Google Ads Guide for Businesses
Written by the SIGA Ventures Team · Last updated 20 July 2026
Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that puts your business in front of people actively searching for what you offer — on Google Search, Maps, YouTube, and millions of partner sites. Unlike SEO, results are immediate: your ad can appear the same day a campaign goes live.
Main Google Ads Campaign Types
Search Campaigns
Text ads shown when someone types a relevant search query — best for capturing high-intent demand from people already looking to buy.
Shopping Campaigns
Product listings with image, price and store name, ideal for e-commerce businesses wanting to show up for product searches.
Display Campaigns
Visual banner ads across Google's partner network, useful for brand awareness and retargeting people who've already visited your site.
Performance Max
An automated campaign type that runs across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail and Maps from a single setup, optimized by Google's bidding algorithms toward your goal.
Common Google Ads Mistakes
- Sending traffic to a slow or generic homepage instead of a dedicated landing page
- Not adding negative keywords, which wastes spend on irrelevant searches
- Judging a campaign in the first few days before it has enough data to optimize
- Ignoring mobile page experience, where most search traffic now happens
- Setting and forgetting a campaign instead of testing creative and copy on an ongoing basis
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