a logo, and optionally video; Google assembles the ads.
- Dynamic search ads: a search campaign without keywords. Google matches search queries to your site's content and automatically generates headlines and destination URLs; you provide the descriptions and exclude any pages that should not be included.
- Display: image ads (banners) on the Google Display Network, targeted by audience or contextual themes. Great for reach and frequency; the banner set is built from your brand identity.
- App: promote your mobile app (installs or in-app actions). You select your app from Google Play or the App Store; Google combines your headlines, descriptions, images, and optional YouTube video across all channels.
- Video: video ads on YouTube based on your own YouTube video, complemented by headlines, descriptions, and a call to action.
- Demand Gen: image and video ads on YouTube, Discover, and Gmail, built from copy, images, and optional video, and targeted by audience.
Conversion trackingWhich types require conversion tracking
Performance Max, App, Video, and Demand Gen bid on conversions and cannot run without active conversion tracking in your Google Ads account. If this has not yet been set up, the builder grays out those types with a clear message, and you can only publish them once tracking is in place. Search campaigns, dynamic search ads, and Display work without conversion tracking.
Good to knowLimitations by campaign type
A few types have their own conditions set by Google. Handy to know up front:
- Video (YouTube): publishing only works if your Google Ads account supports video campaigns. Usually that means a linked YouTube channel and a fully configured account (billing and access). If the account cannot run video yet, the builder warns you in advance and blocks publishing with a clear message; building and editing still work fine.
- App: Google largely manages the targeting of App campaigns itself. Manual audience targeting is not supported here; if you do choose audiences anyway, the builder honestly reports that Google did not apply them instead of pretending it worked.
- Demand Gen: lookalike segments (audiences that resemble your own customer or visitor lists) can also be adjusted on an already published campaign, not only while building.
Within a search campaignGoals within a search campaign
When you choose a search campaign, you define its structure by selecting a goal. Each goal captures a different type of search query, and you can run multiple search campaigns side by side, each with its own budget and targeting:
- Brand: bids on your own brand name, with separate ad groups for brand terms, likely misspellings, and your website or webshop name.
- Competitor: bids on competitors' brand names (their brand never appears in your ad copy, that is policy).
- Generic: category and industry terms, with one ad group per theme.
- Local: geo terms (your city and surrounding areas) combined with short service terms, plus radius targeting around your location.
- Remarketing: search ads targeted at people who have already visited your site.
- Catch-all: a broad safety net (via dynamic search ads) for search queries not covered by your other campaigns.
- Persona: same offering, different audience: a separate campaign for each type of searcher, with its own tone of voice.