Google Ads, explained

Short answer

These guides answer the questions people ask most about Google Ads, each in its first two sentences, with every fact linked to Google Ads Help or a named benchmark. Start with campaign types if you are setting up an account, or jump to the troubleshooting guides if ads aren't showing, are disapproved or aren't converting.

Updated Nov 9, 2026By Caleb Canales, Founder, RunAdsSources (3)

Why plain answers

Google Ads changes often, and much of what is written about it repeats old rules. Three examples from Google's own pages that surprise many advertisers: Quality Score is not an input in the ad auction^[2]; the Learning status never lasts more than 7 days^[3]; and Performance Max is meant to complement Search campaigns, not replace them.^[1] Each guide below starts with the short answer, then explains it.

Campaign types

What is Performance MaxPerformance Max is one Google Ads campaign that serves on Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps, with Smart Bidding toward your conversion goal.What is Demand GenDemand Gen runs image and video ads on YouTube, Shorts, Discover, Gmail and Display, with audience targeting and lookalikes instead of keywords.Performance Max vs SearchSearch gives keyword-level control; Performance Max adds every other Google channel. Exact match Search keywords win over PMax for identical queries.Demand Gen vs Performance MaxDemand Gen builds demand on YouTube, Discover and Gmail with creative and audience control; Performance Max chases conversions across all of Google.Run your Meta ads on GoogleHow a winning Meta ad maps onto Demand Gen, Shorts and Performance Max.

Benchmarks: what good looks like

What is a good CTR for Google AdsSearch ads averaged a 6.64% CTR in LocaliQ's 2026 data; the RunAds account median across all campaign types is 2.37%. Ranges by industry.What is a good conversion rate for Google AdsSearch campaigns averaged 8.18% in LocaliQ's 2026 data, from 2.64% to 16.22% by industry; the RunAds account median is 2.78% across campaign types.What is a good ROASBreak-even ROAS is 1 divided by gross margin. Worked examples.RunAds Google Ads Benchmark 2026Median CPC, CTR, conversion rate and cost per conversion from 224 live accounts.How much Google Ads costs2026 cost per click and cost per lead for 23 industries.

Keywords and Quality Score

Keyword match types explainedBroad, phrase and exact match: notation, what each matches, how Google picks between keywords, and when to use which.Negative keywords explainedNegative keywords stop ads showing on searches you don't want. How negative broad, phrase and exact differ, and the close variant trap.What is Quality ScoreQuality Score is a 1 to 10 keyword diagnostic from expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience. It is not an input in the ad auction.

Bidding and tracking

Google Ads bidding strategies explainedEvery Google Ads bid strategy grouped by goal (conversions, value, clicks, visibility, views), how Smart Bidding works, and a starting order.Target CPA vs Target ROASTarget CPA bids for a cost per conversion; Target ROAS bids for conversion value per dollar. Which to use, requirements and how to set the target.How to set up Google Ads conversion trackingStep-by-step web conversion setup: conversion actions, Google tag or Tag Manager, primary vs secondary goals, calls and offline imports, and checks.ROAS calculatorROAS, break-even ROAS and target ROAS from your own numbers.

When something is wrong

Why Google Ads aren't getting impressionsThe causes Google lists for campaigns with no impressions, in the order to check them: account, dates, review, budget, bids, targeting and Ad Rank.Why Google Ads are disapprovedWhat a disapproved ad means, the four areas of Google Ads policy, how to find the reason, fix it and appeal (3 appeals per ad).How long Google Ads take to workThe Smart Bidding Learning status lasts at most 7 days; results settle over 1 to 2 conversion cycles. What resets learning and when to judge.Google Ads not convertingSeven checks, in order, for ads that get clicks but no sales or leads.

Rather not do it yourself?

RunAds is an AI agent that builds your Google Ads campaigns, writes the ads and watches the account every day, with your approval before anything goes live. Signing up is free. Credit packs start at $25, and Google ad spend uses 5 credits per $1.

Create your free account

Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend. No contracts.

Common questions

Where should a Google Ads beginner start?

Read keyword match types, conversion tracking and bidding strategies first. Those three decide which searches you pay for, what counts as success and how Google bids. Then pick a campaign type.

Where do the numbers in these guides come from?

Google's own help pages for how Google Ads works, LocaliQ's 2026 search benchmarks for industry averages, and the RunAds Google Ads Benchmark 2026, built from 224 live accounts, for medians across campaign types. Each page lists its sources with the date we checked them.

How often are these guides updated?

We recheck the Google Ads Help pages behind each guide when Google changes a feature, such as the June 2026 renaming of Target CPA and Target ROAS, and update the date at the top of the page.

Sources

About Performance Max campaigns, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 9, 2026.One campaign for all Google Ads inventory (YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, Maps), run by Smart Bidding toward your conversion goals, with optional CPA or ROAS targets and audience signals.
About Quality Score for Search campaigns, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 9, 2026.A 1 to 10 keyword-level diagnostic built from expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience, compared with other advertisers over the last 90 days. Not an input in the ad auction.
About Smart Bidding learning, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 9, 2026.The Learning status never lasts more than 7 days and ads keep serving. Performance usually converges in 1 to 2 conversion cycles; evaluate over 2 conversion cycles or 2 weeks, whichever is longer.

Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it.

RunAds Google Ads Benchmark 2026Median CPC, CTR, conversion rate and cost per conversion from 224 live accounts.How much Google Ads costs2026 cost per click and cost per lead for 23 industries.Ad copy graderGrade responsive search ad headlines and descriptions in the browser.

Hire an agent, not an agency.

RunAds builds your Google Ads campaigns, writes the ads and watches the account every day. 1,500+ businesses have signed up.

Create your free account Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend. No contracts.