Free trackPractitioner20 lessons2 h 43 min

Google Ads for marketers

Google Ads for marketers: campaign types, Performance Max, bidding, keywords, measurement and how AI Overviews and AI Mode change paid search.

Start lesson 1 →See all 20 lessons
Dipuck Jones
Written by Founder of MentionX · 13+ years in B2B SaaS growth and SEO
Updated
20lessons in 5 parts
2 h 43 minof reading, plus practice
20hands-on tutorials
Freeto read, no sign-up
In short

This free track teaches marketers to run Google Ads well in 2026: clean conversion data, consent mode, match types and negatives, AI Max, Smart Bidding, Performance Max, Demand Gen, ads in AI Overviews, experiments and scripts. Each lesson is checked against Google Ads Help and developer documentation and ends with a short checklist.

Read the track overview →

Start with your role

Your lessons are highlighted

Pick a role to highlight the lessons that pay off first. The rest stay in order.

The track

5 parts · 20 lessons
20 lessons
Part 1 · Lessons 1–6

Measurement

0/6 · 50 min
  1. How Google Ads Works in 2026: Auctions, Ad Rank and Campaign TypesLesson 1Tutorial9 min
  2. Google Ads Account Setup Checklist for Marketers (2026)Lesson 2Tutorial8 min
  3. Google Ads Conversion Goals: Primary vs Secondary ActionsLesson 3Tutorial8 min
  4. Enhanced Conversions and Data Manager in Google Ads (2026)Lesson 4Tutorial8 min
  5. Consent Mode for Google Ads: EEA, UK and SwitzerlandLesson 5Tutorial9 min
  6. Using GA4 Key Events in Google Ads Without Double CountingLesson 6Tutorial8 min
Part 2 · Lessons 7–10

Search

0/4 · 32 min
  1. Google Ads Match Types and the Search Terms Report in 2026Lesson 7Tutorial8 min
  2. Negative Keyword Strategy for Google Ads in 2026Lesson 8Tutorial8 min
  3. Responsive Search Ads, Pinning and Assets in 2026Lesson 9Tutorial8 min
  4. AI Max for Search Campaigns: Settings, Controls and TestingLesson 10Tutorial8 min
Part 3 · Lessons 11–14

Bidding and campaign types

0/4 · 33 min
  1. Smart Bidding in 2026: Learning Status, Seasonality, Data ExclusionsLesson 11Tutorial8 min
  2. Google Ads Budgets: Daily Pacing, Monthly Limits and Total BudgetsLesson 12Tutorial9 min
  3. Performance Max Controls in 2026: Search Terms, Negatives and ChannelsLesson 13Tutorial8 min
  4. Demand Gen Campaigns and Channel Prioritisation in 2026Lesson 14Tutorial8 min
Part 4 · Lessons 15–16

AI search

0/2 · 16 min
  1. Ads in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode: How They Work in 2026Lesson 15Tutorial8 min
  2. Paid Search and AI Visibility: What Google Ads Can and Can't DoLesson 16Tutorial8 min
Part 5 · Lessons 17–20

Operating the account

0/4 · 32 min
  1. Google Ads Audiences: Customer Match, GA4 Audiences and ObservationLesson 17Tutorial8 min
  2. Google Ads Experiments: How to Test Bidding, AI Max and Landing PagesLesson 18Tutorial8 min
  3. Google Ads Scripts for Marketers: A Safe Search Terms N-Gram ScriptLesson 19Tutorial8 min
  4. A Monthly Google Ads Review Routine for MarketersLesson 20Tutorial8 min

The other side of Google Ads

GA4GA4 for marketersGoogle Analytics 4 for marketers: events, conversions, channel groups, explorations, AI referral traffic and reports that answer real questions.

More tools for marketers

One free track per tool you use every week
Claude for marketers23 guidesChatGPT for marketers21 guidesGA4 for marketers21 guidesEMEmail marketing for marketers21 guidesGoogle Gemini for marketers21 guidesLooker Studio for marketers21 guidesGoogle Search Console for marketers22 guidesn8n for marketers21 guidesGoogle Tag Manager for marketers21 guidesPerplexity for marketers21 guides
Coming soonLinkedIn Ads for marketersComing soon
Meta Ads for marketers21 guides

Common questions

About the track

Is this Google Ads course free?

Yes. All lessons are free to read, with no sign-up.

Does it cover AI Max and ads in AI Overviews?

Yes. Lesson 10 covers AI Max for Search, and lesson 15 covers how ads appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Do Google Ads help my brand appear in AI answers?

No. Google says ads don't influence organic AI answers. Lesson 16 explains how paid and organic AI visibility relate.

Written and reviewed by Dipuck JonesHow we research and testReport an error