Google Ads is one of the most powerful advertising platforms available to businesses and marketers today. With over 90% of internet searches conducted on Google, it presents a huge opportunity to reach potential customers. However, to make the most out of Google Ads, you need to start by choosing the right campaign objective. This decision is pivotal because it influences the way Google delivers your ads, what type of people see them, and ultimately, the success of your advertising efforts.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the factors to consider and steps to take when choosing a campaign objective for Google Ads.
What is a Campaign Objective in Google Ads?
A campaign objective (or goal) is the desired outcome you want to achieve from your Google Ads campaign. When setting up a campaign in Google Ads, you’ll be asked to choose an objective that aligns with your overall marketing goals. These objectives help Google Ads determine how to optimize your campaign for maximum effectiveness. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, Google Ads will try to show your ads to people who are more likely to click through to your website.
Google Ads offers several campaign objectives to choose from, including:
- Sales
- Leads
- Website Traffic
- Product and Brand Consideration
- Brand Awareness and Reach
- App Promotion
- Local Store Visits and Promotions
Each of these objectives caters to a specific stage in the customer journey, whether you are looking to build brand awareness, drive sales, or generate leads.
Step 1: Define Your Business Goals
Before diving into the details of Google Ads, it’s important to take a step back and think about your overall business goals. Google Ads works best when it aligns with your broader marketing and business objectives. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you launching a new product? Do you want to build brand awareness, generate leads, or drive traffic to your e-commerce site?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my business’s main objective in the next 6-12 months?
- Do I want to acquire new customers or retain existing ones?
- Is my goal to increase brand awareness or to drive direct sales?
- How will I measure success?
The clearer you are about your business goals, the easier it will be to choose the right Google Ads objective.
Step 2: Understand the Different Campaign Objectives
Google Ads offers different objectives depending on the type of campaign you want to run. Each one has its own strengths, and choosing the right objective depends largely on what stage your business is in and what your goals are. Let’s break them down:
1. Sales
When to use:
The sales objective is ideal if your goal is to drive sales directly from your ads, whether online, in-app, or in physical stores. This objective is highly action-driven, designed to maximize the number of purchases or conversions from your ad.
Best for:
- E-commerce businesses
- Direct-to-consumer brands
- Retailers with online and offline stores
- Subscription-based services
What happens when you choose this objective? When you select “Sales” as your objective, Google Ads will optimize your ads to appear in front of users who are most likely to make a purchase. This could be based on their previous behaviors (e.g., people who have recently made purchases or visited similar websites), demographic characteristics, or browsing habits. Google Ads will encourage users to complete a transaction by showcasing product images, pricing, and other details to nudge them towards a purchase.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Search Campaigns
- Shopping Campaigns
- Display Campaigns
- Performance Max
- Video Campaigns
2. Leads
When to use:
The leads objective is perfect for businesses looking to collect information from potential customers, such as email addresses, phone numbers, or other contact details. This objective is common for service-based businesses, B2B companies, and businesses with longer sales cycles that rely on customer information to follow up later.
Best for:
- B2B companies
- Consultants, freelancers, and agencies
- Real estate agents
- SaaS companies
- Service-based businesses
What happens when you choose this objective? When you choose “Leads,” Google Ads will optimize your campaign to show your ads to people who are most likely to fill out a form, sign up for a newsletter, or provide their contact information. You can also use lead form extensions to capture this information directly in your ads, without the need for users to visit your website.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Search Campaigns
- Display Campaigns
- Video Campaigns
- Performance Max
- Discovery Campaigns
3. Website Traffic
When to use:
This objective is great if your primary goal is to drive people to your website. Whether you’re launching a new product or promoting a blog post, driving traffic can help you build awareness, engagement, and retarget visitors who show interest.
Best for:
- Content-driven websites (blogs, media sites)
- E-commerce brands (building product awareness)
- Businesses launching new features or promotions
What happens when you choose this objective? When you choose “Website Traffic,” Google Ads will focus on sending people to your website. You can track the number of clicks and use retargeting strategies to bring visitors back if they don’t convert immediately.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Search Campaigns
- Display Campaigns
- Performance Max
- Video Campaigns
- Discovery Campaigns
4. Product and Brand Consideration
When to use:
This objective is all about encouraging potential customers to think about your product or brand when they are in the consideration phase of their buying journey. It’s designed to help people compare options, look at features, and consider whether they want to buy from you.
Best for:
- New product launches
- Businesses looking to engage audiences with more in-depth information
- Brands entering competitive markets
What happens when you choose this objective? When you select “Product and Brand Consideration,” your ads will be shown to people who are actively considering purchasing products in your category. These ads often take the form of video ads or showcase ads, where users can interact with your brand and learn more about your offerings.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Video Campaigns
- Display Campaigns
- Discovery Campaigns
5. Brand Awareness and Reach
When to use:
If your goal is to get your brand in front of as many people as possible, this objective is for you. It’s particularly useful for new companies, brands entering new markets, or businesses launching large-scale campaigns. Brand awareness campaigns focus on making people aware of your brand, rather than driving direct actions like clicks or conversions.
Best for:
- New brands or businesses
- Businesses expanding into new geographic regions
- Large-scale campaigns aiming for mass visibility
What happens when you choose this objective? Google Ads will optimize your campaign to reach the maximum number of people. This often includes display or video ads that are visually engaging, with a focus on increasing brand recall and recognition.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Display Campaigns
- Video Campaigns
- Performance Max
6. App Promotion
When to use:
This objective is designed specifically for businesses that want to drive app downloads or encourage app engagement. It’s ideal if you have a mobile app and you’re looking to expand your user base or increase app interactions (e.g., in-app purchases, sign-ups, or engagement).
Best for:
- App developers
- Businesses with a dedicated app for customer interaction
What happens when you choose this objective? Google will promote your app across a wide range of Google properties, including Search, Play Store, YouTube, and the Display Network. You can optimize for app installs, in-app actions, or specific user demographics.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- App Campaigns
7. Local Store Visits and Promotions
When to use:
This objective is tailored for businesses with physical locations. It helps drive foot traffic to your store by targeting people in your area or encouraging people to take specific actions, like calling your business or visiting your store in person.
Best for:
- Retail businesses
- Local restaurants
- Service providers with physical locations
What happens when you choose this objective? Google Ads will target people who are physically near your store or have shown interest in your location. You can also use features like location extensions to make it easier for people to find and visit your business.
What campaign types work with this objective?
- Local Campaigns
- Performance Max
- Search Campaigns with location extensions
Step 3: Consider Your Budget
Different campaign objectives can yield different types of results, and they can also have varying costs. If your budget is small, you may want to focus on lower-cost objectives like driving website traffic or building brand awareness. On the other hand, if you have a larger budget, you can allocate more resources to objectives like sales or leads that may require a larger investment per action.
Tips for budget considerations:
- Brand Awareness: Usually requires a large budget if you want to reach a mass audience. Video and display ads tend to be more cost-effective for this purpose.
- Leads and Sales: These often require more spend per action but yield higher-value conversions.
- Website Traffic: This is typically a middle-ground in terms of cost, as you can run campaigns that drive traffic without the high costs associated with conversion-focused objectives.