Campaign Architecture Overview
| Campaign Type | Funnel Stage | Purpose | Typical ROAS | Budget Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branded Search | Bottom (ready to buy) | Capture people searching for your brand name | 800 to 1500% | 10 to 15% |
| Non-Branded Search | Middle (comparing) | Capture people searching for products you sell | 300 to 600% | 25 to 35% |
| Standard Shopping | Middle (browsing) | Show products to people searching for product categories | 400 to 800% | 25 to 35% |
| Performance Max | Top to Middle (discovering) | AI-driven ads across all Google properties | 300 to 600% | 15 to 25% |
| Remarketing (Display + YouTube) | Bottom (re-engaging) | Bring back visitors who did not purchase | 500 to 1000% | 5 to 10% |
Search Campaign Structure
Search Campaign Structure
- Campaign 1: Branded Search. Keywords: brand name, brand + product, brand + sale. Match type: exact and phrase. Bidding: Maximize Conversions (low budget needed). This campaign captures customers who already know you. ROAS is typically 800 to 1500%.
- Campaign 2: Non-Branded, High Intent. Keywords: "buy [product]," "[product] online," "[product] free shipping." These searchers are ready to purchase. Match type: exact and phrase. Bidding: Target ROAS once you have 50+ conversions.
- Campaign 3: Non-Branded, Category. Keywords: "[product category]," "best [product type]," "[product] for [use case]." Broader searches from people still deciding. Match type: phrase and broad (with audience signals). Bidding: Maximize Conversions or Target CPA.
- Campaign 4: Competitor. Keywords: competitor brand names + product terms. Lower conversion rate but captures comparison shoppers. Match type: exact only. Set a separate budget cap (5 to 8% of total).
| Ad Group Structure (Non-Branded Example) | Keywords (10 to 20 per group) | Ad Copy Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Product Category: Running Shoes | "buy running shoes," "running shoes online," "best running shoes 2025" | Product benefits, free shipping, review count |
| Product Category: Trail Shoes | "trail running shoes," "best trail shoes," "waterproof trail shoes" | Terrain-specific features, durability, grip |
| Use Case: Marathon Training | "marathon training shoes," "shoes for marathon runners," "long distance running shoes" | Cushioning, endurance, race-day performance |
| Price Point: Budget | "cheap running shoes," "affordable running shoes," "running shoes under $100" | Price, value, sale pricing, free returns |
Shopping Campaign Structure
| Shopping Campaign | Products Included | Bidding Strategy | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | Top 20% by revenue and margin | Target ROAS (set 10 to 20% above account avg) | High priority, highest bids |
| Core Catalog | Remaining profitable products | Target ROAS (account average) | Medium priority, standard bids |
| New / Test Products | Recently added products without data | Maximize Clicks or Maximize Conversions | Low priority, limited budget |
| Clearance / Low Margin | Products being discontinued or with thin margins | Target ROAS (set higher than average) | Low priority, minimal budget |
Feed Quality Is Everything
Your Shopping ad performance is only as good as your product feed. The three highest-impact optimizations: (1) Product titles must include the keyword people search for, not just your internal product name. "Nike Air Max 90 Men's Running Shoe Black Size 10" beats "Air Max 90 BLK." (2) Use high-quality images on white backgrounds. (3) Keep pricing competitive. Google's algorithm deprioritizes products priced above market average for the same item.
Performance Max Setup
Performance Max Best Practices
- Asset Groups: Create 3 to 5 themed groups. Each asset group should target a product category or audience segment with relevant images, videos, headlines, and descriptions. Do not dump everything into one group.
- Audience Signals: Guide the AI. Add your customer lists, website visitors, and in-market audiences as signals. PMax uses these as starting points to find similar buyers. Without signals, the AI spends weeks testing random audiences.
- Exclude branded traffic. Add your brand name as a negative keyword (via account-level negatives or a branded search campaign with higher priority). Otherwise, PMax will claim credit for branded conversions that your search campaign would have caught for free.
- Set URL expansion to targeted URLs only. By default, PMax sends traffic to any page on your site. Restrict it to product pages and key landing pages to prevent wasted spend on blog posts or about pages.
Remarketing Campaign Structure
| Audience Segment | Window | Ad Message | Bid Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cart Abandoners | 1 to 7 days | Complete your purchase. Free shipping / 10% off. | Highest (150 to 200%) |
| Product Viewers (no cart) | 1 to 14 days | Still interested? Here is what you viewed. | High (120 to 150%) |
| Category Browsers | 7 to 30 days | New arrivals in [category]. Explore now. | Medium (100 to 120%) |
| Past Purchasers | 30 to 90 days | Thanks for your order. Check out [related products]. | Medium (100 to 130%) |
| All Visitors (general) | 14 to 30 days | Brand reminder with best sellers and social proof. | Low (80 to 100%) |
Match Type Strategy
| Match Type | When to Use | Budget Impact | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact Match | High-intent keywords with proven conversion history | Highest CPC, highest conversion rate | [buy running shoes online] |
| Phrase Match | Category and product keywords, moderate intent | Moderate CPC, good balance of reach and precision | "men's running shoes" |
| Broad Match | Only with Smart Bidding and strong audience signals | Lowest CPC, widest reach, needs careful monitoring | running shoes |
The Modern Match Type Strategy
Start with exact and phrase match for your core keywords. Once you have 50+ conversions per month and are using Target ROAS or Target CPA bidding, test broad match on your top-performing keywords. Google's Smart Bidding needs enough conversion data to make broad match work. Without Smart Bidding, broad match will waste your budget on irrelevant searches.
Bidding Framework
| Monthly Conversions | Recommended Strategy | Target Setting | When to Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 | Manual CPC or Maximize Clicks | Set max CPC at break-even CPA / expected CVR | Switch at 15+ conversions/month |
| 15 to 50 | Maximize Conversions | No target initially. Let the algorithm learn. | Switch at 50+ conversions with stable CPA |
| 50 to 100 | Target CPA or Target ROAS | Set at 80% of actual (give room to learn) | Tighten by 5% monthly if hitting target |
| 100+ | Target ROAS (primary) | Set at 90 to 95% of actual for steady scaling | Test portfolio bidding across campaigns |
Budget Allocation by Spend Level
| Monthly Budget | Branded Search | Non-Branded Search | Shopping | Performance Max | Remarketing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3K to $5K | 10% | 35% | 35% | 15% | 5% |
| $5K to $10K | 10% | 30% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
| $10K to $25K | 8% | 28% | 28% | 26% | 10% |
| $25K to $50K | 7% | 25% | 28% | 30% | 10% |
| $50K+ | 5% | 25% | 25% | 35% | 10% |
The Scaling Rule
When scaling budget, increase spend on your highest ROAS campaigns first, not evenly across all campaigns. If Shopping delivers 600% ROAS and Search delivers 350%, give Shopping the first incremental dollars. Only spread budget evenly when all campaigns are performing within 20% of each other. Scale by 15 to 20% per month maximum to give the algorithms time to adjust.
Methodology & Sources
Campaign architecture based on Google Ads best practices documentation, agency operational data from managing $10M+ in annual e-commerce ad spend, Google Premier Partner insights, and published frameworks from leading e-commerce advertising practitioners.
- Google, "Google Ads Best Practices for E-commerce," 2024
- Google, "Performance Max Best Practices Guide," 2024
- Google, "Shopping Ads and Merchant Center Guide," 2024
- WordStream / LOCALiQ, "E-commerce Google Ads Benchmarks," 2024
- Tinuiti, "Google Ads E-commerce Playbook," 2024
- Optmyzr, "Google Ads Account Structure Best Practices," 2024
- Search Engine Journal, "E-commerce PPC Campaign Architecture," 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
The ideal structure uses four campaign types: Search (branded and non-branded), Shopping (standard and smart), Performance Max (for broad reach), and Remarketing (display and YouTube). Each campaign serves a different funnel stage. Search captures high-intent buyers. Shopping drives product discovery. Performance Max scales across all Google properties. Remarketing brings back visitors who did not purchase.
Use both, but for different purposes. Standard Shopping gives you more control over bids, search terms, and product groups. Use it for your best-selling products where you want granular optimization. Performance Max uses AI to find buyers across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover. Use it for broader reach and new customer acquisition. Start with Standard Shopping for your top 20% of products, then layer in Performance Max.
10 to 15% of total budget on branded search, 85 to 90% on non-branded. Branded search is cheap (low CPCs, high conversion rates) and defensive. You need it to prevent competitors from stealing your brand traffic. But it captures existing demand, not new demand. The growth comes from non-branded campaigns, Shopping, and Performance Max.
For Search campaigns, 5 to 15 ad groups per campaign, organized by product category or search intent theme. Each ad group should have 10 to 20 tightly themed keywords. For Shopping, organize product groups by category, brand, margin, or price point. Fewer, well-organized ad groups outperform dozens of thin ad groups with overlapping keywords.
For new accounts (under 50 conversions/month), start with Maximize Conversions to build data. Once you have 50+ conversions per month, switch to Target ROAS for Shopping and Performance Max, and Target CPA for Search. Set target ROAS at 80% of your current actual ROAS to give the algorithm room to learn, then gradually tighten it.
Minimum viable budget is $3,000 to $5,000 per month for meaningful data. Scale based on ROAS: if you are hitting target ROAS consistently, increase budget by 15 to 20% per month. Typical allocation: 30 to 40% Shopping, 25 to 35% Search, 20 to 30% Performance Max, 5 to 10% Remarketing. Adjust based on which campaigns deliver the best ROAS.