Walking into a Google Ads interview without knowing the terminology is like attending a cricket match and not knowing what an over is. You’ll be lost in the first five minutes. Whether you are a fresher applying for a PPC analyst role, a marketing graduate stepping into your first digital agency job, or a career switcher moving into paid media, recruiters expect you to speak the language of Google Ads fluently.
This guide breaks down every essential Google Ads term a beginner needs to know for an interview. We have organised the terminology the way Google itself structures the platform, from account hierarchy down to performance metrics, so you can build a clear mental map instead of memorising disconnected definitions.
By the end of this glossary, you will be able to confidently answer questions like “What is Quality Score?”, “Explain the difference between Phrase Match and Exact Match”, and “How does Target ROAS work?” without fumbling.
Account Structure: How Google Ads Is Organised
Before you learn what a campaign or keyword is, you must understand the container they live in. Every Google Ads interview starts here, because it tests whether you know how the platform is structured.
Google Ads
Google Ads is Google’s online advertising platform that allows businesses to display paid ads across Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play, and millions of partner websites in the Google Display Network. Advertisers bid on keywords or audiences to show their ads to relevant users and pay based on clicks, impressions, conversions, or views.
Google Ads Account
A Google Ads account is the individual advertising account that holds a single business’s campaigns, billing information, conversion tracking, and user access. Each account has a unique Customer ID (CID) in the format XXX-XXX-XXXX. One business typically uses one Google Ads account unless it runs separate brands or regions.
Manager Account (MCC)
A Manager Account, also called an MCC (My Client Center), is a parent account that controls multiple Google Ads accounts from a single login. Agencies, large advertisers, and freelancers use MCC accounts to manage clients without logging in and out repeatedly. An MCC can also hold other MCCs, creating a hierarchy useful for global agencies.
Campaign Level Terminology
Inside an account, work is organised into campaigns. This is the level where you set budgets, choose ad networks, and define what you want the ads to achieve.
Campaign
A campaign is a group of ad groups that share a budget, location targeting, bidding strategy, and campaign type. Think of a campaign as a marketing initiative, for example “Diwali Sale 2026” or “Lead Generation – Bangalore”. All ads inside that initiative live under one campaign.
Campaign Objective
A campaign objective is the marketing goal you select when creating a campaign, such as Sales, Leads, Website Traffic, App Promotion, Awareness and Consideration, or Local Store Visits. Google uses the objective to recommend campaign types, bidding strategies, and ad formats that match that goal.
Campaign Type
A campaign type defines where your ads appear and what format they take. The main campaign types in Google Ads are Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen, App, and Smart campaigns.
Search Campaign
A Search campaign shows text ads on Google search results pages when users type queries matching your keywords. It is the most common campaign type for lead generation, service businesses, and ecommerce because it captures high-intent buyers actively searching for solutions.
Display Campaign
A Display campaign shows image, responsive, or HTML5 banner ads across the Google Display Network, which reaches over 90 percent of internet users through more than two million partner websites, Gmail, and apps. Display campaigns are typically used for awareness, retargeting, and reaching audiences while they browse.
Video Campaign
A Video campaign runs video ads on YouTube and Google’s video partner sites. Formats include skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable ads, bumper ads (6 seconds), in-feed video ads, and YouTube Shorts ads. Video campaigns suit brand storytelling, product demos, and reaching specific YouTube audiences.
Shopping Campaign
A Shopping campaign promotes ecommerce products through Product Listing Ads (PLAs) that show product image, title, price, and store name directly in search results and the Google Shopping tab. Shopping campaigns require a Google Merchant Center account linked with a product feed.
Performance Max (PMax)
Performance Max is a goal-based, AI-driven campaign type that runs ads across all Google inventory (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Discover) from a single campaign. Advertisers provide creative assets and conversion goals, and Google’s machine learning optimises placement, bidding, and audience targeting automatically.
Demand Gen Campaign
Demand Gen (previously called Discovery campaigns) is a visual, social-style campaign type that runs across YouTube feeds, YouTube Shorts, Discover, and Gmail. It is designed to drive demand and consideration among users in entertainment-focused environments where they are open to discovering new brands.
App Campaign
An App campaign promotes mobile app installs and in-app actions across Search, Play, YouTube, Display, and Discover. Advertisers upload app assets (text, images, videos), and Google automatically generates and tests ad combinations to drive installs or specific in-app events.
Smart Campaign
A Smart campaign is a simplified, automated campaign type built for small business owners with limited time. The advertiser provides a budget, location, and ad text, and Google handles keyword selection, bidding, and placement. It offers less control but requires almost no expertise to run.
Ad Group and Ad Level Terminology
Inside campaigns, you create ad groups that hold your keywords and ads. This is where the actual creative and targeting decisions get made.
Ad Group
An ad group is a container within a campaign that holds a tightly themed set of keywords, ads, and bids. Best practice is to group keywords by intent or product category, for example “Bridal Sarees” and “Cotton Sarees” as separate ad groups within a Sarees campaign, so ads can be made highly relevant to each theme.
Ad
An ad is the creative shown to users, including the headline, description, display URL, and any extensions or assets. Each ad group can contain multiple ads, and Google automatically rotates and tests them to find the best performer.
Responsive Search Ad (RSA)
A Responsive Search Ad is the default Search ad format where advertisers provide up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Google’s algorithm mixes and matches these assets to test different combinations and show the best-performing variation to each user. RSAs replaced Expanded Text Ads in 2022.
Responsive Display Ad (RDA)
A Responsive Display Ad is the default Display ad format where advertisers upload images, logos, headlines, descriptions, and videos. Google automatically resizes, formats, and combines these assets to fit available ad spaces across the Display Network.
Text Ad
A text ad is the older Search ad format consisting of fixed headlines and descriptions. Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) were the standard until June 2022, when Google fully transitioned to Responsive Search Ads. The term still appears in interviews because legacy accounts may have running text ads.
Call Ad
A Call Ad (formerly Call-Only Ad) is a Search ad format optimised for driving phone calls directly from search results on mobile devices. When users tap the ad, it dials the business phone number instead of leading to a website, making it ideal for service businesses like clinics, lawyers, and home services.
Ad Assets (Formerly Ad Extensions)
Ad assets are extra pieces of information added to ads that improve visibility, click-through rate, and Ad Rank. Google rebranded “extensions” to “assets” in 2022.
Sitelink Asset
Sitelink assets add extra links below your main ad that send users to specific pages on your site, such as Contact, Pricing, or Case Studies. They make ads larger and let users skip straight to what they want.
Callout Asset
Callout assets are short non-clickable text snippets like “Free Shipping”, “24/7 Support”, or “ISO Certified” that highlight unique selling points below the ad description.
Structured Snippet
Structured Snippets show a predefined header (such as Courses, Services, Brands, or Destinations) followed by a list of values. For example, Courses: Digital Marketing, SEO, Paid Media, Analytics. They help users quickly understand the breadth of your offer.
Call Asset
A Call Asset adds a clickable phone number to your ad, allowing users on mobile devices to call the business directly from the search results without visiting the site.
Location Asset
A Location Asset shows your business address, distance from the user, and a map link beside the ad. It requires a linked Google Business Profile and is essential for businesses targeting local foot traffic.
Price Asset
Price Assets display a list of products or services with prices directly in the ad, letting users compare offerings before clicking. Useful for ecommerce, real estate, and service-based businesses.
Promotion Asset
Promotion Assets highlight special offers and discounts, such as “20% off Diwali Sale” or “Buy 1 Get 1 Free”, with optional occasion tags like Republic Day, Mother’s Day, or Black Friday.
Lead Form Asset
A Lead Form Asset attaches a native lead form to your ad. When users click, a form opens within Google with their info pre-filled, so they can submit their details without leaving the search results page. Excellent for B2B and high-consideration purchases.
Keywords and Search Terms
Keywords are the foundation of Search campaigns. Confusing keywords with search terms is the most common mistake interviewers catch out beginners on.
Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase you bid on in your Google Ads account to trigger your ad. Keywords are added at the ad group level and tell Google which search queries should make your ad eligible to appear.
Search Term
A search term is the actual query a user typed into Google that triggered your ad. Search terms may differ from your bidded keywords, especially when using Broad or Phrase match. Reviewing the Search Terms report regularly helps refine keyword and negative keyword lists.
Search Query
Search Query is another name for Search Term. Both terms refer to the exact phrase entered by a user. Google now officially calls it “Search Term”, but many marketers and interviewers still say “search query”.
Match Type
Match type determines how closely a search term must align with your keyword before your ad can show. The three current match types are Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match. (Modified Broad Match was retired in 2021.)
Broad Match
Broad Match is the default match type and the widest. Your ad can show for searches related to the meaning of your keyword, including synonyms, related concepts, and misspellings. For example, the keyword “running shoes” can trigger searches like “shoes for jogging” or “sports footwear”.
Phrase Match
Phrase Match shows your ad when the search includes the meaning of your keyword. Phrase match keywords are written in “quotation marks”. For example, “digital marketing course” can trigger “best digital marketing course in Mysore” but not unrelated queries.
Exact Match
Exact Match shows your ad only when the search has the same meaning or intent as your keyword. Exact match keywords use [square brackets]. For example, [digital marketing course] can trigger “digital marketing courses” or “course in digital marketing” but stays tightly controlled.
Negative Keyword
A negative keyword is a word or phrase you add to prevent your ad from showing for unwanted searches. For example, a premium furniture brand might add “free” and “cheap” as negative keywords to filter out bargain hunters.
Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is a free Google Ads tool that helps advertisers discover keywords, see monthly search volume ranges, competition level, and suggested bid ranges. It is the standard starting point for keyword research inside Google Ads.
Quality Score and Ad Rank
This section is heavily tested in interviews. Understanding how Google decides which ad shows in what position is the heart of becoming a competent Google Ads professional.
Quality Score
Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating Google assigns to each keyword based on how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are to the user. Higher Quality Scores lead to lower costs and better ad positions. It is built from three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.
Ad Rank
Ad Rank determines where your ad appears on the search results page and whether it shows at all. The formula combines your bid, Quality Score, expected impact of ad assets, ad rank thresholds, context of the search, and auction-time competitiveness. The highest Ad Rank wins position one.
Expected CTR
Expected CTR (Click-Through Rate) is Google’s prediction of how likely users are to click your ad when it shows for a particular keyword, based on past performance and relevance signals. It is rated as Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad text matches the meaning of the keyword. Tight ad groups with focused keywords and matching ad copy improve this score. Rated Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
Landing Page Experience
Landing Page Experience measures how useful, relevant, and easy to navigate the landing page is for users who click your ad. Page speed, mobile friendliness, content relevance, and trustworthiness all influence this score. Rated Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
URLs and Landing Page Terminology
Final URL
The Final URL is the actual web page users land on when they click your ad. Google uses this URL to evaluate landing page experience and must match the displayed domain.
Display URL
The Display URL is the green web address shown in your ad. It is built from the Final URL’s domain and includes optional “Path” fields you can customise, for example, www.etmarkacademy.com/Digital-Marketing/Mysore.
Landing Page
A landing page is the standalone web page designed to receive ad traffic and drive a single conversion action, such as a form fill, call, purchase, or signup. Strong landing pages dramatically improve conversion rate and Quality Score.
Budgets and Bidding
Budget and bidding questions test whether you understand how money flows in Google Ads and how you control it.
Daily Budget
Daily Budget is the average amount you are willing to spend per day on a campaign. Google may spend up to twice your daily budget on high-traffic days but never more than 30.4 times the daily budget in a calendar month.
Shared Budget
A Shared Budget is a single daily budget assigned across multiple campaigns. Google automatically distributes spend toward the campaign with the most opportunity each day, useful when you want flexibility without constantly rebalancing.
Bid
A bid is the maximum amount you are willing to pay for a specific action, usually a click (CPC bid), a thousand impressions (CPM bid), a conversion (CPA bid), or a return on ad spend (ROAS bid).
Bidding Strategy
A bidding strategy is the method Google uses to set bids in auctions on your behalf. Bidding strategies are either manual or automated (Smart Bidding). The choice depends on campaign goal, available conversion data, and how much control you want.
Manual CPC
Manual CPC (Cost Per Click) is a bidding strategy where the advertiser sets the maximum bid for each keyword. It offers full control but requires constant monitoring and optimisation.
Enhanced CPC (eCPC)
Enhanced CPC is a semi-automated strategy where you set manual bids and Google automatically raises or lowers them slightly in auctions more or less likely to convert. A useful bridge between Manual CPC and full Smart Bidding.
Maximize Clicks
Maximize Clicks is an automated strategy that aims to get the most possible clicks within your budget. Best used when the goal is traffic volume, not conversions.
Maximize Conversions
Maximize Conversions automatically sets bids to get the most conversions within your daily budget. Requires sufficient conversion data (typically 15+ conversions in the last 30 days) to work well.
Maximize Conversion Value
Maximize Conversion Value optimises bids to drive the highest total conversion value (revenue) rather than just the count of conversions. Best for ecommerce and businesses where conversions have varying monetary value.
Target CPA (tCPA)
Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) is a Smart Bidding strategy where you set the average amount you want to pay per conversion, and Google adjusts bids to hit that target. Excellent for lead generation when CPA targets are realistic.
Target ROAS (tROAS)
Target ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) is a Smart Bidding strategy where you specify the revenue you want for every rupee spent. For example, a 400% Target ROAS means Rs.4 in revenue for every Rs.1 spent. Used heavily in ecommerce and revenue-driven campaigns.
Impression Share Metrics
Impression Share metrics tell you how often your ads are showing compared to how often they could be showing. Interviewers ask about these because they reveal missed opportunity.
Impression Share
Impression Share is the percentage of impressions your ads received divided by the total impressions they were eligible to receive. If you got 600 impressions out of a possible 1,000, your impression share is 60%.
Search Impression Share
Search Impression Share is the impression share metric specifically for the Search Network, isolated from Display or partner networks.
Top Impression Share
Top Impression Share measures how often your ad appeared above organic search results (top of page), divided by the total times it was eligible to show there.
Absolute Top Impression Share
Absolute Top Impression Share measures how often your ad appeared in the very first position above organic search results, divided by total eligibility. The highest-visibility metric in Search campaigns.
Core Performance Metrics
Every interview ends with metric questions. Be ready to explain each one and the formula behind it.
Impressions
Impressions count the number of times your ad was shown to users, regardless of whether it was clicked.
Clicks
Clicks count the number of times users clicked on your ad to visit your landing page or take an in-ad action.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
CTR is the percentage of impressions that resulted in a click, calculated as Clicks divided by Impressions multiplied by 100. A higher CTR signals that your ad is relevant and compelling.
CPC (Cost Per Click)
CPC is the amount you pay each time a user clicks your ad. Average CPC is calculated as Total Cost divided by Total Clicks.
CPM (Cost Per Mille)
CPM is the cost per one thousand impressions, used for awareness campaigns and Display or Video buying where impressions matter more than clicks. “Mille” is Latin for thousand.
Conversions
Conversions count the number of valuable actions completed by users after clicking your ad, such as purchases, form submissions, calls, signups, or app installs. Conversions must be set up in Google Ads using a conversion action.
Conversion Rate
Conversion Rate is the percentage of clicks that resulted in a conversion, calculated as Conversions divided by Clicks multiplied by 100. A core measure of how effective your funnel is.
Cost Per Conversion (CPA)
Cost Per Conversion, also called CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), is the average cost of generating one conversion. Calculated as Total Cost divided by Total Conversions.
Conversion Value
Conversion Value is the monetary worth assigned to each conversion. For ecommerce, it is the order value; for lead generation, it can be a fixed estimated value per lead.
ROAS (Return On Ad Spend)
ROAS measures the revenue earned for every rupee spent on ads, calculated as Conversion Value divided by Cost. A 5x ROAS means Rs.5 earned for every Rs.1 spent. Sometimes expressed as a percentage (500%).
Optimization Score
Optimization Score is a 0% to 100% rating Google provides for each account, campaign, and ad group, showing how well-optimised it is. The platform also lists recommendations that, if applied, would raise the score. Agencies and PPC managers track this as a quick health indicator.
How to Use This Glossary in Your Interview
Memorising definitions is not enough. Interviewers test whether you can connect terms. Practice answering layered questions like:
- “If a campaign has high CTR but low conversions, what would you check?”
- “How does Quality Score affect CPC?”
- “Why might Phrase Match be safer than Broad Match for a small business?”
- “When would you choose Target ROAS over Maximize Conversions?”
- “What is the difference between a keyword and a search term?”
If you can answer these without reading from notes, you are interview-ready. Most fresher and junior PPC roles in India test exactly these five categories: account hierarchy, campaign types, match types, bidding strategies, and metrics.
If you want to go beyond memorising terms and actually learn how to plan, launch, and optimise Google Ads campaigns for real businesses, structured training helps you move from theory to live account experience. Our digital marketing course in Mysore at ETMark Academy covers Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO, analytics, and AI-driven marketing workflows with hands-on projects and live client campaigns, so you walk into interviews with both terminology and practical skill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important Google Ads terms for an interview?
The most important Google Ads interview terms cluster into five areas: account structure (Account, Manager Account, Campaign, Ad Group), campaign types (Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Performance Max), keyword concepts (Match Types, Negative Keywords, Search Terms), bidding strategies (Manual CPC, Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions), and performance metrics (CTR, CPC, CPA, Conversion Rate, ROAS, Quality Score, Ad Rank, Impression Share). Master these and you can handle 90% of beginner interview questions.
What is the difference between a keyword and a search term in Google Ads?
A keyword is the word or phrase you add to your ad group to tell Google when to show your ad. A search term is the actual phrase a user typed into Google that triggered your ad to appear. Keywords are what you bid on; search terms are what users actually search. Reviewing the Search Terms report regularly helps you discover new keyword opportunities and add unwanted terms as negative keywords.
What is Quality Score and why does it matter?
Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating Google assigns to each keyword based on three factors: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. A higher Quality Score lowers your cost per click and improves your ad position, meaning you pay less and get better visibility than competitors with lower scores. Quality Score is also a strong indicator of overall account health.
What is Ad Rank in Google Ads?
Ad Rank determines whether your ad is eligible to show and what position it occupies. It is calculated using your bid amount, Quality Score components, expected impact of ad assets, ad rank thresholds, search context, and competitor activity in the auction. Even a lower bid can win a higher position if your ad relevance and Quality Score are strong.
What is the difference between Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match?
Broad Match shows ads for searches related in meaning to your keyword, including synonyms and related queries, giving maximum reach but least control. Phrase Match (written in “quotation marks”) shows ads when the search includes the meaning of your keyword, balancing reach with relevance. Exact Match (written in [square brackets]) shows ads only when searches have the same meaning or intent as your keyword, offering the tightest control and highest relevance.
What is the difference between CPC, CPM, and CPA?
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks your ad, used in Search and most Display campaigns. CPM (Cost Per Mille) is what you pay per one thousand impressions, used for awareness campaigns. CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) is what you pay per conversion, like a purchase or lead. CPC measures traffic cost, CPM measures reach cost, and CPA measures conversion cost.
What is Performance Max and how is it different from Search campaigns?
Performance Max is an AI-driven campaign type that runs ads across all Google inventory (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Discover) from a single campaign using machine learning to optimise placement and bidding. Search campaigns only show text ads on Google Search results pages and give the advertiser more granular control over keywords, bids, and ad copy. PMax is built for goal-based automation; Search campaigns are built for keyword-level control.
What bidding strategy is best for beginners in Google Ads?
Beginners are best served by starting with Maximize Clicks if there is no conversion data yet, or Maximize Conversions once 15 or more conversions are recorded in the last 30 days. Manual CPC works well for learning how auctions behave but is time-intensive. Target CPA and Target ROAS need consistent conversion volume and a clear cost or revenue target, so they suit slightly more mature accounts.