Intent over exact keywords
Broad match paired with smart bidding interprets intent from many signals. Your keyword list is now a guide, and your conversion data and negatives shape what you actually pay for.
Search · Performance Max · Demand Gen · YouTube
Capture demand on Google — and create it on YouTube.
Google is still where buyers go when they’re ready. But Search now runs on broad match and smart bidding, Performance Max spans every Google surface, and AI-powered results are changing what a search page looks like. We’ll teach you how to win in all of it.
What’s changed
Google Ads is no longer just keywords and bids
Performance Max everywhere
PMax serves across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps from one campaign. Powerful — but it needs good assets, feeds and guardrails.
Demand Gen for visual reach
Demand Gen campaigns run image and video ads across YouTube (including Shorts), Discover and Gmail, filling the gap between search and social.
AI-expanded Search
Google has rolled out AI features that expand query matching and generate ad text from your site and assets. They can find new demand — and need careful review.
AI Overviews & AI Mode
Google has begun showing ads within and around AI-generated answers. Eligibility and formats continue to evolve, so we teach the principles and update lessons as things change.
Measurement got stricter
Consent Mode, enhanced conversions and offline conversion imports are now essential to give smart bidding accurate data.
What you’ll learn
Search, Shopping, PMax, Demand Gen and YouTube
Search
Search campaigns that capture buyers, not browsers.
You’ll use AI to research the real language of your buyers, organize it by intent and write ads that match it — then let smart bidding work within guardrails you control.
- AI-assisted keyword research and intent clustering from search terms, reviews and competitor pages
- Themed ad groups with responsive search ads written and pinned strategically
- Negative keyword lists and search-term review routines
- Bidding progression: from maximize conversions to target CPA or ROAS as data builds
- Assets that lift CTR: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, calls, locations and images
PMax & Shopping
Performance Max with control.
PMax works best when you treat it as a system you feed, not a black box. We teach feed optimization, asset-group strategy and the reporting that shows what PMax is actually doing.
- Merchant Center setup and feed optimization: titles, images, attributes and custom labels
- Asset groups by category, margin tier or audience theme
- Audience signals and customer lists to guide early learning
- Brand exclusions, negative keywords and new-customer goals where appropriate
- Channel and search-term insights to understand where spend is going
YouTube & Demand Gen
Video that builds demand — and converts it.
YouTube is the world’s largest video search platform. You’ll learn to produce video ads with AI-assisted scripting and editing, and to run them in formats that drive action, not just views.
- Skippable in-stream scripts that earn the first five seconds
- Vertical Shorts creative and repurposing from Reels and TikTok
- Demand Gen campaigns with lookalike segments and conversion bidding
- Remarketing to video viewers and channel engagers
- Long-form VSL and testimonial ads for high-consideration offers
Campaign structures we teach
The right Google campaign for each job
| Campaign | Job to be done | Our setup approach |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Search | Protect your name cheaply | Separate campaign, exact and phrase brand terms, competitor monitoring |
| Non-brand Search | Capture high-intent demand | Tight themes, strong negatives, conversion-based bidding, AI features tested deliberately |
| Performance Max (ecommerce) | Scale product sales across Google | Optimized feed, asset groups by margin or category, brand exclusions, new-customer goals |
| Performance Max (lead gen) | Leads across inventory | Only with offline conversion imports so it optimizes for qualified leads, not spam |
| Demand Gen | Visual prospecting on YouTube, Discover, Gmail | Strong image and video creative, lookalike segments, conversion bidding |
| YouTube video campaigns | Awareness to action | Hook-first scripts, sequencing, remarketing to engaged viewers |
| Local Services Ads | Pay-per-lead for eligible local services | Verification, reviews, lead disputes, budget pacing |
Creative principles
Writing and producing for Google
Mirror the query
Search ads win when the headline echoes what the person typed and the landing page continues the same thought.
Give RSAs real variety
Responsive search ads need distinct headlines: benefits, proof, offers, objections and calls to action — not 15 rewrites of one line.
Front-load YouTube
Brand, problem and promise in the first five seconds. Assume the viewer will skip and make those seconds count.
Landing page as ad
Quality signals depend on relevance and experience. Fast, specific pages lower costs and lift conversion.
AI drafts, humans decide
Use AI to generate headline and description options at scale, then edit for accuracy, policy and voice before they go live.
Asset reporting loops
Use asset-level reporting to prune weak headlines, images and videos and replace them with new tests on a schedule.
Metrics to watch
What we look at on every Google account
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Search terms report | Shows what you actually paid for; the source of negatives and new themes |
| Conversion rate & CPA / ROAS | The bottom line, judged against your target from real margins |
| Impression share (lost to budget vs. rank) | Tells you whether to raise budget or improve ads and bids |
| CTR and quality signals | Relevance indicators that affect cost and position |
| Conversion lag | Prevents judging campaigns before conversions have been recorded |
| PMax channel & search-term insights | Shows how much spend goes to brand, Shopping, video and more |
| YouTube view rate & engaged views | Diagnoses whether your video earns attention |
Common mistakes
What we fix most often in Google audits
- Counting the wrong conversions: page views, scrolls or duplicate events marked as primary conversions, teaching smart bidding the wrong lesson.
- Broad match without guardrails: no negatives, no search-term reviews and no conversion-based bidding.
- PMax cannibalizing brand: PMax claiming credit for branded searches you would have won anyway.
- Lead-gen PMax without offline data: optimizing for form fills attracts junk leads.
- Display and search partners on autopilot: settings left on by default without checking performance.
- Sending all traffic to the homepage: generic pages that don’t match search intent.
- Too many tiny campaigns: splitting data so bidding algorithms never get enough signal.
Where it’s covered
Google & YouTube inside the program
Google Search & Performance Max module
Keyword research, search structures, bidding, feeds, PMax and Local Services Ads.
View curriculumYouTube & Demand Gen module
Video scripting, Shorts, Demand Gen and remarketing with AI-assisted production.
View curriculumAI search module
Ads in AI-powered results, answer-engine optimization and measurement for an evolving channel.
Explore AI searchBest fits: local businesses (search intent), ecommerce (Shopping and PMax) and coaches (YouTube).
FAQ
Google Ads questions, answered
Should I start with Search or Performance Max?
For most lead-gen and service businesses, start with Search — it’s easier to control and learn from. Ecommerce brands with a healthy feed often run PMax alongside Search early. We help you choose based on your data and budget.
Is broad match safe to use?
With accurate conversion tracking, conversion-based bidding and regular search-term reviews, broad match can work well. Without those, it can waste budget quickly. We teach the guardrails first.
How do I show up in Google’s AI Overviews or AI Mode?
Paid placements depend on Google’s eligibility rules, which continue to evolve. Organic inclusion depends on helpful, well-structured content. We cover both on our AI search ads page and in the program.
Do I need professional video for YouTube?
No. Many effective YouTube ads are simple talking-head or screen-recorded videos with a strong script. We show you how to produce them with a phone and AI editing tools.
Do you cover Microsoft Advertising?
Yes, as an extension of Search. Many campaigns can be imported from Google, and Microsoft’s network includes placements in its AI experiences. We cover when it’s worth adding.
Next cohort starts January 12, 2027
Own the moment buyers search — and the videos they watch.
Learn Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen and YouTube with AI, with coaches reviewing your account every week.