Google Ads Creative cheat sheet

Responsive search ads: supply 3–15 headlines (max 30 characters each) and 2–4 descriptions (max 90 characters each); Google assembles combinations and labels the strongest assets with performance ratings.

Ad strength is a diagnostic (Incomplete, Poor, Average, Good, Excellent) based on asset quantity, uniqueness, and keyword coverage; it is not a bidding or ranking factor.

Pinning fixes an asset to a position (Headline 1, 2, 3); pinning every headline reduces eligible combinations and can lower ad strength.

Keyword match types: exact [term], phrase "term", broad term; close variants include misspellings, singular/plural, stemming, abbreviations, and reordering for exact and phrase.

Search ad rank is determined by Ad Rank = bid × quality components (expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience) plus ad formats and auction-time signals; actual CPC is the minimum needed to beat the next rank.

Responsive search ads can include location insertion, countdown functions, and ad customizers; each asset must make sense independently because combinations rotate.

Call-only ads and call assets require a verified phone number; call reporting must be enabled to see call details.

Negative keywords at campaign and ad group level prevent matching; shared negative lists apply across campaigns and are not keyword-level.

Search ad extensions/assets (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, lead forms) do not affect Ad Rank directly but can raise CTR and thus quality components.

Responsive display ads require a short headline (max 25 characters), a long headline (max 90), a description (max 90), a business name (max 25), and at least one image; Google assembles combinations.

Uploaded image assets: landscape 1.91:1 (1200×628), square 1:1 (1200×1200), portrait 4:5 (960×1200); logo 1:1 (1200×1200) and 4:1 (1200×300).

Targeting types include affinity, in-market, custom intent, custom affinity, remarketing, similar audiences, demographics, and placements/topics; each has distinct reach and intent signals.

Smart Display campaigns automate targeting, bidding, and creative assembly; they require conversion tracking to optimize toward conversions.

Display ad groups can use optimized targeting to expand beyond manually selected audiences while respecting brand exclusions.

Frequency capping limits impressions per user per day/week/campaign; view-through conversions are counted when a user sees an ad but does not click before converting.

Display Network includes Google sites, partner sites, and apps; placement exclusions and account-level blocked placements control where ads appear.

Responsive display ads report asset-level performance ratings (Low, Good, Best) to guide replacement of weak assets.

Conversion tracking sources: Google Ads tag, Google Analytics import, Firebase, and offline conversion imports; only one primary conversion action per goal should be used for bidding.

Attribution models: last click, first click, linear, time decay, position-based, and data-driven; data-driven attribution requires sufficient data and is the default for many conversion actions.

Conversion window default is 30 days for click-through and 1 day for view-through; the window is configurable per conversion action.

Conversions column counts only primary conversion actions; All conversions includes secondary actions and is not used for Smart Bidding unless designated primary.

Google Analytics 4 uses event-based measurement; conversions are events marked as key events, and imported conversions must be linked to Google Ads.

Enhanced conversions send hashed first-party data (email, phone, address) to improve measurement; it requires user consent and tagging.

Experiments (campaign drafts and experiments) split traffic and measure incremental impact; results should be evaluated with statistical significance.

Reach and frequency metrics are available for video and display; impression share metrics (search impression share, top impression share, absolute top impression share) diagnose auction competitiveness.

YouTube ad formats: skippable in-stream, non-skippable in-stream (15 seconds or less), bumper (6 seconds or less), in-feed, and Shorts ads.

Video ad requirements: skippable in-stream has no length limit but must be skippable after 5 seconds; bumper ads must be 6 seconds or less.

YouTube targeting includes audiences (affinity, in-market, custom, remarketing), demographics, topics, placements, and keywords; keyword targeting on YouTube matches video content and search behavior.

Video creative best practices: brand mention in first 5 seconds, clear call to action, and companion banner for in-stream ads.

Video action campaigns optimize toward conversions and can include multiple creative assets and audience signals.

View-through conversions and video view metrics (earned views, view rate) measure engagement; cost-per-view bidding is available for video campaigns.

YouTube Shorts ads are vertical, sound-on, and can be created from existing horizontal assets with automatic reformatting.

Brand lift and search lift studies measure upper-funnel impact and require sufficient budget and duration.

Shopping ads require a linked Google Merchant Center account and a product feed; the feed supplies title, description, price, availability, GTIN, brand, and Google product category.

Product data issues (missing GTIN, incorrect price, disapproved items) prevent ads from serving; Merchant Center diagnostics list feed errors.

Shopping campaign structure: product groups based on category, brand, item ID, condition, and custom labels; subdivisions refine bidding.

Standard Shopping campaigns use manual bidding or Smart Bidding; Performance Max campaigns can include product feeds and serve across all Google channels.

Free listings and paid Shopping ads can run simultaneously; free listings appear in the Shopping tab and Google Search.

Product titles should include brand, product type, and key attributes; the first 70 characters are most visible.

Local inventory ads require store data and local product feeds; they show nearby availability and price.

Merchant Center promotions and automated feeds improve competitiveness; disapprovals must be resolved before ads serve.