Google Ads campaign types: which to use and when

Google Ads campaign types decide where your ads can appear, what material you start with and which result you can get from the user. As of November 5, 2026, Google Ads offers Search, Performance Max, Shopping, Demand Gen, Display, Video and App campaigns. Small businesses also get Smart campaigns. Google's campaign type guide says to choose based on your marketing goals, brand strategy, and how much time you can invest.

This guide starts with four questions that narrow the choice and a starting table. Then it covers each campaign type with the same four questions. For each type it says what it is for, where it shows, what you need to start and what it does not cover alone. It ends with the four comparisons people mix up most, three selection scenarios and the 2025–2026 transition dates.

Four questions settle the choice of campaign type. They cover the result you expect from the user, capturing or creating demand, your material and the control you need. Budget size does not answer any of them.

What result do you expect from the user?

The result you expect narrows the list fastest. If you want app installs, look at App campaigns, because Google says Performance Max does not support app installs as a goal. If you want product sales, Shopping or Performance Max with a Merchant Center feed comes first.

If you expect a lead such as a form or a phone call, Search is the usual start. Performance Max can also run with that goal. If you want a video to reach many people or get views, look at Video. If you want sales or leads from video, look at Demand Gen.

Capture demand or create it?

Search campaigns show text ads to people who are searching for your product or service right now. If demand exists and people type it into Google, capture starts there.

Demand Gen sits on the other side. Google's comparison table positions it to generate demand on visual surfaces such as YouTube, Discover, Gmail and the Display Network. It reaches people before they search. Video and Display campaigns sit on the same side.

What material do you have?

For material, separate what is required from what you can use. A Shopping campaign requires a Merchant Center account with your products uploaded. A Video campaign needs the ad uploaded to YouTube first. Search starts with ad text and keywords and needs no special files.

Performance Max needs a conversion goal plus text and image assets. If you add no video, Google creates videos automatically when possible. Audience signals and a product feed are optional. Demand Gen runs on image or video assets, and you do not need both.

How much control do you need?

Your need for control sets how much automation you can accept. In Search you manage keywords, match types, bids and search terms yourself.

Performance Max has no ad groups. You supply asset groups and exclusions, and the system decides channel delivery. Smart campaigns ask for the least management, and Google says full control comes with the other types.

Starting table

The table below sums up the four answers by type. The last column shows the main need the type does not cover alone.

Treat the table as a first filter. Do not rank campaign types by reported ROAS (return on ad spend) alone. Weigh each type's purpose, conversion lag and role in the account together.

The ROAS calculator helps you compute ROAS with one definition for every type. The performance marketing metrics guide shows how to set thresholds from your own margin.

Each Google Ads campaign type below answers the same four questions in the same order. A short note at the end of each says when to consider another type.

Search campaigns

What it is for: Capturing people who are searching for your product or service right now. It is the first type most accounts consider for sales, forms or calls. The CPC (cost per click) calculator tracks what you pay per click.

Where it shows: As text ads on Google search results, and on Search partners if you opt in.

What you need to start: Headlines, descriptions, a final URL and keywords. New Search campaigns have AI Max turned on by default. Google says its search term matching uses broad match and keywordless technology to reach relevant queries beyond your keywords.

So Search starts from keywords but is no longer limited to them. You can turn search term matching off in the ad group settings, and it does not work with Manual CPC bidding. AI Max is not a separate campaign type. It is a layer inside a Search campaign.

What it does not cover alone: It does not create demand where nobody searches. It also does not reach visual surfaces such as YouTube, Discover or Gmail.

When to consider another type: Is your conversion goal clear, and do you want it on visual channels too? Then consider Performance Max next to Search. How the two work together is covered in the comparisons below.

Performance Max

What it is for: Pursuing a specific conversion goal, such as online sales or leads, across all Google channels from one campaign. Google positions it to complement your keyword-based Search campaigns.

Where it shows: YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps. With a Merchant Center feed attached, it also serves Shopping ads.

What you need to start: A conversion goal and an asset group. Google's asset table sets a minimum for an asset group without a feed. That minimum is 3 headlines, 1 long headline, 2 descriptions, a business name, horizontal and square images and a square logo. Video is not required.

Audience signals are optional and are not a targeting limit. Google says Performance Max may show ads to audiences outside your signals when they are likely to convert. Search themes are guiding inputs in the same way.

What it does not cover alone: It does not support app installs as a goal. There is no ad group or keyword level management, though negative keywords and brand exclusions exist. You cannot directly set how budget splits across channels. Google Ads scripts see no ad groups here either, and the Google Ads scripts guide covers what scripts can do with this type.

When to consider another type: If query and product level control come first, run Search and Shopping campaigns separately. For app installs, use an App campaign.

Shopping campaigns

What it is for: Selling products. A Shopping campaign uses your Merchant Center product data instead of keywords. You bid on product groups and see results at product level.

Where it shows: On the Shopping tab, next to search results, on Google Images and, if you opt in, on Search partners. Ads show a product photo, title, price and store name.

What you need to start: A Merchant Center account with your products uploaded. Ads are built from the feed, and extra text, image or video assets are not available in this type yet. Bidding includes automated options and Manual CPC.

What it does not cover alone: It does not reach YouTube, Gmail or the Display Network, and it does not show text ads.

When to consider another type: If you want the same feed on more channels, consider Performance Max with a feed. The first comparison below covers the difference.

Demand Gen

What it is for: Creating demand among people who have not searched yet, with clicks, conversions or conversion value as the goal on visual surfaces. Conversion-focused video campaigns now live in this type too.

Where it shows: YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Display Network. Maps inventory is in beta. You can choose which channels your ads show on, for example a vertical video on Shorts only.

What you need to start: A final URL, a business name, headlines, descriptions and image or video assets. Google says a campaign can be image only or video only. A product feed is optional.

Lookalike segments are an option, not a requirement. They are moving in phases to a suggestion mode, where your seed list works as a signal rather than a strict targeting limit.

What it does not cover alone: It does not appear on Google search results, so it does not capture search demand. Part of its effect may surface later as a brand search, and the platform report may credit that sale to another campaign.

Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift studies are supported to separate that effect. The control group guide explains the treatment and control logic behind lift studies.

When to consider another type: If the goal is only reach or views, consider Video. If you only want to appear on sites and apps, consider the Display Network channel inside Demand Gen.

Display campaigns

Display campaigns are moving to a new home as Google Display Network (GDN) in Demand Gen. The migration tool is rolling out in phases to eligible advertisers, and existing campaigns stay editable until they move.

What it is for: Reach on websites and apps, and reaching people who have visited your site.

Where it shows: As image ads on websites, apps and Google properties such as YouTube.

What you need to start: For responsive display ads, headlines, descriptions, images and logos. To read cost per thousand impressions on visual campaigns, the CPM (cost per mille) calculator helps.

What it does not cover alone: It does not capture people who are searching. A migrated campaign cannot be reverted. Manual CPC is not supported in Demand Gen, and Target CPC is suggested instead. Brand Lift and Search Lift are not supported for GDN in Demand Gen.

When to consider another type: If you are building a new structure today, start with bid strategies Demand Gen supports. The comparison below covers the details.

Video campaigns

What it is for: Brand awareness, reach and views. The subtypes are Video reach, Get views and Ad sequence.

Where it shows: On YouTube, Google TV and Google video partners.

What you need to start: A video ad uploaded to YouTube.

What it does not cover alone: Conversion-focused video no longer lives here, since Video action campaigns were upgraded to Demand Gen. Google's campaign selection page still lists that subtype, but new ones cannot be created. Judge a reach campaign by impressions, unique reach and cost, not by sales.

When to consider another type: If you want sales or leads from video, move to Demand Gen.

App campaigns

What it is for: Promoting your mobile app. It has three subtypes: installs, engagement with people who already installed the app, and pre-registration.

Where it shows: On Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover and the Display Network.

What you need to start: Some text, a starting bid and budget, and languages and locations. The system combines your text, images, videos and assets from your app's store listing into ads.

What it does not cover alone: The system builds the ads and spreads them across channels, and custom experiments are not available for App campaigns. It is not set up for sales or forms on your website.

When to consider another type: If your goal is sales on your website, consider Search, Shopping or Performance Max.

Smart campaigns

What it is for: Small businesses that want calls, store visits or website actions with little management.

Where it shows: On Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube and Google partner websites.

What you need to start: A budget, location and demographic preferences, and a few keyword themes. Smart campaigns can only be created in Smart Mode.

What it does not cover alone: It gives no detailed control over keywords, match types or bids. Google says full control comes with the other campaign types.

When to consider another type: When you want to manage search terms yourself, open a Search campaign outside Smart Mode.

Campaign types get mixed up most in four pairs, and in each pair a different condition changes the choice. Each comparison below names that condition.

Standard Shopping or Performance Max with a feed?

Standard Shopping and Performance Max with a feed run on the same Merchant Center feed, and the difference is reach and control. Standard Shopping works only on Shopping surfaces, with bids on product groups and Manual CPC as an option. Performance Max with a feed also takes those products to Search text ads, YouTube, Gmail, the Display Network and Maps. It bids only with automated strategies.

Google's asset table sets the minimum asset count for asset groups without a feed. So an asset group with a feed can start with fewer assets. Google says Performance Max ads are generated or optimized from the asset group's text, images and video and from the feed.

If you want manual bids at product level and Shopping surfaces only, consider Standard Shopping. If your conversion tracking is reliable and you want other channels too, consider Performance Max with a feed. Google offers an upgrade experiment to compare the two.

Google's current pages give no separate priority rule between the two for the same products. This post reads that as the general Ad Rank rule applying.

Demand Gen or Video?

Demand Gen and Video campaigns both show video on YouTube, and the difference is the goal. Video campaigns are built for reach, views and ad sequences. Demand Gen is built for clicks, conversions and conversion value.

Conversion-focused video campaigns moved to Demand Gen, so if you want sales or leads from video, choose Demand Gen. Demand Gen can also use images on Discover, Gmail and the Display Network. If you aim for awareness and will judge success by reach and cost, Video is the clearer frame.

Display or Demand Gen?

The choice between Display and Demand Gen is fading, because Display campaigns are moving inside Demand Gen. Google says customers who want to buy Display only campaigns can continue to do so. The way to do that is to choose only the GDN channel in Demand Gen. If you also want YouTube, Discover and Gmail, you turn them on in the same campaign.

Before migrating an existing Display campaign, check whether it uses Manual CPC, Brand Lift or Search Lift. These are not available for GDN in Demand Gen, and migration cannot be reverted. Google advises against using the migration tool while a lift study is running.

Search, Performance Max or both?

For Search and Performance Max, the question in most accounts is how the two work together, because Google positions Performance Max next to Search. Campaigns in one account do not bid each other up for the same query. Google picks which one serves by rule.

If a search term is identical to an exact match keyword in a Search campaign, or to its spell-corrected form, Search is preferred. The rest of Google's priority order is identical phrase or broad keywords or search themes, then relevance, then Ad Rank. Searches from Lens, AI Mode, AI Overviews and auto-complete are not treated as technically identical to a keyword.

Search alone fits when query control comes first and you have no visual assets. Performance Max alone fits when conversion tracking is reliable and you accept that the system decides channels. If your conversion counts disagree with GA4, run the checks in the GA4 and Google Ads mismatch guide first.

Running both means keeping key queries on exact match in Search and leaving the rest of the reach to Performance Max. To keep brand queries separate, Google prefers campaign-level brand exclusions over negative keywords. The Ad preview and diagnosis tool shows which campaign was chosen for a query and why.

The three selection scenarios below show which condition changes the campaign type decision. They contain no figures or budget shares. Look for the one closest to your business.

Online store

In a store that sells products, Search, Shopping and Performance Max meet different needs. Search captures people who type a product or category name, with text ads and queries you choose. Shopping shows in the same search with a product photo and price. Performance Max also takes the same feed to YouTube, Gmail and the Display Network.

The condition that changes the choice is control. If you want manual bids by product, Standard Shopping comes first. If conversion tracking is reliable and you have visual assets, Performance Max with a feed comes first.

Separate brand queries with brand exclusions or a dedicated brand campaign. Otherwise sales from people already searching for you can look like new demand in the Performance Max report.

Service business and leads

For a service business that expects forms or calls, Search is usually the first type, because it captures people searching for the service. Visual campaigns such as Demand Gen, Video and Performance Max introduce the service to people who have not searched yet. They can feed later searches.

The condition that changes the choice is whether people search for the service. If they search for it by name, start with Search. If you need to explain a new service, add a visual type and judge it by lift measurement, not by Search's return.

The CAC (customer acquisition cost) calculator helps you work out what it costs to turn form leads into customers. A slow page also hurts forms, and the landing page speed guide covers that.

Mobile app

For a business promoting an app, the App campaign subtype depends on the goal. Use installs for new users, engagement to bring back people who installed the app, and pre-registration if the app is not out yet. Performance Max does not support installs as a goal, so here the App campaign is the route to installs.

The condition that changes the choice is where users are in their lifecycle. If most users install and then drop off, consider an engagement campaign. The retention rate calculator helps you see that. If the business also sells on its website, the web side needs its own Search or Performance Max campaign.

Campaign type names and scope changed through 2025 and 2026. According to Google's help pages, checked on November 5, 2026, the dates are below. Phased or limited rollouts are marked.

1. April 2025: The option to create new conversion-focused video campaigns was removed.
2. March 2026: Lookalike segments in Demand Gen began moving to suggestion mode. The change is phased through 2026. As of November 5, 2026, an opt-out form exists, with interface controls coming later in the year.
3. April 2026: The remaining conversion-focused video campaigns were upgraded to Demand Gen automatically.
4. June 2026: A phased rollout began for the tool that migrates Display campaigns into Demand Gen, for eligible advertisers.
5. September 2026: Search campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting began upgrading to AI Max automatically.
6. Later, with no date given: new Display campaigns can only be created in Demand Gen, and remaining eligible ones migrate automatically.

Smart Display campaigns have also been folded into the standard Display campaign, and Google gives no date for that change. Maps inventory in Demand Gen is in beta. Before you build a campaign, check these statuses again on Google's pages.