Google Ads Glossary
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A
Ad Extensions (Assets)
Ad Extensions, now called Assets in Google Ads, are additional pieces of information that expand your ad with extra links, phone numbers, promotions, and other details.
Ad Fatigue
Ad Fatigue is the decline in ad performance that occurs when the same audience sees the same ad creative too many times.
Ad Fraud
Ad Fraud is the deliberate manipulation of digital advertising metrics through fake clicks, impressions, or conversions to drain advertiser budgets.
Ad Groups
Ad Groups are organizational units within a Google Ads campaign that contain a set of related keywords, ads, and bids sharing a common theme.
Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool
The Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool shows how your ads appear in search results without generating impressions or affecting performance data.
Ad Rank
Ad Rank is the score Google uses to determine your ad's position and whether it shows at all.
Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance is a Quality Score component that measures how closely your ad copy matches the intent behind a user's search query.
Ad Rotation
Ad Rotation is a Google Ads campaign setting that determines how multiple ads within an ad group are served relative to each other.
Ad Strength
Ad Strength is a Google Ads diagnostic indicator that rates the quality and diversity of your Responsive Search Ad assets on a scale from Poor to Excellent.
Advertising Cost of Sales (ACOS)
Advertising Cost of Sales is the ratio of ad spend to ad-attributed revenue, expressed as a percentage.
Affinity Audiences
Affinity Audiences are Google-defined audience segments based on users' long-term interests, habits, and lifestyle patterns.
API Rate Limits
API Rate Limits are quotas imposed by the Google Ads API that restrict the number and frequency of requests an application can make within a given time period.
App Campaigns
App Campaigns promote mobile app installs and in-app actions across Google Search, Play, YouTube, and Display.
Asset Groups
Asset Groups are collections of creative assets in Performance Max campaigns that Google combines to generate ads across all channels.
Asset Performance Labels
Asset Performance Labels are Google's ratings (Best, Good, Low, Pending) assigned to individual assets in Performance Max and responsive search ads.
Attribution Models
Attribution Models are rules that determine how conversion credit is distributed across the multiple ad interactions in a customer's path to conversion.
Auction Insights
Auction Insights is a Google Ads report that shows how your ads perform compared to competitors participating in the same auctions.
Audience Manager
Audience Manager is the Google Ads tool for creating, managing, and analyzing audience segments used for targeting and observation across campaigns.
Audience Segments
Audience Segments are predefined or custom groups of users in Google Ads based on their interests, behaviors, demographics, or interactions with your business.
Audience Signals (PMax)
Audience Signals are targeting suggestions provided to Performance Max campaigns that guide Google's AI toward your ideal customers.
Auto-Apply Recommendations
Auto-Apply Recommendations is a Google Ads feature that automatically implements selected recommendation types without manual approval.
Auto-Created Assets
Auto-Created Assets is a Google Ads feature that automatically generates text and image assets for your campaigns using AI.
Auto-Tagging
Auto-Tagging is a Google Ads setting that automatically appends a GCLID parameter to ad click URLs for conversion tracking and analytics attribution.
Automated Rules
Automated Rules are scheduled actions in Google Ads that automatically adjust bids, budgets, and campaign status based on conditions you define.
B
Bid Adjustments
Bid Adjustments are percentage modifiers that increase or decrease bids based on device, location, time, or audience.
Bounce Rate
Bounce Rate is the percentage of single-page sessions where users left a landing page without further interaction.
Brand Campaigns
Brand Campaigns target your own brand name and variations as keywords in Google Ads Search.
Brand Exclusions (PMax)
Brand Exclusions are Performance Max settings that prevent your ads from showing on search queries containing specific brand names.
Brand Safety
Brand Safety is the practice of ensuring your ads do not appear alongside content that could harm your brand's reputation.
Broad Match
Broad Match is a keyword match type in Google Ads that triggers ads for searches related to your keyword, including synonyms, related queries, and variations.
Bulk Operations
Bulk Operations are methods for making large-scale changes to Google Ads campaigns, keywords, ads, and bids across multiple entities simultaneously.
C
Call Extensions
Call Extensions are Google Ads assets that display a clickable phone number alongside your ad, enabling users to call your business directly from search results.
Callout Extensions
Callout Extensions are non-clickable text snippets in Google Ads that highlight key business features, offers, or selling points alongside your ad.
Campaign Groups
Campaign Groups are organizational containers in Google Ads that let you group related campaigns together for collective performance tracking.
Change History
Change History is a Google Ads audit log that records every modification made to your account, including who made it and when.
Click Fraud
Click Fraud is the deliberate, repeated clicking of pay-per-click ads with no intent to engage, designed to drain an advertiser's budget.
Click ID
A Click ID is a unique identifier assigned to each individual ad click, used for tracking, attribution, and deduplication across advertising platforms.
Click Share
Click Share is the estimated percentage of total achievable clicks your ads received in Google Ads.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-Through Rate is the percentage of impressions that result in a click on your Google Ads ad.
Client Account
A Client Account is an individual Google Ads account that contains campaigns, ads, and billing for a single advertiser.
Conversion Rate
Conversion Rate is the percentage of ad clicks that result in a conversion action in Google Ads.
Conversion Tracking
Conversion Tracking is the system that measures when ad clicks lead to valuable actions like purchases, sign-ups, or phone calls.
Conversion Tracking Tag
A Conversion Tracking Tag is a JavaScript code snippet placed on your website that records when ad clicks lead to defined conversion actions.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
Cost Per Acquisition is the average cost to acquire one conversion in Google Ads.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Cost Per Click is the amount you pay each time someone clicks your Google Ads ad.
Cost Per Conversion
Cost Per Conversion is the average cost to generate one conversion action in Google Ads.
Cost Per Mille (CPM)
Cost Per Mille is the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions in Google Ads.
Cost Per View (CPV) Bidding
Cost Per View bidding is a pricing model where you pay when a user watches your video ad.
Cross-Account Reporting
Cross-Account Reporting is a Google Ads MCC feature that generates consolidated performance reports spanning multiple client accounts.
Custom Audiences
Custom Audiences are user-defined audience segments in Google Ads built from keywords, URLs, and apps that represent your ideal customer's interests and behaviors.
Custom Columns
Custom Columns are user-defined metrics in Google Ads that combine existing data fields with formulas to create calculated columns in reporting tables.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer Acquisition Cost is the total cost to acquire a new paying customer, including all marketing and sales expenses.
Customer Match
Customer Match is a Google Ads feature that lets you upload first-party customer data to target or exclude known customers across Google properties.
D
Data-Driven Attribution
Data-Driven Attribution is Google's machine-learning attribution model that distributes conversion credit based on the actual impact of each ad interaction.
Demand Gen Campaigns
Demand Gen Campaigns run visually rich ads across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail to drive mid-funnel engagement.
Demographic Targeting
Demographic Targeting in Google Ads lets you adjust bids or restrict ad delivery based on age, gender, household income, and parental status.
Device Targeting
Device Targeting in Google Ads lets you adjust bids or restrict ad delivery based on whether users are on mobile, desktop, or tablet devices.
Display Campaigns
Display Campaigns show visual banner and responsive ads across Google's network of over 3 million websites and apps.
E
Enhanced Conversions
Enhanced Conversions is a Google Ads feature that improves conversion measurement accuracy by sending hashed first-party customer data.
Enhanced CPC (ECPC)
Enhanced CPC is a semi-automated bidding strategy that adjusts your manual bids based on conversion likelihood.
Exact Match
Exact Match is a keyword match type that triggers ads only when a search closely matches the exact meaning and intent of your keyword.
Expanded Text Ads (Legacy)
Expanded Text Ads were a Google Ads search ad format with fixed headlines and descriptions that was retired in June 2022 in favor of Responsive Search Ads.
Expected Click-Through Rate
Expected Click-Through Rate is a Quality Score component that predicts how likely your ad is to be clicked when shown for a specific keyword.
F
Filters (Google Ads)
Filters are Google Ads interface controls that narrow the data displayed in tables by applying conditions based on metrics, attributes, or labels.
Final URL Expansion
Final URL Expansion is a Performance Max setting that allows Google to replace your specified landing page with other pages on your site it deems more relevant.
G
GAQL (Google Ads Query Language)
GAQL is the SQL-like query language used to retrieve data from the Google Ads API, supporting resource selection, filtering, ordering, and metric aggregation.
GCLID (Google Click ID)
GCLID is a unique tracking parameter appended to ad click URLs that links individual clicks to conversions, campaigns, and keywords in Google Ads.
Google Ads API
The Google Ads API is a programmatic interface that allows developers to build applications that interact directly with the Google Ads platform.
Google Ads Editor
Google Ads Editor is a free downloadable application for managing Google Ads campaigns offline with bulk editing capabilities.
Google Ads Scripts
Google Ads Scripts are JavaScript-based programs that run inside Google Ads to automate tasks, generate reports, and manage campaigns programmatically.
Google Analytics Integration
Google Analytics Integration connects Google Ads with Google Analytics 4 to share audience, conversion, and engagement data between platforms.
Google Tag (gtag.js)
Google Tag is a single JavaScript snippet that enables conversion tracking, remarketing, and analytics measurement across Google products.
I
Image Extensions
Image Extensions are Google Ads assets that add relevant visual images alongside your search ad text to increase engagement and click-through rates.
Impression Share
Impression Share is the percentage of eligible impressions your ads actually received in Google Ads.
In-Market Audiences
In-Market Audiences are Google-defined audience segments of users who are actively researching or comparing products and services in a specific category.
Invalid Clicks
Invalid Clicks are clicks on Google Ads that Google determines to be illegitimate, including accidental double-clicks, bot traffic, and click fraud.
L
Labels (Google Ads)
Labels are custom tags in Google Ads that you apply to campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and ads for organization, filtering, and reporting.
Landing Page Experience
Landing Page Experience is a Quality Score component that evaluates how relevant, useful, and navigable your landing page is for users who click your ad.
Lead Form Extensions
Lead Form Extensions are Google Ads assets that display an in-ad form allowing users to submit their contact information without leaving the search results page.
Lifetime Value (LTV)
Lifetime Value is the total revenue a business expects to earn from a customer over the entire relationship.
Listing Groups (PMax)
Listing Groups are the product targeting structure in Performance Max campaigns that determines which products from your feed appear in each asset group.
Local Campaigns
Local Campaigns were a Google Ads campaign type designed to drive foot traffic and local store visits.
Location Extensions
Location Extensions are Google Ads assets that display your business address, map, and distance information alongside your ad to drive foot traffic and local trust.
Location Targeting
Location Targeting in Google Ads controls where your ads are shown based on geographic areas such as countries, cities, postal codes, or radius around a point.
M
Manager Account
A Manager Account is Google's official name for the MCC (My Client Center) account type used to manage multiple Google Ads accounts.
Manual CPC
Manual CPC is a bidding strategy where you set the maximum cost-per-click for each keyword or ad group.
Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER)
Marketing Efficiency Ratio is the total revenue divided by total marketing spend, measuring overall marketing efficiency.
Maximize Clicks
Maximize Clicks is an automated bidding strategy that sets bids to get the most clicks within your budget.
Maximize Conversion Value
Maximize Conversion Value is an automated bidding strategy that sets bids to generate the highest total conversion value within your budget.
Maximize Conversions
Maximize Conversions is an automated bidding strategy that sets bids to get the most conversions within your budget.
MCC Account (Manager Account)
An MCC Account (My Client Center) is a Google Ads Manager Account that provides centralized access to multiple Google Ads accounts from a single login.
N
Negative Keyword Lists
Negative Keyword Lists are shared collections of negative keywords in Google Ads that can be applied across multiple campaigns simultaneously.
Negative Keywords
Negative Keywords are terms you add to a Google Ads campaign to prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches.
O
Offline Conversions
Offline Conversions is a Google Ads feature that imports conversion data from CRM systems or offline sources to connect ad clicks with real-world outcomes.
Optimization Score
Optimization Score is a percentage from 0% to 100% that estimates how well your Google Ads account is set up to perform.
P
Performance Max Campaigns
Performance Max is a goal-based Google Ads campaign type that runs across all Google channels from a single campaign.
Performance Max Insights
Performance Max Insights is a reporting section that reveals how Google's AI is targeting, spending, and performing across channels within PMax campaigns.
Performance Planner
Performance Planner is a Google Ads forecasting tool that projects how changes to bids and budgets will affect campaign performance.
Phrase Match
Phrase Match is a keyword match type that triggers ads when a search includes the meaning of your keyword in the correct word order.
Portfolio Bid Strategies
Portfolio Bid Strategies apply a single automated bidding strategy across multiple campaigns in Google Ads.
Price Extensions
Price Extensions are Google Ads assets that display a set of clickable pricing cards beneath your ad, each showing a product or service with its price and a link.
Promotion Extensions
Promotion Extensions are Google Ads assets that highlight specific sales, discounts, or promotional offers directly in your ad with a tagged price tag icon.
R
Recommendations (Google Ads)
Recommendations are Google's AI-generated suggestions for improving campaign performance, organized by category and impact.
Remarketing Lists (RLSA)
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) are audience segments of past website visitors that you can target or adjust bids for in Search campaigns.
Responsive Search Ads (RSA)
Responsive Search Ads are Google Ads' default search ad format where you provide multiple headlines and descriptions that Google dynamically combines to find the best-performing variations.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on Ad Spend is the revenue generated for every dollar spent on Google Ads advertising.
S
Search Campaigns
Search Campaigns show text ads on Google Search results when users search for your targeted keywords.
Search Impression Share
Search Impression Share is the percentage of Search Network impressions your ads received out of the total you were eligible for.
Search Terms Report
The Search Terms Report shows the actual search queries that triggered your ads, revealing what users typed into Google before clicking.
Search Themes (PMax)
Search Themes are keyword-like inputs in Performance Max campaigns that guide Google's AI toward relevant search queries.
Segments (Google Ads)
Segments are Google Ads reporting breakdowns that split performance data by dimensions like device, time, network, or conversion action.
Shared Budgets
Shared Budgets are a Google Ads feature that pools a single daily budget across multiple campaigns, letting Google allocate spend where demand is highest.
Shared Library
The Shared Library is a Google Ads section containing reusable resources like negative keyword lists, shared budgets, and audience lists that apply across campaigns.
Shopping Campaigns
Shopping Campaigns display product listing ads with images, prices, and store names on Google Search and the Shopping tab.
Similar Audiences (Deprecated)
Similar Audiences were Google Ads audience segments that found new users resembling your existing remarketing lists. This feature was deprecated in 2023.
Sitelink Extensions
Sitelinks are ad assets that add additional clickable links below your Google Ads, directing users to specific pages on your website.
Smart Campaigns
Smart Campaigns are a simplified, fully automated Google Ads campaign type designed for small businesses.
Structured Snippet Extensions
Structured Snippets are ad assets that display a predefined header and list of values to highlight specific aspects of your products or services.
T
Target CPA
Target CPA is an automated bidding strategy that sets bids to achieve a specified average cost per conversion.
Target Impression Share
Target Impression Share is an automated bidding strategy that sets bids to achieve a specific impression share percentage.
Target ROAS
Target ROAS is an automated bidding strategy that optimizes bids to achieve a specified return on ad spend.
U
URL Exclusions (PMax)
URL Exclusions are rules in Performance Max campaigns that prevent Google from sending ad traffic to specific pages on your website.
UTM Parameters
UTM Parameters are URL tags that track the source, medium, campaign, and other attributes of traffic arriving at your website from marketing channels.
V
Video Campaigns
Video Campaigns run video ads on YouTube and across the Google Video Partners network.
View-Through Conversions
View-Through Conversions count users who saw your ad, did not click, but later converted on your site.
Viewability
Viewability is a digital advertising metric that measures whether an ad was actually visible to a user on screen, not just technically served.