Google Ads Search study plan

Google Ads Search · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Search advertising fundamentals & Campaign setup and management

Map the Google Ads account hierarchy (account, campaign, ad group, keyword, ad) and label where each billing and targeting setting lives
Differentiate Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and Performance Max by inventory, targeting inputs, and when each is the right choice
Explain how the ad auction works: quality components, Ad Rank, thresholds, and how bid and quality trade off
Sketch a Search campaign structure for a sample business with three themed ad groups

One-page account-structure diagram plus a written rationale for the campaign type chosen for a sample business

Week 2

Configure a Search campaign end to end: networks, locations, languages, scheduling, and device settings
Build keyword lists using match type logic and separate broad, phrase, and exact intent into distinct groups
Construct a negative keyword list that prevents overlap between ad groups
Assign each keyword group to a landing page and justify the mapping

A complete keyword and negative-keyword plan covering three ad groups with match types and landing page mapping

Week 3

Set daily budgets and explain how budget pacing and shared budgets interact with spend limits
Distinguish manual CPC, Maximize Clicks, Maximize Conversions, and Target CPA by required inputs and risk
Calculate the break-even CPA and break-even ROAS from margin, price, and conversion rate inputs
Diagnose three budget-limited versus bid-limited scenarios and prescribe a fix for each

Budget allocation worksheet showing daily budgets per campaign with break-even CPA/ROAS math for each

Week 4

Select a bid strategy for five given scenarios using conversion volume, tracking maturity, and business goal as criteria
Explain how Target CPA and Target ROAS adjust bids and what happens during the learning period
Interpret impression share lost to budget versus lost to rank and translate each into an action
Compare portfolio bid strategies with campaign-level strategies

Bidding decision matrix mapping scenario characteristics to bid strategy, plus a 10-question self-quiz scored at 80% or higher

Week 5

Write responsive search ad headlines and descriptions that satisfy character limits and cover distinct value angles
Apply pinning deliberately and explain the trade-off between control and Ad Strength
Select and configure the asset types that earn additional screen space for a Search campaign
Identify common ad and asset policy violations and rewrite each into compliant copy

Three complete responsive search ad drafts with pinning rationale and a policy-compliance self-check

Week 6

Diagnose low Ad Strength and rewrite assets to improve it without keyword stuffing
Define conversion actions and choose a counting method for lead versus sale events
Set up primary versus secondary conversions and explain how each affects bidding
Compare last-click, data-driven, and linear attribution and predict the metric shift each causes

Conversion tracking plan listing each conversion action, its category, counting method, and bidding eligibility

Week 7

Read a search terms report and convert findings into negative keywords and new keyword opportunities
Diagnose underperformance using the funnel: impressions, CTR, conversion rate, and CPA
Design a controlled experiment with a single variable, a success metric, and a stopping rule
Apply bid, budget, keyword, and landing page levers in the correct order for a declining campaign

Optimization checklist plus two written experiment designs with hypotheses and success metrics

Week 8

Complete a full-length timed practice set under exam conditions
Log every missed question by domain and root cause (knowledge gap, misread, or guess)
Re-study the two weakest domains using the logged error patterns
Re-test the missed questions until each is answered correctly with a stated reason

Error log with root-cause tags per miss and a re-test score of 85% or higher on previously missed items

Week 2: Can build a Search campaign structure from scratch, with matched keywords, negatives, and landing pages, without notes

Week 4: Score 80% or higher on a self-written 10-question quiz covering domains 1, 2, and 4, including break-even CPA and ROAS calculations

Week 6: Can explain conversion tracking choices and their effect on bidding, and produce compliant ad copy within character limits

Week 8: Full-length timed practice set completed with all missed items re-tested at 85% or higher accuracy