The auction, campaign types, bidding, targeting, and measurement. Three tracks built from the Clarigital Google Ads Codex.
✓Understand how the Google Ads auction works and what determines ad position
✓Build and structure Search campaigns with correct keyword and match type strategy
✓Configure bidding strategies, Quality Score, and conversion tracking
✓Optimise campaigns using data and connect Google Ads to GA4
Free foreverNo signup requiredProgress saved in your browser
Who this is forNo prior Google Ads knowledge. You want to understand what it is and how it works.
Time~3 hours across 5 lessons
Next stepIntermediate track
Your progress0 of 5 lessons
Lesson 1
How the Google Ads Auction Works
Every Google search triggers an auction. Your ad does not simply buy a position — it competes in real time based on bid, Quality Score, and Ad Rank. Understanding the auction is the foundation of everything else.
Lesson 2
Google Ads Overview — Campaign Types
Search, Display, Shopping, Video, Performance Max, App. Each campaign type reaches people at different points in different ways. What each does, who it is for, and when to use it.
Lesson 3
Keyword Match Types
Broad match, phrase match, exact match. The match type determines which searches trigger your ad. Getting this wrong means paying for irrelevant clicks or missing valuable searches entirely.
Lesson 4
Ad Rank Formula
Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score × Expected Impact of Extensions. Understanding exactly how Ad Rank is calculated reveals why a competitor with a lower bid can appear above you — and how to fix it.
Lesson 5
Ad Copy Best Practices
Responsive Search Ads allow up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Google tests combinations and serves the best-performing variants. How to write ad copy that earns clicks and improves Quality Score.
Question 1
In the Google Ads auction, which two factors combine to determine Ad Rank?
Ad Rank is determined by your bid multiplied by your Quality Score, plus the expected impact of ad extensions. This means a higher Quality Score can outcompete a higher bid — which is why improving relevance is often more cost-effective than simply increasing bids.
Question 2
What does "broad match" keyword targeting mean in Google Ads?
Broad match is the widest matching option — Google can show the ad for searches that are related to the keyword meaning, including synonyms, related topics, and search intent variations. It captures the widest reach but requires careful negative keyword management to filter irrelevant queries.
Question 3
A search ad has a lower bid than a competitor but appears above them. What is the most likely explanation?
Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score × Extensions impact. A significantly higher Quality Score can overcome a lower bid. Quality Score reflects expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience. This is why improving relevance and landing page quality is fundamental to Google Ads performance.
Question 4
Which Google Ads campaign type uses machine learning to serve ads across all Google channels simultaneously, optimising for a defined conversion goal?
Performance Max (PMax) campaigns run across all Google channels — Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps — using machine learning to allocate budget toward the best-performing placements for the advertiser's specified conversion goals. They require providing asset groups (headlines, images, videos) from which Google generates and tests combinations.
Ready for more?
Campaign structure, keyword strategy, bidding, and Quality Score in full.
Who this is forYou have run Google Ads before. You want to improve structure, bidding, and Quality Score.
Time~5 hours across 5 lessons
PrerequisiteBeginner track or equivalent knowledge
Your progress0 of 5 lessons
Lesson 1
Campaign and Account Structure
Account → Campaign → Ad Group → Ad → Keyword. The hierarchy matters. Poor structure makes optimisation impossible. Best practices for naming, budget allocation, and grouping that scales.
Lesson 2
Bidding Strategies — Manual to Smart
Manual CPC, Enhanced CPC, Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximise Conversions, Maximise Conversion Value. When each is appropriate, how much data each requires, and the common mistakes when switching between them.
Lesson 3
Quality Score Deep Dive
Quality Score is 1–10 and reported at keyword level. Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience — each scored Above/Average/Below. Exactly how to diagnose and improve each component.
Lesson 4
Negative Keywords
Negative keywords exclude irrelevant searches. Without them, broad and phrase match campaigns bleed budget on searches that will never convert. How to build negative lists, identify waste, and apply negatives at the right level.
Lesson 5
Keyword Research for Google Ads
SEO keyword research and paid keyword research are different. Intent, CPC, conversion probability, and competitive landscape all factor differently when you pay per click. How to build a paid keyword strategy from scratch.
Question 1
At which level in the Google Ads account hierarchy should budget be set?
Budgets are set at the campaign level in Google Ads. Each campaign has its own daily budget. This structure allows advertisers to allocate spend differently across campaign types, geographies, or product lines while sharing a single account.
Question 2
What minimum amount of conversion data does Google typically recommend before switching to a Target CPA bidding strategy?
Google recommends at least 30–50 conversions in the past 30 days before enabling Target CPA bidding. Smart bidding requires sufficient conversion data to model which auctions are most likely to convert. Too little data leads to erratic or ineffective bidding.
Question 3
In Quality Score, what does "Landing Page Experience" specifically measure?
Landing Page Experience reflects how relevant, transparent, and easy-to-navigate Google considers the landing page for users who click the ad. Key factors: relevance of content to the ad and keyword, page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and transparency (clear about who runs the site and what it sells).
Question 4
At which level should most negative keywords be applied for a Search campaign to avoid accidentally blocking relevant searches in other campaigns?
Most negatives should be applied at the campaign level, ensuring they only block irrelevant queries within that specific campaign. Shared negative keyword lists are used when the same exclusions apply across multiple campaigns. Applying all negatives at the account level risks blocking relevant queries across campaigns that should serve those searches.
Going further?
Display advertising, Shopping campaigns, and GA4 integration.
Who this is forYou manage Google Ads accounts professionally. You want Display, Shopping, and GA4 integration.
Time~8 hours across 5 lessons
PrerequisiteIntermediate track or equivalent experience
Your progress0 of 5 lessons
Lesson 1
Search Campaign Setup — End to End
From account structure decisions through to launching a live Search campaign. Settings that matter (location targeting, ad scheduling, device adjustments), settings that are often misconfigured, and what to review before going live.
Lesson 2
Display Network — Audiences and Targeting
The Display Network reaches 90%+ of internet users. In-market audiences, affinity audiences, custom audiences, remarketing lists. How to layer targeting to reach the right people without wasting budget on irrelevant placements.
Lesson 3
Remarketing — How It Works
Remarketing shows ads to people who have already visited your site. Standard remarketing, dynamic remarketing, Customer Match, RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads). Configuration, list-building, and bidding adjustments.
Lesson 4
Conversion Tracking Setup
If conversions are not tracked accurately, no bidding strategy can optimise. Tag-based conversion tracking, GA4 import, enhanced conversions, offline conversion imports. The most important configuration in any Google Ads account.
Lesson 5
Google Ads + GA4 Integration
Linking Google Ads and GA4 unlocks cross-platform attribution, audience sharing, and fuller conversion data. How to link the accounts, import GA4 conversions into Google Ads, and use GA4 to analyse paid campaign performance.
Question 1
What is RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) and what does it enable?
RLSA allows advertisers to adjust their Search campaigns based on whether a searcher is a previous site visitor. You can bid higher for users who visited your cart but did not purchase, show different ad copy to existing customers, or exclude users who recently converted. It combines the intent signal of Search with the known behaviour of remarketing.
Question 2
What is "enhanced conversions" in Google Ads and what problem does it address?
Enhanced conversions address the measurement gap caused by browser cookie restrictions, ad blockers, and iOS privacy changes. They work by securely hashing first-party customer data (email, name, phone) provided during a conversion and matching it to signed-in Google users, filling in attribution gaps that standard tag-based tracking misses.
Question 3
When linking Google Ads to GA4, which setting must be enabled to import GA4 conversions into Google Ads for use in bidding strategies?
Two things are required: (1) auto-tagging must be enabled in Google Ads so GA4 can attribute sessions to specific campaigns, and (2) the GA4 conversions must be explicitly imported into Google Ads via the linked accounts conversion import. Without both steps, GA4 data will not flow into Smart Bidding.
Course complete
Explore the full Codex reference guides for anything you want to revisit.