12 Google Ads examples: Ideas for ads and campaigns

Whether a campaign scales or burns through budget almost always comes down to strategy, especially the content and technical setup of the ads. Today, the algorithm largely handles bidding, but not the message.

We present twelve ad strategies with examples: when they work, why they work and what to watch out for. Finally, we look at what changes with ads appearing around Google's AI Overviews.

Good ads offer a solution to the searcher's problem

Feature lists alone rarely persuade. Your ad should answer the user's specific problem, what marketers call pain points.

Example: Successful ads for office chairs promise “Pain-free work” or “Perfect posture” rather than just “Ergonomics.”

Why it works: Users scan search ads in a split second. When people see their concern, such as back pain, reflected in your headline, they're more likely to click. Expected click-through rate is part of Quality Score, and a higher Quality Score can lower your costs per click.

Guarantees take the risk out of the purchase

Every online purchase carries perceived risk: Will it fit? Is the seller trustworthy? Your ad can reduce that risk with clear commitments (risk reversal).

Example: Sportwerk's ad highlights free shipping and easy returns.

Why it works: You lower the barrier to clicking and buying. The key is that your landing page repeats the promise right away. Otherwise visitors bounce, and you pay for clicks that go nowhere.

Reviews make your ad more credible and more visible

People buy what others already rate highly. Social proof is one of the strongest levers for building trust with users who don't know your company yet.

Example: FrischeKüche's ad calls it “Germany's best-rated recipe box.” The seller rating stars are visible at a glance.

Why it works: Stars and reviews build trust and make the ad stand out visually. Seller ratings are an automated asset, and the expected impact of assets factors into Ad Rank.

For the stars to show, you need enough recent, verified reviews, for example through Google Customer Reviews or a Google-approved review provider.

We match every ad to search intent

Every search has a why behind it. Does someone want information, a specific website or to buy right now? The ad has to match that exact intent.

Example: For the search “plumber near me,” PM247 recognizes a potential emergency and promotes “same-day service.”

Our market analysis for trades businesses shows how much a click's value depends on intent: emergency searches command significantly higher bids than general searches.

Bidding on competitor brands only pays off with a clear edge

You bid on competitors' brand names to reach customers who are open to switching. It can work, but it's expensive.

Why it works, and where the risk lies: You tap into the competitor's brand awareness. But your relevance for their brand name is low, and so is your Quality Score. As a result, you usually pay much higher costs per click than the competitor does.

The strategy only pays off if your offer is clearly better on price or performance and your customers have a high lifetime value (customer lifetime value). Using third-party brand names in ad copy is also subject to trademark law and Google's policies.

Special offers give people a reason to buy now

Discounts create urgency and help you stand out in price comparisons. But they cost margin, so use them selectively and with contribution margin in mind.

Example: In Google Shopping, strikethrough pricing shows both the old and the new price. In search ads, Bloom & Wild uses promotion assets for “50% off.”

Why it works: In e-commerce, price is a key factor in the purchase decision. Promotions in Merchant Center ensure Google displays the “Sale” label in Shopping, which draws the eye to your product. We explain how to manage discounts in Shopping effectively in our article on automated discounts.

A countdown makes deadlines visible

The countdown feature counts down in real time within your ad and taps into fear of missing out.

Example: “Sale ends in 3 hours and 14 minutes.” Loaf uses this during its winter sale.

Why it works: A ticking deadline prompts immediate action. Technically, it's simple: the countdown is inserted with {=COUNTDOWN(...)} in the headline or description. It works especially well with users who already know your offer. Only use it when the deadline is real.

Pinned headlines protect your key message

In responsive search ads, Google decides which headlines to combine. Pinning lets you specify which headline appears in which position.

Our take: Google notes that pinning can reduce ad strength because fewer combinations are possible. Pin anyway where it makes sense: you know your key differentiator and your legally required disclosures better than the algorithm does. Pin your most important message, such as your brand or main benefit, to position 1 and leave the other positions open.

Your own videos boost Performance Max campaigns

Performance Max is Google's most automated campaign type. If you don't supply your own videos, Google creates them from your images and text.

Why it works: Performance Max also serves ads on YouTube and the Display Network. A suitable video should spark interest in the first few seconds and lead to the next step. Whether it wins conversions is shown by the analysis. So upload your own videos and check in the asset automation settings which video enhancements Google is allowed to make.

Ad assets make your ad bigger at no extra cost

Claim as much screen space as you can. Assets make your ad larger and more informative, and you still only pay for the click.

Example: Shop4runners uses sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and price assets together. On a smartphone, the ad fills the entire visible screen.

Why it works: The more space your ad takes up, the further down other results get pushed. Sitelinks take users straight to what they're looking for. And the expected impact of relevant assets factors into your Ad Rank.

Image assets make your text ad stand out

Google Search is becoming more visual. Image assets show a small photo next to your text ad.

Why it works: An image draws the eye to your ad and can improve click-through rate, especially on mobile. It's a simple lever that many accounts still aren't using.

In Shopping, strong product images make the first impression

In Google Shopping, the product image is often the first thing users see, and on mobile almost the only thing.

Google's requirements: Google recommends images of around 1500 × 1500 pixels or larger. The product should fill at least 75% and at most 90% of the image. Starting January 31, 2027, all product images must be at least 500 × 500 pixels.

Our tip: Make sure the product is centered in your feed images. Google crops images slightly depending on placement to frame the product better.

Your ads increasingly appear alongside AI answers

AI Overviews are changing the search results page. Text and Shopping ads from existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can appear above, below and within AI Overviews. Ads within AI Overviews are currently available only in English and in select countries; Germany isn't one of them yet.

There's no dedicated targeting for these placements, and you can't exclude them either. Which ad appears depends on the search query and the content of the AI Overview. That makes it all the more important for your ads to answer the question behind the search. We explain how to become visible in the AI answers themselves in our article on Generative Engine Optimization.

Conclusion: Your ads deliver what the algorithm can't

Google Ads isn't a channel you set up once and leave running. The algorithm handles bidding; you provide the message and the strategy.

The most successful advertisers use Google Ads as a precision tool to deliver the right message at the right moment. Test these strategies against your current ads and let the data decide. The quickest wins come from adding missing assets and image assets: they improve click-through rate and Ad Rank without any increase in budget.