Google Ads fundamentals

Meta puts your ad in front of people who were not looking for you. Google Search puts it in front of people who are. That difference, intent, shapes everything about how the two are run.

Campaign types

Search shows text ads on results pages for the searches you choose. Start here if people already search for what you do.
Performance Max runs across Google's channels from one campaign, with Google deciding placement. It needs solid conversion tracking and decent creative to work well.
Video and display build awareness with people who are not searching yet.

Keyword match types

Match type	Your ad can show for	Use it when
Exact	Searches with the same meaning as your keyword	You want control and know what converts
Phrase	Searches that include the meaning of your keyword	You want reach with some control
Broad	Searches related to your keyword	You have reliable conversion tracking and automated bidding to steer it

Negative keywords

Negative keywords stop your ad showing for searches you do not want. Open the search terms report every week when a campaign is new, find the searches that were never going to convert, and add them as negatives. For most small accounts this is the single most valuable routine job.

Quality Score

Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating shown against each keyword. It summarises three things, each rated above average, average or below average:

Expected click-through rate. How likely your ad is to be clicked.
Ad relevance. How closely your ad matches what was searched.
Landing page experience. How useful and relevant your page is to someone who clicks.

Treat it as a diagnostic, not a target. The score you see is a summary; the auction uses its own real-time assessment. Google does not publish how the three parts are weighted. Use the ratings to find the weakest part and fix that. A profitable keyword with a middling score does not need rescuing.

Bidding

Automated bidding sets your bid for each auction to chase a goal, such as the most conversions for your budget, or a target cost per conversion. It learns from your conversion data, so it is only as good as your tracking, and it needs a steady flow of conversions to settle. On a new account with few conversions, expect it to take time, and avoid changing targets every few days.

Attribution

Google Ads offers two attribution models for a conversion action: data-driven, the default, and last click. See our attribution guide for what that means for your reports.

A sensible first month

Set up conversion tracking and test it before spending anything.
Start with one Search campaign and tightly themed ad groups.
Use phrase and exact match while you learn which searches convert.
Send each ad group to a page that matches what was searched.
Review search terms weekly and add negatives.
Widen match types and try other campaign types once conversions are steady.