Why Campaign Structure Matters
In this blog post we’re discussing Google Responsive Search Ads aka “RSA’s” or just “Search Ads”. When it comes to Google Search Ads, structure is about keeping things neat and orderly. Not so that there’s less to manage but because it directly affects overall performance.
A well-organized campaign makes it easier to manage your account, yes, but also to test new strategies, more quickly identify bottlenecks, and ultimately spend your budget wisely. It also helps improve your Quality Score (I’ll talk about QS in other another post soon), which influences your ad rankings and cost-per-click (CPC).
Poorly structured campaigns, on the other hand, tend to burn through budget fast and show irrelevant ads to the wrong audiences. They tend to be unwieldy for anyone other than their creator to manage so passing them off leads to loss.
We see it all the time when reviewing accounts that ultimately come to us for Google Ads management. In these Google Ads accounts we often see a graveyard of paused campaigns that never stood a chance or were choked to death over time by unnecessary excess. Paused long ago only to be replaced with yet another attempt at an overly complex or confused campaign. A clean, logical setup ensures your ads are targeted, relevant, and easy to analyze so you can make smart, data-driven improvements over time.
Key Components of a Google Ads Campaign
Before diving in, it helps to understand how the pieces fit together. Every Google Ads account is built from a few key layers that work together:
Campaigns vs. Ad Groups
At the top level are campaigns, where you define big-picture settings like budget, bidding strategy, and geographic targeting. Within each campaign are ad groups, which organize your ads and keywords by theme.
For example, if you own a shoe store, you might have one campaign for “Shoes,” with ad groups for “Running Shoes,” “Dress Shoes,” and “Sandals.” That structure keeps your ads and landing pages closely aligned with what people are searching for which means better engagement and often lower costs.
Keywords and Match Types
Inside each ad group are your keywords. These are the terms that trigger your ads to appear. Google offers several match types, each controlling how closely a search must match your keyword:
- Broad Match: Reaches the widest audience but may show your ad for less relevant queries.
- Phrase Match: Shows ads for queries that include your keyword phrase in the correct order.
- Exact Match: Limits your ad to searches that match the keyword exactly, or very closely.
The right mix depends on your goals and how much control you want. It’s often better to start more precise, then open things up once you have good data to guide you.
Ad Copy and Extensions
This is where your message comes to life. Your ads include headlines, descriptions, and display URLs, all working together to grab attention and set expectations before a user clicks.
Your ad copy should be clear, relevant, and action-oriented. Phrases like “Get a Free Quote” or “Book a Consultation” help encourage clicks. Google Ads is a platform where searchers respond positively to “salesy” ad copy like “Top”, “Best”, and “Award-winning” so don’t be afraid to talk your business up. You can also enhance your ads with extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets. These give users more reasons to engage and they make your ads take up more digital real estate helping them stand out in the search results.
Best Practices for Campaign Structure
There’s no single “perfect” setup, but there are a few simple habits that separate the strong accounts from the struggling ones:
- Stick to One Theme Per Ad Group: Mixing unrelated keywords leads to poor ad relevance and lower Quality Scores.
- Group Similar Keywords Together: This improves the match between your ads and search queries.
- Regularly Monitor and Adjust: Use the data to refine keywords, ad copy, and bid strategy based on performance.
And here’s the real insight we’ve learned over time….the one that can save you a lot of frustration: Keep It Simple.
The Stellar “K-I-S” Approach
There’s a saying: “Keep it simple, stupid.” But if we’re being honest, even that phrase could be simpler so here, we just say K-I-S.
That’s our recommended approach to building Google Ads campaigns. Start simple. Stay focused. Let the data guide you before you start layering in complexity.
Don’t try to do everything at once: promote seven out of ten services, cover half the state, setup complex bidding (we did not discuss bidding at all in this post as it deserves its own post – coming soon) . The intention is good, you want visibility. But when you start too complex, it’s almost impossible to tell which part of the setup is holding you back if performance dips.
By starting simple, you can actually see what’s working. Once you have the data, you can expand strategically – add services, test new locations, try new bid parameters or even different ad formats but with confidence instead of guesswork. The K-I-S mindset keeps your campaigns performing better, easier to manage, and easier to scale.
Final Thoughts
Google Ads is one of the most powerful tools available to grow your business online, but success starts with basic structure…and simplicity right? Organize your campaigns around clear themes, keep your keywords tight, and write ads that speak directly to what your customers are searching for. Start with a single campaign or two, follow best practices, and make small refinements as you go.
We’ve spent years helping business owners cut through the noise and get real results from their digital marketing. If you’re tired of it all and just need someone to listen and do their job. Contact us.
Keep it simple. Keep it Stellar.
