The four levels
- Ads and assetsHeadlines, descriptions, sitelinks and calls people see.
- Ad groupsTight sets of keywords that share one ad and page.
- CampaignsBudget, locations, schedule and bidding strategy.
- AccountBilling, users, conversion tracking and history.
A structure for a local service business
| Campaign | Ad groups | Landing page |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Your business name and misspellings | Homepage |
| Emergency services | Burst pipe, no hot water, sewer backup | Emergency plumbing page |
| Water heaters | Repair, replacement, tankless | Water heater page |
| Drains | Clogged drain, drain cleaning, hydro jetting | Drain cleaning page |
Separate campaigns let you budget each service on its own. If water heaters bring the best jobs, that campaign can get more money without starving the rest.
Rules that keep structure clean
- One theme per ad group, matching every keyword.
- One landing page per ad group, matching the ad.
- Brand searches in a separate campaign.
- Clear names, like "Search, Water heaters, Tampa."
Google's guidance on ad groups follows the same idea. Group keywords by theme so ads stay relevant.
How automation changed structure
Smart bidding and broad match need data to learn. Splitting an account into dozens of tiny ad groups starves them. The modern approach is fewer, well-themed groups with enough volume in each, not one ad group per keyword.
Good example. A plumber runs four campaigns by service, each with three to five tightly themed ad groups and a matching page.
Bad example. A plumber puts every keyword in one ad group with one generic ad pointing to the homepage.
Read types of PPC campaigns. Our Google Ads management builds structure around your services and margins.