In 2023, Google generated an astounding $237.9 billion from advertising alone, up 6% from the previous year. This figure highlights the immense value businesses find in advertising through Google’s platforms to reach and engage their audiences.
Of this revenue, Google Search ads accounted for roughly $175 billion, while YouTube ads brought in about $31.5 billion. Display ads through Google’s Network generated $31.3 billion, underscoring the versatility of Google’s ad offerings.
With such a substantial investment from businesses across the world, understanding Google Ads’ campaign and ad types is essential for anyone looking to make the most of this platform in 2025.
Whether you're just starting or are a seasoned advertiser, Google Ads offers a variety of campaign types and ad formats designed to meet specific goals, from increasing brand awareness to driving conversions.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at each type of Google Ads campaign and the ad formats available within them so you can choose the best approach for your goals.
Unlocking Google Ads Success: A Guide to Google Ads Campaigns and Ad Types
- Search Campaigns
Overview: Search campaigns place ads on Google’s search results page, reaching users actively looking for specific products, services, or information. These ads are particularly effective for capturing demand, as they target users with high intent.
Ad Types:
- Text Ads: Simple, straightforward ads with a headline, description, and URL.
- Responsive Search Ads: Ads that automatically test various headlines and descriptions to find the best-performing combinations.
- Dynamic Search Ads: Ads that generate headlines and landing pages based on your website content, helping you capture search queries you might not have directly targeted.
- Display Campaigns
Overview: Display campaigns expand reach beyond search by showing visual ads across Google’s Display Network, including websites, apps, and YouTube. This campaign type works well for brand awareness and retargeting.
Ad Types:
- Image Ads: Static or animated image ads.
- Responsive Display Ads: Ads that adjust in size and format to fit available spaces and automatically create variations for optimal performance.
- Gmail Ads: Interactive ads that appear in the Promotions or Social tabs of Gmail users.
- Video Campaigns
Overview: Video campaigns allow advertisers to engage audiences with video content on YouTube and across Google’s video partner sites. These campaigns are excellent for storytelling, brand building, and delivering rich content.
Ad Types:
- Skippable In-Stream Ads: Ads that viewers can skip after 5 seconds, ideal for driving traffic or conversions.
- Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads: 15-second ads that viewers must watch, ideal for brand awareness.
- Bumper Ads: 6-second, non-skippable ads that are perfect for concise brand messages.
- In-Feed Video Ads: Ads appearing in YouTube search results and recommended video feeds, encouraging users to click and watch.
- Shopping Campaigns
Overview: Shopping campaigns are a powerful way for eCommerce businesses to showcase products directly in Google’s search results. These ads contain detailed product information like price, image, and store name.
Ad Types:
- Product Shopping Ads: Display individual products with images, prices, and store information.
- Showcase Shopping Ads: Group related products together, ideal for brand awareness and discovery.
- Local Inventory Ads: For retailers with physical stores, these ads show whether products are in stock nearby.
- App Campaigns
Overview: App campaigns are tailored to promote mobile app installs, in-app actions, and re-engagement across Google’s properties, including Search, YouTube, and the Google Play Store.
Ad Types:
- App Install Ads: Ads optimized to increase app downloads.
- App Engagement Ads: Ads targeted at existing app users to drive specific in-app actions.
- Performance Max Campaigns
Overview: Performance Max campaigns utilize Google’s machine learning to optimize ads across all Google properties based on specific conversion goals. This campaign type is ideal for advertisers looking to reach users across multiple touchpoints efficiently.
Ad Types: This campaign includes a mix of ad formats (search, display, video, and shopping) and is driven by assets you upload, allowing Google’s AI to create ads that perform best on each platform.
- Local Campaigns
Overview: Local campaigns are designed to drive foot traffic to physical locations. They automatically distribute ads across Google Search, Display, Maps, and YouTube based on users’ proximity to your business.
Ad Types: Local campaigns adapt ads into various formats automatically, promoting your location with relevant details like distance, directions, and business hours.
- Discovery Campaigns
Overview: Discovery campaigns reach users across Google’s most engaging properties, including the Discover feed, Gmail, and YouTube, with visually rich, scrollable ads.
Ad Types:
- Discovery Ads: Visually engaging ads that blend in with content feeds, helping users discover your brand in a non-intrusive way.
Are You Ready To Unlock The Possibilities With Google Ads?
With businesses spending billions on Google Ads, the diversity of campaign and ad types in Google Ads offers something for every marketing objective and budget. Whether you’re focused on visibility, engagement, or driving conversions, knowing how to use these campaign types effectively will be key to leveraging Google Ads for your business’s success in 2025.
