The 6 Google Ads campaign types — which one to choose for your objective?
- Joao Vangeneberg
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Google Ads isn't a single type of advertising — it's a complete ecosystem of 6 distinct ad formats, each designed for a specific objective, a particular audience, and a different stage of the customer journey. Choosing the wrong campaign type is the most common mistake — and the most expensive. In this article, we explain every format, who it's for, and how to choose the right one for your situation.
Why choosing your campaign type is a strategic decision
As we explained in our first article, Google Ads is not just an advertising platform — it's a complete system. And as we saw with the auction system, every decision you make in your account has a direct impact on your costs and results.
The campaign type you choose determines three fundamental things:
1) Where your ads appear
2) Who sees them
3) How Google optimises their delivery
Activating the wrong format means spending your budget on the wrong audience, at the wrong time, with the wrong intent.
With the growing power of Google's AI, this choice is more decisive than ever.
In 2026, Performance Max campaigns represent a growing share of Google Ads budgets and generate an average ROI of 200% when properly optimised. But they require specific conditions to perform — activating them without preparation is one of the most frequent mistakes we see during account audits.
The 6 Google Ads campaign types explained
1) Search — Search Network
Text ads that appear in Google search results when a user performs a search. This is the most direct format for capturing active purchase intent.
Who it's for: all advertisers looking to capture existing demand — services, actively searched products, B2B lead generation.
Ideal to start
2) Performance Max
An all-in-one AI-driven campaign that runs simultaneously across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps and Discover from a single configuration. In 2026, campaign-level negative keywords are finally available.
Who it's for: advertisers with 30+ conversions/month and varied creative assets (copy, images, videos).
Advanced AI
3) Shopping
Product ads with image, title, price and store name, displayed in Google's Shopping tab. Essential for e-commerce with a structured product feed.
Who it's for: e-commerce businesses with a product catalogue and configured Merchant Center.
E-commerce
4) Display — Display Network
Visual banners shown across millions of Google partner websites. Ideal for brand awareness, remarketing and maintaining brand presence.
Who it's for: advertisers wanting to build brand awareness or re-engage visitors who didn't convert.
Awareness & Remarketing
5) Video / YouTube
Video ads on YouTube: skippable (after 5s), non-skippable (max 15s), bumper ads (6s), in-feed and Shorts. Average CPV ranges from £0.01 to £0.05.
Who it's for: brands building awareness, launching a product or telling a story. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world.
Storytelling
6) Demand Gen
The successor to Discovery campaigns. Runs across YouTube, Gmail and Discover to create demand among audiences not yet actively searching. In 2026, omnichannel bidding is now available.
Who it's for: advertisers wanting to prospect and create demand upstream of Search.
Prospecting
Performance Max in 2026: power and new features
Performance Max was criticised since its launch for its lack of transparency — a "black box" that managed everything without the possibility of fine-grained human intervention.
In 2026, Google addresses this with major updates that give advertisers back meaningful control.
PMax 2026 updates:
Negative keywords are now available at campaign level — finally preventing brand keyword cannibalisation. Channel-level reports let you see performance on each surface (Search, YouTube, Display…). Device-level bid adjustments are also now available to refine delivery.
Performance Max works particularly well in e-commerce with a Shopping feed and as a complement to existing Search campaigns. However, activating it on an account without a solid conversion history means giving the AI poor data to optimise from — burning your budget during the learning phase.
200%
Average ROI of well-optimised Google Ads campaigns in 2026
30+
Conversions/month minimum before activating Performance Max
6s
YouTube bumper ads duration — the cheapest format for brand awareness
How to choose the right Google Ads campaign type for your objective
Here is the decision framework we use at VD Adsconsulting during every account audit:
YOUR OBJECTIVE | RECOMMENDED FORMAT | REQUIRED CONDITION |
Capture existing demand | Search | Actively searched keywords |
Sell products online | Shopping + PMax | Merchant Center + product feed |
Maximise AI coverage | Performance Max | 30+ conv/month + varied assets |
Re-engage visitors | Display + Search RLSA | Remarketing audiences |
Build brand awareness | YouTube / Video | Quality video available |
Create demand | Demand Gen | Dedicated prospecting budget |
The classic mistake: trying to activate everything at once
This is every beginner advertiser's temptation — and one of the most expensive mistakes. Each Google Ads campaign type has a different optimisation logic, a minimum budget to perform, and distinct signals it sends to the algorithm.
Activating 5 formats simultaneously on a limited budget means feeding 5 algorithms with crumbs — none of them has sufficient data to optimise correctly.
Our standard recommendation: Start with a well-structured Search campaign. When you reach 30 conversions per month, consider adding Performance Max as a complement. Add Display and Video only when your Search base is profitable and stable. Progressiveness isn't timidity — it's strategy.
What video has become in 2026 on Google Ads
In 2026, videos are no longer optional in Performance Max — they are a key asset. Google uses them on YouTube, Shorts and Discover to complement your text ads.
A PMax account without video leaves Google to automatically generate videos from your static assets — with results that are often mediocre at best.
The right reflex: Include at least one short video (15 to 30 seconds) in your Performance Max campaigns. This isn't an additional cost — it's a quality signal that improves delivery across all Google channels for your entire campaign.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP :
Are your Google Ads campaigns using the right formats for your objectives?
A wrong campaign type choice can represent thousands wasted every month — without the numbers clearly showing it. Most accounts we audit use formats that are inappropriate for their stage of development or their actual business objectives.
At VD Adsconsulting, we analyse your campaign structure, the types activated, their coherence with your business objectives and their maturity level. You leave with a clear, prioritised restructuring plan — no commitment required.
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