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Account, campaign, ad group: getting the structure right

6 minutes, 10 steps, workout 1 of 6 in this module

You inherit a Google Ads account from the previous agency and open it for the first time: one campaign, one ad group, a few hundred keywords and a single ad trying to speak to all of them. The client wants to know why the budget runs out by lunchtime and why one product gets all the clicks. Until the structure makes sense, every other fix is guesswork, because you can't give one product its own budget or write an ad that matches what people actually searched for.

What you'll be able to do

By the end of this workout, you'll know the three layers of Google Ads, which setting lives on which layer, and why a bad structure burns money.

A first look: Three layers

A Search account has three layers. Account: billing and access. Campaign: budget, location, language, bidding and schedule. Ad group: one theme's keywords and ads. A setting affects everything below it.

What this workout covers

  1. 1Three layers
  2. 2Why one ad group per theme?
  3. 3Case: The previous agency's account
  4. 4Summary

A question from this workout: The previous agency's account

You're taking over Pamora's account. There's one campaign and one ad group, holding 40 keywords for bedding, towels, throws and bathrobes, plus a single ad: “Pamora Home | Quality Home Textiles”. Pamora's gross margin is 50%.

Click-through rate
1.2%
Average Quality Score
4/10
ROAS
140%
Break-even ROAS
200%

What should the first structural fix be?

  1. Split the keywords into ad groups by product and write each group its own ad
  2. Raise the bids to reach the top positions
  3. Open a new account for a clean start
  4. Add 40 more keywords to show on more searches

Pick your answer first, then open the reasoning below.

Show the answer and the reasoning

Answer: A. Split the keywords into ad groups by product and write each group its own ad

A low click-through rate and a 4/10 Quality Score say the ad doesn't match the searches. Structure first: one ad group per product, each with an ad about that product. Bids come after that.

The other steps work the same way: you decide first, then see why each option is right or wrong.

How you practice here

  • 3 short concept cards
  • 3 multiple-choice questions
  • 1 campaign case with real-looking numbers
  • 1 put-in-order exercise
  • 1 sorting exercise
  • 1 find-it-on-screen exercise