---
title: Search campaigns
description: Which bidding strategy should I be using in a Google Ad Grant account?
---
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October 12, 2026
# Search campaigns
## Search campaigns use keywords for targeting. They put ads into Google's search results only.
### When to use a Search campaign
- When you can easily choose the keywords you need to trigger ads to be shown. In which case, create a Search campaign instead.
- When you don't need ads on Google Maps.
### When to create a Performance Max campaign instead
- When you can define your intended audience using Google's built-in audiences, or your own data.
- When it's difficult to choose keywords for a topic, or where there so many possible searches that people could make that you couldn't guess them all.
- When you need ads to appear on Google Maps.
### Where do Search ads appear?
- In Google search results, and nowhere else.
- Ads can appear within AI overviews.
### How should you structure the campaign?
- Don’t set up more campaigns than are strictly necessary, or there won’t be enough conversions to power them.
- Legitimate reasons to create multiple campaigns: different geo-targeting, different languages, or if you’re targeting a wholly different audience. For example, you might have one campaign to target the public, and another to target professionals.
- Within each Search campaign you need a minimum of two ad groups.
- Within each ad group you need a single ad.
- Within each ad group you need keywords, typically between 10-15.
### What campaign settings should you choose?
- Budget should be $329.
- Bidding strategy should be Max conversions for a new campaign.
- Switch on AI Max. That enables a broader-than-broad keyword matching, and can also put ads into AI overviews in search results.
### What assets should you add to your ad group?
- Use [Google's PageSpeed Insights tool](https://pagespeed.web.dev/) to test the page loading speed of the final url to make sure it's fast loading.
- Write multiple headlines and descriptions.
- You can pin them in position, but do that judiciously. Don't pin more than one or two.
- Add as many images as possible.
### Should final url expansion be switched on?
It depends. Do you want your asset group to funnel people to a specific url on your website, so they can take an action? Or let them arrive on other pages?
- A specific url: switch it off in the campaign settings.
- Other pages too: switch it on. Then edit your asset group and assign specific page urls or rules to make sure the ad only promotes the pages you want.
### What are the rules for keywords?
- Don't use single words... unless it's your brand name or a medical condition.
- Don't use generic phrases.
- Keywords should be specific to your organization's mission and services.
- Use mainly broad match, with some exact match.
- Donation keywords rarely work in an Ad Grant. For that you'd need a paid ads account.
- Once ads are running, keep a eye on keyword Quality scores. In the Keywords report, add these three columns: **Quality score**, **Landing page experience**, and **Ad relevance**. That helps you spot problems and diagnose what's causing them.
### Should you create both a Search and a P-Max campaign?
- Yes, you need both. P-Max spends on average three times as easily as a Search campaign. But Search campaigns tend to get a higher CTR and conversion rate.
- Many accounts can spend well with just one Search and one P-Max campaign.
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