A Comprehensive Glossary of Google Ads Terminology

Navigating the world of Google Ads can often feel like learning a new language. To help you master the platform and optimize your advertising efforts, we’ve compiled a comprehensive dictionary of essential terms. This glossary is organized into logical sections, providing a clear and accessible resource for both beginners and experienced advertisers.

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Core Concepts & Account Structure

This section covers the fundamental building blocks of the Google Ads platform.

Term	Definition
Account	The top-level container for all your Google Ads campaigns, billing information, and account-level settings.
Campaign	A set of ad groups (ads, keywords, and bids) that share a budget, location targeting, and other settings. Campaigns are typically used to organize categories of products or services that you offer.
Ad Group	A collection of one or more ads that target a shared set of keywords. Each of your campaigns is made up of one or more ad groups.
Keyword	Words or phrases describing your product or service that you choose to help determine when and where your ad can appear.
Ad	Any of the various formats of advertisements that can be created to run on Google’s advertising networks, such as text ads, image ads, or video ads.
Final URL	The URL address of the page on your website that people reach after clicking your ad.
Display URL	The webpage address that appears with your ad, which is typically your website’s domain.

Bidding & Budgeting

Understanding how to manage your ad spend is crucial for a successful Google Ads strategy.

Term	Definition
Bid	The maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a click on your ad.
Bidding Strategy	The method you use to bid for ad placements. Options range from manual bidding to automated strategies that optimize for specific goals like conversions or clicks.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC)	The amount you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
Maximum CPC (Max. CPC)	The highest amount that you’re willing to pay for a click on your ad.
Enhanced CPC (eCPC)	A bidding feature that automatically adjusts your manual bids for clicks that seem more or less likely to lead to a sale or conversion on your website.
Cost-Per-Mille (CPM)	A bidding method where you pay per one thousand views (impressions) on the Google Display Network.
Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA)	A bidding strategy where you set a target cost per acquisition, and Google Ads automatically sets bids to get you as many conversions as possible at that target CPA.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)	A bidding strategy that automatically sets bids to help get as much conversion value as possible at the target return on ad spend you set.
Daily Budget	The average amount you’re willing to spend on each ad campaign per day.
Shared Budget	A single daily budget that can be used by multiple campaigns within the same account.

Ad Formats & Extensions

These terms relate to the various types of ads you can create and the enhancements you can add to them.

Term	Definition
Responsive Search Ad	Ads that automatically adjust their size, appearance, and format to fit available ad spaces. You provide multiple headlines and descriptions, and Google’s machine learning combines them to create the most effective ad.
Dynamic Search Ad	Ads that use your website's content to automatically target your ads and create ad copy.
Shopping Ad	Ads that include rich product information, such as a product image, title, and price.
Video Ad	Ads that run on YouTube and other video partner sites on the Google Display Network.
Ad Extension	A feature that shows extra business information with your ad, like an address, phone number, store rating, or more webpage links.
Sitelink Extension	Ad extensions that show additional links to specific pages on your website beneath the main ad text.
Callout Extension	Ad extensions that let you include additional, non-clickable text with your search ads. This lets you provide detailed information about your business, products, and services.
Structured Snippet Extension	Ad extensions that highlight specific aspects of your products and services.
Image Extension	Allows you to upload rich, relevant images to complement your existing text ads.

Targeting & Audiences

Reaching the right people is key to maximizing your ad performance.

Term	Definition
Keyword Match Types	Settings for your keywords that help control which searches can trigger your ads. These include Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match.
Negative Keywords	A type of keyword that prevents your ad from being triggered by a certain word or phrase.
Search Terms Report	A report that shows the actual queries people used that triggered your ad and led to a click.
Audience	A group of users that you can target with your ads. Audiences can be defined by their demographics, interests, in-market status, or their past interactions with your website or app (remarketing).
Remarketing	A feature that lets you show ads to people who have previously visited your website or used your mobile app.
Similar Audiences	A targeting feature that helps you find new customers who share the characteristics of your existing remarketing audiences.
Demographic Targeting	A way to reach a specific set of potential customers who are likely to be within a particular age range, gender, parental status, or household income.
Geotargeting	The practice of delivering different content or advertisements to consumers based on their geographic locations.

Metrics & Performance Measurement

These are the key indicators you’ll use to evaluate the success of your campaigns.

Term	Definition
Impressions (Impr.)	How often your ad is shown. An impression is counted each time your ad is shown on a search result page or other site on the Google Network.
Clicks	The number of times your ad was clicked.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)	The percentage of times that people saw your ad and clicked on it. It’s calculated by dividing the number of clicks your ad receives by the number of times it’s shown: Clicks ÷ Impressions = CTR.
Average CPC (Avg. CPC)	The average amount that you’ve been charged for a click on your ad. Average CPC is calculated by dividing the total cost of your clicks by the total number of clicks.
Conversion	An action that you’ve defined as valuable to your business, such as an online purchase or a phone call.
Conversion Rate	The average number of conversions per ad interaction, shown as a percentage.
Cost per Conversion	Your total cost divided by your total conversions.
Quality Score	An estimate of the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. Higher quality ads can lead to lower prices and better ad positions.
Ad Rank	A value that’s used to determine your ad position (where ads are shown on a page) and whether your ads will show at all. Ad Rank is calculated using your bid amount, the components of Quality Score, and the expected impact of extensions and other ad formats.
Impression Share (IS)	The percentage of impressions that your ads received compared to the total number of impressions that your ads could have gotten.