Modern Google Ads Campaign Structure: The Consolidation Strategy

Mistake #1: Overcomplicated Structures

The Cable Drawer Effect: Campaign structures often start simple but become complex through incremental additions:

• New product launches trigger new campaigns
• Seasonal promotions add temporary structures that become permanent
• Tests and experiments create fragmentation
• Multiple team members add their own organizational logic

Result: What began as 3-5 campaigns morphs into 15-25+ campaigns.

Why This Hurts Performance:

• Budget Fragmentation: Small allocations prevent optimization velocity
• Data Dilution: Conversion signals spread too thin
• Management Overhead: More campaigns require exponentially more attention
• Statistical Volatility: Fewer conversions per campaign creates wild swings

Mistake #2: Outdated Structures and Strategies

Strategies from 2015-2020 emphasized:

• Single Keyword Ad Groups (SCAGs): One keyword per ad group
• Manual Bidding: Hands-on bid management by keyword
• Extensive Segmentation: Separate campaigns by match type, device

Why These Are Obsolete: Google's smart bidding algorithms now outperform manual optimization. The platform requires data volume and budget consolidation to optimize effectively.

The Fundamental Shift: Accept that Google's algorithms are smarter at optimization than individual advertisers. Your role has evolved from bid micromanagement to strategic direction and creative excellence.

The 15 Conversion Benchmark

Google's Official Guidance: Smart bidding strategies need at least 15 conversions per 30-day period to optimize properly. This is a minimum, not a target.

The Reality:

Conversions/Month	Algorithm Performance
15	Algorithm barely functions
150	Meaningful optimization begins
1,500	Sophisticated optimization achievable

Why Conversions Matter

Google's algorithm learns by analyzing conversion patterns:

• What devices do converters use?
• What times of day do they search?
• What search queries indicate intent?
• What demographics correlate with conversions?

More data equals better pattern recognition, which equals improved targeting.

The Spinning Plates Analogy

• One Plate (Consolidated): Easy to keep spinning at high speed
• Ten Plates (Fragmented): Constant attention, some wobble, some fall

When you consolidate budget into fewer campaigns, each receives more conversions, stabilizes faster, and optimizes more effectively.

The Consolidation ROI Bump

When taking over an account with 15-25 campaigns and consolidating to 2-4 campaigns:

• Immediate ROAS Improvement: Often 20-40% in first 30 days
• Reduced Cost Per Conversion: Budget reallocates to best-performing elements
• Increased Conversion Volume: Same spend, better targeting, more results

1. Brand vs. Non-Brand Search

Why Separate:

• Cost Dynamics: Brand clicks: $0.50-$2.00; Non-brand: $5-$50
• Conversion Rates: Brand: 20-40%; Non-brand: 2-10%
• Budget Protection: Prevents brand from subsidizing non-brand
• Defensive Strategy: Ensures competitors can't steal brand traffic

2. Different Geographic Locations

When to Separate:

• Different countries with different languages
• Dramatically different market performance
• Local businesses with multiple locations

When NOT to Separate:

If serving all locations identically (same messaging, offers, pricing), consolidating often improves performance.

3. Distinct Product or Service Ranges

Separate:

• Hats vs. Shoes (different categories)
• Meta Ads Services vs. Google Ads Services
• Residential Services vs. Commercial Services

DO NOT Separate:

• Red hats vs. Blue hats
• Small shoes vs. Large shoes
• Monday appointments vs. Wednesday appointments

The Distinction: Separate when products/services appeal to fundamentally different audiences.

4. Different Service Tiers

Example: Agency Services

Done-With-You (Mentorship)	Done-For-You (Management)
Target: Small to medium businesses	Target: Larger companies
Price: $1,000-$5,000	Price: $10,000-$50,000+
Intent: "Google Ads training"	Intent: "Google Ads agency"

5. Different Campaign Types

Naturally separate: Search, Performance Max, Display, Video, Shopping

Don't Separate by Device Type

Outdated Strategy: Mobile-only campaigns, desktop-only campaigns

Modern Approach: Let Google's algorithm optimize across devices. It will naturally favor whichever devices convert best.

Don't Separate by Keyword Match Type

Outdated Strategy: Exact match campaign, phrase match campaign, broad match campaign

Modern Approach: Mix match types within ad groups. Smart bidding optimizes regardless of match type.

Don't Separate by Time of Day

Outdated Strategy: Morning campaign, afternoon campaign, evening campaign

Modern Approach: Use ad scheduling within a single campaign, or let the algorithm determine optimal timing.

Don't Separate by Audience Type

Outdated Strategy: Remarketing campaign separate from prospecting

Modern Approach: Layer audiences within campaigns using observation mode or combined targeting.

The Principle: These separations hurt performance by fragmenting data. Let consolidation and smart bidding handle optimization.

No More SCAGs

SCAG = Single Keyword Ad Group. This extreme segmentation strategy is obsolete because it:

• Creates hundreds of ad groups requiring individual management
• Fragments data so severely that optimization becomes impossible
• Assumes manual control outperforms algorithmic optimization (it doesn't)

Themed Ad Groups Instead

The Concept: Group related keywords that share search intent and can use similar messaging.

Landscaping Business Example:

Campaign: Residential Landscaping Services

Ad Group	Keywords	Landing Page Focus
General Landscaping	landscaping services, landscaper near me, landscape design	General services overview
Lawn Care	lawn mowing, grass cutting, lawn maintenance	Lawn care services
Patio Installation	patio installation, paving services, outdoor patio	Patio services
Garden Beds	flower bed installation, raised garden beds, planting	Garden design page

Benefits of Themed Ad Groups

• Relevant Ad Copy: Ads mention the specific service the searcher wants
• Appropriate Landing Pages: Users arrive at pages about their interest
• Sufficient Data Volume: Each ad group gets enough search volume
• Manageable Scale: 4-8 ad groups per campaign instead of 40-80

Overlap is Acceptable

Someone searching for "lawn mowing" might also need patio work. Capture them with relevant ads, convert on focused landing page, upsell during quote/consultation.

Example 1: Marketing Agency

• Campaign 1: Branded Search (all brand keywords)
• Campaign 2: Meta Ads - Done With You (mentorship keywords)
• Campaign 3: Meta Ads - Done For You (agency management keywords)
• Campaign 4: Google Ads - Done With You
• Campaign 5: Google Ads - Done For You

Example 2: E-Commerce (Clothing)

• Campaign 1: Brand Search
• Campaign 2: Performance Max - Men's Clothing
• Campaign 3: Performance Max - Women's Clothing
• Campaign 4: Non-Brand Search (generic terms)

Example 3: Local Service Business

• Campaign 1: Brand Search
• Campaign 2: Service Area A (primary city)
• Campaign 3: Service Area B (secondary area)
• Campaign 4: Performance Max (whole territory)

The Common Thread

2-5 campaigns total, not 15-25. Each campaign has clear purpose and sufficient budget/data volume.