9 types of Google Ads (pros, cons, and when to use each)

My first post-college job was doing marketing for a mortgage company. I wrote a lot of pay-per-click Google Ads for them, which gave me a keen eye for all manner of ads on the search engine results page (SERP). 

This got me into the odd habit of avoiding all SERP ads so as not to waste companies’ ad spend. Even when the advertised link is the one I want, like a health-conscious vegetable shopper, I can’t break the habit of scrolling down to the organic option. 

If your market is as weirdly selective as I am about the links they click on, the good news is that Google has plenty of advertising options to help you reach them. Here’s how to pick the right types of Google Ads for your product, market, and budget.

Table of contents:

Different types of Google Ads at a glance

How many different types of Google Ads are there?

There are nine different types of Google Ads you can choose from: Search, Display, Shopping, Video, App, Discovery, Local Services, Performance Max, and Smart campaigns. (The Local Services Ads hub is technically separate from Google Ads, but I’ve included it since it’s still a Google-specific advertising option.)

Every type of Google Ad runs on one or more Google properties, including channels like YouTube, Google Shopping, the Google SERP, Gmail inboxes, and the Play Store. Most types also have options for appearing on third-party partner properties across the web, but I’ll get into those details below.

Types of Google Ads

Here’s a detailed breakdown of all the different types of Google Ads available, plus how each one differs in terms of their placement, benefits, intended uses, and key features. I’ve also included average costs per click or lead using the following key—just to give you the illusion that you’re perusing dining options instead of more ways to help the world’s biggest tech company make money.

• $ = <$1

• $$ = $1-$2

• $$$ = $3-$4

• $$$$ = >$4

1. Google Search ads

Google Search Ads pros:

• Highly targeted—your ad shows up at the exact moment someone’s searching for that thing, which is about as close to reading your customer’s mind as you can get

• Cost-efficient since you pay only when someone actually clicks

• Easy to measure and tweak on the fly

Google Search Ads cons:

• Competition for popular keywords can drive up costs fast, especially in crowded industries

• They’re almost exclusively text-only, so if your product really needs a visual to sell itself, you’re working with one hand tied behind your back

What are Google Search ads?

Google Search ads are the text-based listings that show up right in the SERP. They look a lot like the organic results you’re used to seeing, complete with a page title, URL, and description. Where they land on the page largely comes down to two things: your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid and your Quality Score, which Google calculates based on your ad’s expected click-through rate, how well it matches the searcher’s intent, and the quality of your landing page.

There are three different types of Google Search ads. Here’s how each one works. 

• Responsive Search ads are Google’s default Search ad format, built around automated optimization. You feed Google up to 15 headlines and four descriptions, and it mixes and matches them to figure out which combinations perform best for different searches. Less guesswork for you, more optimization from Google.

• Call ads are phone-first ads that display a clickable phone number directly in search results, skipping the website visit entirely. If your business lives and dies by inbound calls (think: plumbers, lawyers, or pizza delivery), these cut out the middleman.

• Dynamic Search ads are auto-generated ads where Google creates headlines based on your website’s content rather than keywords you set manually. They’re great for larger sites with a ton of pages, since they can surface ads for searches you might not have thought to target yourself.

Location: Throughout Google Search results

Best for: Promoting webpages related to targeted keywords

Average CPC: $$$

2. Google Display ads

Google Display ads pros:

• Visually oriented, so you can show off your product rather than just describe it

• Massive reach across 2 million+ apps and websites plus Google properties like Gmail and YouTube

• Follows users across devices and surfaces based on their browsing behavior, which makes retargeting a breeze

Google Display ads cons:

• Click-through rates tend to be low since these ads show up while people are trying to do something else (read: they can be annoying)

• Less intent-driven than Search ads (you’re interrupting someone’s browsing rather than answering their question)

What are Google Display ads?

Google Display ads are visual ads served to users across multiple devices and platforms within Google’s Display Network. If you’ve ever had that eerie sense that the internet’s watching you and repeatedly showing you ads for something you swear you talked about only with your dog? That’s because they are. Display ads work just like that.

The Display Network spans millions of apps and websites and covers Google properties like Gmail and YouTube. These can show up as banner ads at the top of a page, stacked along the side, or woven throughout the body of any webpage, app, or interface in the network. Google picks which ads to display based on the topic of the webpage, the user’s browsing history, and how the user’s activities fit into market categories of the advertiser’s choosing.

Location: On millions of webpages, apps, and Google properties in the Display network

Best for: Building awareness to new markets across content formats

Average CPC: $$

3. Google Shopping ads

Google Shopping ads pros:

• Visual and info-rich ads make it easy for users to comparison-shop before they even click

• Auto-populated from your Google Merchant Center feed, which means less manual ad copywriting on your end

• Shows up across a wide spread of Google properties and search partner sites, giving your products multiple chances to land in front of buyers

Google Shopping ads cons:

• Limited to physical products listed in Google Merchant Center, so service-based businesses are out of luck

• You don’t get to write custom ad copy (what’s in your product feed is what users see) 

What are Google Shopping ads? 

Google Shopping ads are product-based ads that auto-populate using data from your Google Merchant Center feed rather than original copy you write from scratch. Each ad surfaces a quick hit of key details, including your product image, price, and ratings. 

These ads show up across a handful of Google surfaces:

• Google SERP: Shopping ads can populate search results when users look up keywords related to your products, either inline as users scroll or in a packet of images along the right margin of the page.

• Google Shopping: Sponsored ads appear in a carousel along the top of the page, giving them added visibility over organic listings.

• Google Images: Shopping ad carousels also show up at the top of results for image searches related to product keywords.

• Google Maps: Local Inventory Ads surface at the top of listings when users search for related keywords in Maps.

• Search partner websites: Shopping ads can also appear in search results and directories across hundreds of search partner websites, though Google doesn’t explicitly name which ones.

Location: Throughout Google Shopping, SERP, Images, Maps, and search partner results

Best for: Selling physical products included in Google Merchant Center

Average CPC: $

4. Google Video ads

Google Video ads pros:

• Available in six formats, so you can tailor your approach to everything from a six-second bumper to a full-length product demo

• Can promote products via video or boost visibility for existing YouTube content

• Extends beyond YouTube to third-party apps, games, and websites through Google’s video partners network

Google Video ads cons:

• Video production isn’t as simple, so the barrier to entry is higher than text or image-based ads

• Users are there to watch something specific, so your ad is the thing standing between them and their content

What are Google Video ads?

Google Video ads are video-based ads that are hosted on YouTube and play mainly on YouTube and across Google’s video partners network. Where and how they show up depends on the format. There are six to choose from:

• Skippable in-stream ads: These ads show up before, during, or after videos. With no maximum length, they play until finished or until the user chooses to skip it.

• Non-skippable in-stream ads: Maxing out at 20 seconds, this version of in-stream ads plays until the ad is over, with no skip option.

• In-feed ads: This option is for advertisers who want to promote a video by featuring it on YouTube’s homepage, among other organic search results in YouTube, or in the video feed beneath actively playing YouTube videos. Note: This format isn’t supported by Google’s video partners network.

• Bumper ads: Similar to non-skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads play until they end at the start of a video, but they last for only six seconds.

• Outstream ads: Similar to Display ads, outstream ads are promoted videos that play only on the Google video partners network, with no maximum length.

• Masthead ads: The cream of the video ad crop, these play at the top of the YouTube home feed. Note: This format isn’t supported by Google’s video partners network.

Location: Before, during, and after videos on YouTube; in YouTube search feeds; on the YouTube home feed; and across the Google video partners network

Best for: Promoting video content or reaching highly engaged users with dynamic video ads

Average CPC: $

5. Google App ads

Google App ads pros:

• Minimal creative work required since Google auto-generates ad layouts from your Play Store or App Store listing

• Covers a wide range of surfaces, from Play Store search results to YouTube feeds to Google Discover

• Campaigns can target new users, existing users, or pre-launch hype depending on your goal

Google App ads cons:

• Android only for pre-registration campaigns, which limits reach if you’re launching cross-platform

• Less creative control than other ad types since Google handles most of the design and testing

What are Google App ads?

Google App ads are auto-generated ads that promote mobile apps across Google’s properties, pulling data from your app’s Play Store or App Store listing to build and test layout combinations. 

If you’ve used Shopping ads, the concept is similar: instead of designing ads from the ground up, you enter some basic text, set language preferences, and designate a budget, and Google figures out the best-performing layouts for relevant keywords.

App ad campaigns come in three goal-based varieties:

• App installs: These ads prompt users to install an existing app they haven’t already installed.

• App engagement: Advertisers can target users who’ve already downloaded their app through engagement campaigns, prompting them to take specific actions within the app.

• App pre-registration: For forthcoming games and highly anticipated apps, advertisers can target Android users during the pre-launch phase and prompt them to pre-register for it in the Play Store.

Location: Google SERPs (mobile and desktop), Google Discover, Play Store search results, Play Store suggested and related app sections, YouTube feeds, and across the search partner network

Best for: Promoting an existing app or a forthcoming app

Average CPC: $$$

6. Google Discovery ads

Google Discovery ads pros:

• AI and machine learning automatically tailor your ads to users based on intent signals

• Reaches users who are already browsing and closer to a buying decision, which means higher conversion potential

• You supply the creative assets once, and Google iterates the ad across multiple placements

Google Discovery ads cons:

• Limited to three surfaces (Discover, YouTube, Gmail), so reach is narrower than Google Display or Google Shopping ads

• Less control over how your ads are assembled and presented since Google handles the optimization

What are Google Discovery ads?

Google Discovery ads are AI-driven, visually oriented ads that appear across Google’s browsing-focused surfaces, including the Discover feed, YouTube’s homepage and Watch Next feed, and Gmail’s Promotions and Social tabs. 

The way they work: you supply multiple images, headlines, descriptive copy, a logo, and a business name, and Google’s machine learning takes it from there. Using customer intent signals, AI, and your predetermined bidding and conversion goals, Google automatically tailors and iterates your ad across surfaces to reach the right users. 

Location: Google Discover feed, YouTube homepage and Watch Next feeds, and Gmail Promotion and Social tabs

Best for: Targeting purchase-ready users with visually-oriented automated ads

Average CPC: $

7. Google Local Services Ads

Google Local Services Ads pros:

• Leads contact you directly through the ad via call or message

• Highly targeted to local, purchase-ready users

• Google’s badge system builds trust before the user even clicks

Google Local Services Ads cons:

• Requires passing Google’s license, insurance, and background check requirements before you can advertise

• Lower response rates and user ratings can hurt your ad placement, so you need to stay on top of lead management

• U.S. only for messaging; calling is available more broadly

What are Google Local Services Ads?

Google Local Services Ads are location-based ads that connect local businesses directly with nearby customers through the Google SERP and Google Maps. They technically aren’t part of the core Google Ads hub, but they’re a Google ad type nonetheless. Advertisers with localized services can create these campaigns within the Local Services Ads hub if they meet Google’s license, insurance, and background check requirements. 

These listings can include any of four Google badge statuses:

• Google Screened: This green checkmark shows that the business has passed Google’s background and license checks.

• Google Guaranteed: This white checkmark in a green background shows that businesses have gone through the screening process, have verified their location, and have a $2,000 guarantee on satisfactory service.

• License Verified by Google: Another green checkmark, this badge ensures health care providers have passed Google’s qualification and license checks.

• Pre-Badge: Businesses that have passed the early stages of Google’s screening process but haven’t yet finished it may be able to advertise without a badge in the meantime.

Location: Google SERP and Google Maps

Best for: Advertising geographically-specific products or services to localized leads

Average CPC: $$$

8. Google Performance Max ads

Performance Max ads pros:

• Runs across all Google advertising channels from a single campaign (no need to set up separate campaigns for Search, Display, YouTube, etc.) 

• AI and machine learning optimize your ads automatically

• Can uncover new market segments you might not have targeted yourself, based on your goals and real user behavior

Performance Max ads cons:

• Less granular control than single-channel campaigns 

• Requires a robust set of creative assets (images, videos, headlines, logos) upfront to give Google enough to work with

• Performance insights are more limited than traditional campaigns, making it harder to pinpoint what’s working and why

What are Google Performance Max ads?

Performance Max ads are AI-driven campaigns that automatically optimize and distribute your ads across all Google advertising channels from a single campaign. For that reason, there’s a general push toward promoting Performance Max over the other single-channel ad types. For example, Google transitioned some of its automated ad types, like Smart Shopping, to Performance Max campaigns a few years back. 

Here’s how it works: you set conversion goals (sales, leads, website traffic) and supply an asset group (images, videos, headlines, descriptions, logos, and audience signals). Google dumps all of that into a mixing pot, stirs it around, and pours out completed ads tailored to each channel. Over time, its machine learning models refine who sees what, making sure your ads land in front of the most qualified users.

Location: All Google advertising channels

Best for: Creating channel-agnostic ads automatically optimized for audiences across all Google advertising surfaces

Average CPC: $$$$

9. Google Smart campaigns

Smart campaign pros:

• Cross-channel posting from a single campaign without the full automation commitment of Performance Max

• Goal-centric approach lets you prioritize outcomes like video views, website traffic, or local leads

• Targets keyword themes rather than specific keywords, which simplifies setup

Smart campaign cons:

• More hands-on than Performance Max since you’re supplying finished copy, images, and video rather than letting Google assemble everything

• Less granular targeting than single-channel campaigns, but less sophisticated optimization than Performance Max, which can leave it in an awkward middle ground

What are Google Smart campaigns?

Smart campaigns are goal-centric, cross-channel campaigns that automatically distribute your ads across Google properties and search partner sites. Think of them as Performance Max’s more hands-on sibling: similar cross-channel reach, but a little more limited in scope.

Rather than handing Google all the raw ingredients and letting it cook, Smart ads require you to show up with more of the meal prepped. You’ll supply original copy, images, video, audience preferences, keyword themes, and bidding specs, and Google handles distributing those ads across the SERP, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and search partner sites.

The appeal is centralization: instead of spinning up separate campaigns for each channel, Smart ads let you run one campaign focused on a specific goal—like increasing video views, driving website traffic, or growing localized leads—and let Google figure out where to place it.

Location: Google SERP, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and search partner sites

Best for: Executing goal-centric campaigns that prioritize outcomes rather than advertising channels

Average CPC: $$$

Which types of Google Ads should you use?

If I could pick only one type of Google Ad to run with, it’d be Performance Max. It covers every channel, and Google’s AI does most of the heavy lifting. Plus, it actually gets better the longer you run it. But that doesn’t mean Performance Max ads are the best fit for you. 

Picking the best Google Ad option comes down to a few basic considerations:

• Is there a specific channel you want to advertise on? If you’re mainly interested in video, search, or third-party websites, for example, then pick the ad type that corresponds.

• Is your offering geographically specific? If so, then you may be looking for Local Services Ads.

• Are you more concerned with goals than channels? If you’re open to every potential channel, consider Performance Max or Smart ads to consolidate your campaigns.

Automate your Google Ads campaigns with Zapier

Running a Google Ads campaign rarely happens in isolation. It usually ties into reporting, CRM updates, and downstream campaign management—that’s a lot of moving parts to stitch together by hand.

When you use Zapier’s Google Ads integration, you can connect it with thousands of other apps, allowing you to build an intelligent ad management system. For example, you can capture new leads from search campaigns, use AI to enrich those leads, and add them to your CRM.

Or you can collect offline conversions, use AI to map values and outcomes, and send that data back into Google Ads, Facebook, TikTok, or LinkedIn.

Learn more about how to automate Google Ads, or take a look at some other templates to get you started.

Types of Google Ads FAQ

What are the three levels of Google Ads?

Google Ads breaks down into account, campaign, and ad group. These three levels help advertisers monitor performance at a keyword level (ad group), a goal level (campaign), and an all-inclusive level (account).

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords is now Google Ads. Back in the day, advertisers used Google AdWords to create PPC ads that would show up in the search results, but Google Ads now encompasses campaigns that span all Google properties and partner networks, from videos to local searches to third-party websites.

What are the different types of Google Ads?

The nine types of Google Ads are Search, Display, Shopping, Video, App, Discovery, Performance Max, Smart campaigns, and Local Services Ads (LSAs). The last one technically isn’t part of the core Google Ads hub, but LSAs are a Google ad type nonetheless.

Related reading:

This article was originally published in October 2023 with contributions from Bryce Emley and Abigail Sims. The most recent update was published in March 2026.