8 Types of Google Ads Campaigns Explained: Which One to Use (2026 Guide)

Google Ads offers 8 different campaign types, each designed for a different goal. Choosing the wrong one is one of the most expensive mistakes in paid advertising, because you will pay for clicks that never had a chance of converting.

This guide explains every campaign type, when to use each, and how to decide based on your business goals and budget.

Quick Comparison: All 8 Campaign Types

Before diving into details, here is a summary to help you decide quickly:

• Search: best for high-intent buyers actively searching for your product/service
• Display: best for brand awareness and remarketing at low cost
• Shopping: best for ecommerce products with a feed
• Video (YouTube): best for brand storytelling and reaching large audiences
• Performance Max: best for automated, cross-channel campaigns with conversion data
• Demand Gen: best for visually-driven discovery on YouTube, Gmail, and Discover
• App: best for mobile app installs and engagement
• Local: best for driving foot traffic to physical stores

1. Search Campaigns

Search campaigns show text ads at the top and bottom of Google search results when someone searches for your keywords. This is the most common and often the most effective campaign type because the user has clear intent.

When to use Search

• You sell a product/service people actively search for
• You want high-intent, bottom-of-funnel traffic
• You have a clear keyword list
• Your budget is limited (Search gives the best ROI per dollar for most businesses)

Average performance

CPC: $1-$5 for most industries. CTR: 3-6%. Conversion rate: 3-5%. Search is expensive per click but converts the best.

2. Display Campaigns

Display campaigns show image/banner ads across Google's network of 2+ million websites, apps, and YouTube. They reach users while they browse, not while they search.

When to use Display

• Brand awareness at scale (you want people to see your brand)
• Remarketing to people who visited your site but did not convert
• Very low budget (Display CPCs are 5-10x cheaper than Search)
• You have strong visual assets (images, banners)

Average performance

CPC: $0.20-$1.00. CTR: 0.5-1%. Conversion rate: 0.5-1%. Cheap clicks but much lower intent than Search.

3. Shopping Campaigns

Shopping campaigns show product listings with images, prices, and store name directly in search results and the Shopping tab. They require a Google Merchant Center account with a product feed.

When to use Shopping

• You sell physical products online (ecommerce)
• You have a product feed in Google Merchant Center
• You want to show product images and prices directly in search

Average performance

CPC: $0.30-$1.50. CTR: 1-3%. Conversion rate: 2-4%. Excellent ROI for ecommerce because users see the product and price before clicking.

4. Video Campaigns (YouTube)

Video campaigns run ads on YouTube and across Google video partners. Formats include skippable in-stream, non-skippable, bumper (6 seconds), in-feed, and Shorts ads.

When to use Video

• Brand awareness and storytelling
• Launching a new product
• Reaching younger demographics (YouTube is the #2 search engine)
• You have quality video content (even 15-30 second clips work)

Average performance

Cost per view: $0.01-$0.03. CPC (for click-based objectives): $0.10-$0.50. Great for reach but lower direct conversion rates than Search.

5. Performance Max Campaigns

Performance Max (PMax) is Google's fully-automated campaign type that runs ads across ALL Google properties: Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps. You provide creative assets and conversion goals; Google's AI does the rest.

When to use PMax

• You have strong conversion tracking and 30+ conversions/month
• You want to reach users across all Google channels with one campaign
• You are comfortable giving Google full control over targeting and bidding
• Ecommerce with product feeds (PMax replaced Smart Shopping)

When NOT to use PMax

• You have limited conversion data (PMax needs data to optimize)
• You want full control over which keywords trigger your ads
• Your budget is very small (PMax needs enough budget to test across channels)

6. Demand Gen Campaigns

Demand Gen (formerly Discovery Ads) shows visually-rich ads on YouTube Home, YouTube Shorts, Discover feed, and Gmail. It is designed for mid-funnel engagement with audiences who have not searched for you yet.

When to use Demand Gen

• You have compelling visual/video content
• You want to reach new audiences based on interests and behavior
• You are running top/mid-funnel campaigns for awareness or consideration
• You want lookalike audiences based on your existing customers

Average performance

CPC: $0.50-$2.00. Lower intent than Search but higher engagement than Display. Best for building audiences that you later remarket to with Search campaigns.

7. App Campaigns

App campaigns promote mobile app installs and in-app actions across Search, Play Store, YouTube, Display, and Discover. They are fully automated; you provide text, images, and a budget.

When to use App

Only if you have a mobile app and want downloads or in-app conversions. Not relevant for most businesses.

8. Local Campaigns

Local campaigns promote physical store locations across Search, Maps, Display, and YouTube. They are designed to drive foot traffic and in-store visits.

When to use Local

Restaurants, retail stores, service businesses with physical locations. You need a Google Business Profile linked to your Ads account.

Which Campaign Type Should You Start With?

For most businesses, start with Search campaigns. They give you the most control, the highest-intent traffic, and the clearest ROI. Once Search is profitable, expand to Display (for remarketing), then consider PMax or Shopping (for ecommerce).

1. Start: Search campaigns targeting your highest-intent keywords
2. Add: Display remarketing to recapture visitors who did not convert
3. Scale: PMax if you have 30+ monthly conversions, or Shopping for ecommerce
4. Expand: YouTube/Demand Gen for top-of-funnel awareness