If you have ever opened a Google Ads account and wondered why it has campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, assets and settings in a dozen places, you are not alone. The layout looks complicated. The idea underneath is simple: keep things that belong together in the same box, so your ads match what people search and your data is easy to read.
This guide shows a simple Google Ads campaign structure for a local business. You will see what each layer does, a sample layout you can copy, the settings to check in every campaign and the signs that a structure is too loose or too split up. It is part of our complete guide to PPC for local businesses.
The three layers of a Google Ads account
Think of the account as a filing cabinet.
- Campaign: the drawer. It holds the budget, the location, the schedule and the main settings.
- Ad group: the folder. It holds a tight set of keywords and the ads written for them.
- Ad: the page inside the folder. It is what the searcher reads.
Settings set at the campaign level apply to everything inside it. That is why the campaign is where you decide which towns you serve, how much you will spend per day and what you want the campaign to achieve. The ad group is where you decide which searches to match and what to say about them.
Why structure matters
A tidy structure helps in four ways:
- Better ad match. When an ad group only holds keywords about one service, you can write ads that repeat the words the searcher used.
- Cleaner data. You can see which service brings calls and which brings only clicks.
- Better control of budget. You can give more money to the service that earns it and less to the one that does not.
- Easier fixes. When something goes wrong, you know where to look.
A messy structure does the opposite. If one ad group holds “emergency plumber,” “water heater install” and “drain cleaning,” then one generic ad has to cover all three. It says little about any of them, and you cannot tell which one is working.
A simple layout for a local service business
Here is an example for a hypothetical plumbing company in Carlisle. The names are made up. Use the pattern, not the details.
| Level | Name | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | Search – Repair – Carlisle Area | Budget, towns, schedule for repair jobs |
| Ad group | Emergency plumber | Keywords such as “emergency plumber,” “plumber open now” |
| Ad group | Leak repair | Keywords such as “leaking pipe repair,” “burst pipe repair” |
| Ad group | Drain cleaning | Keywords such as “clogged drain,” “drain cleaning service” |
| Campaign | Search – Install – Carlisle Area | Budget and settings for larger, planned jobs |
| Ad group | Water heater install | Keywords such as “water heater installation,” “replace water heater” |
| Ad group | Fixture install | Keywords such as “toilet installation,” “faucet replacement” |
Why two campaigns? Because repair jobs and install jobs often differ in urgency, job size and how many calls you want. Splitting them lets you set a different budget and schedule for each. If you have a small budget, start with one campaign and add the second later.
How many campaigns do you need?
Fewer than you think. A rule that works for most small local accounts is this: make a new campaign only when you need a different budget, location, schedule or goal.
Good reasons to split a campaign:
- A service has a very different job value or profit margin.
- You serve one town with a larger budget than the others.
- One service needs a different schedule, such as emergency work at night.
- You want to run a seasonal push without touching the rest.
Weak reasons to split:
- You want to “stay organized” but the settings are the same.
- You have too little budget to spread across several campaigns.
Each campaign needs enough budget and enough clicks to learn from. A very thin budget spread across many campaigns tells you almost nothing about any of them. Our guide on how much to spend on Google Ads shows how to size a budget before you decide how many campaigns to run.
How to build ad groups
An ad group should answer one question: what is the person searching for? Group keywords by theme, not by word.
One theme per ad group
“Leak repair” and “pipe repair” are close. “Leak repair” and “water heater install” are not. Keep them apart.
A short list of keywords
Five to fifteen related keywords is a fine range. Fewer is fine too. Do not add every keyword you can think of. A long list tends to bring in searches that do not fit.
Match types by stage
Start with exact and phrase match, which keep you close to the searches you chose. Add broad match later if your tracking is solid and you have negatives in place. The pillar guide has a match type table you can use.
Two or three ads per group
Write ads that repeat the main keyword in the headlines. Give Google enough variety to test, but keep every line true. The next sibling guide, how to write Google Ads that get clicks, has a worksheet.
Settings to check in every campaign
Many of the problems in small accounts come from settings that were left on defaults. Check these in each campaign:
| Setting | What to check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign type | Search | Gives you control of keywords and ads |
| Networks | Search network on; look closely at search partners and the display network option | Extra networks can bring weaker traffic that is harder to judge |
| Locations | Only the towns or radius you serve | Clicks from outside your area cost money |
| Location option | Presence, meaning people in or regularly in your area | The wider option can show ads to people who are only interested in your area |
| Language | The languages your customers use | Keeps ads relevant |
| Ad schedule | Hours you can answer | A missed call is a wasted click |
| Budget | Daily average you can afford | Sets the cap |
| Bidding | Matches your tracking and data | See the bidding table in the pillar guide |
| Conversion goals | Calls, forms, and other real lead actions | Tells Google what success means |
If you are not sure what a setting does, look at Google’s help page for it before you change it. Do not copy someone else’s settings blindly.
Negative keywords belong in the structure
Negative keywords are part of structure, not an extra. You can add them at two levels:
- Campaign or account level: words you never want, such as “jobs,” “salary,” “free” and “diy.”
- Ad group level: words that keep one ad group from stealing searches that belong to another.
For example, if you have a “Water heater install” ad group and a “Water heater repair” ad group, you may add “repair” as a negative to the install group so those searches go to the repair group. The guide to negative keywords in Google Ads covers match types and starter lists.
Extra pieces called assets
Assets add useful information to your ads. For a local business, the most useful ones are:
- Call: a phone number the searcher can tap.
- Sitelinks: extra links to pages such as “Emergency service” or “Service area.”
- Callouts: short lines about what you offer.
- Location: your address from your Business Profile.
- Structured snippets: a short list of services.
Assets can be set for the account, a campaign or an ad group. Add them at the level that makes sense, and only say things that are true.
Where the landing page fits
Each ad group should point to the page that best matches it. The “Water heater install” group should go to a page about water heater installation, not a general home page. A tight structure and a matching page work together. If you have only one page, build more before you add more ad groups. See landing page vs homepage for Google Ads.
Signs your structure needs work
- One ad group holds many different services.
- Your ads sound the same in every group.
- You cannot tell which service brings calls.
- Search terms in one group belong in another.
- You have many tiny campaigns that never spend their budget.
- You have one big campaign and cannot control where money goes.
When to split and when to merge
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| One service gets most of the spend and most of the calls | Give it its own campaign so you can control its budget |
| Two ad groups have near-identical keywords | Merge them, and use negatives to avoid overlap |
| A campaign spends very little and has few clicks | Merge it into a related campaign, or pause it |
| A service needs a different schedule or location | Move it to its own campaign |
| You have too many keywords in one group | Split by theme into two groups |
A short setup checklist
- List your main services and rank them by profit and by how often people search for them.
- Create one campaign for your best service, or one campaign per budget group.
- Create one ad group per kind of search, with five to fifteen keywords.
- Write two or three ads per group that repeat the search words.
- Add starter negative keywords at campaign level.
- Set locations, presence option, schedule and budget.
- Add call, sitelink and callout assets.
- Point each group to a matching page.
- Set up call and form tracking before you spend. The guide on what to track in Google Ads shows how.
- Put a review date on the calendar.
Common questions
Should I start with one campaign or several?
For a small budget, start with one campaign for your best service. Add more when you have data and money to feed them.
How many ad groups should a campaign have?
Enough to separate the kinds of searches people use, and no more. Three to six is common for a small account.
Can I change the structure later?
Yes. You can add, pause and move ad groups. You will lose some learning when you change things, so make changes on purpose and note the date.
Do I need separate campaigns for each town?
Only if you want different budgets or messages for each. Often one campaign with a set of towns works, and the locations report shows how each one performs.
Webfactory Media builds and manages campaigns like this for local businesses in Carlisle and across Central PA. You can read about our pay-per-click advertising service, or book a call below and we will look at your setup with you.
Book your strategy call
Want a plan built around your services and your area? Book your strategy call and we will go through your ads, your tracking and your landing page with you.
Keep reading
- PPC for Local Businesses: The Complete Guide
- Negative Keywords in Google Ads, Explained
- Landing Page vs Homepage for Google Ads Traffic
- How to Write Google Ads That Get Clicks: A Local Business Guide
- How Much Should a Local Business Spend on Google Ads?
See how we run pay-per-click advertising for local businesses in Carlisle and Central PA.
Run your own numbers: the Google Ads Budget Calculator shows your cost per booked job, monthly spend and break-even click price from your job value, close rate and conversion rate.
