Google Ads for Marketers: Free Course (2026)

#01What's in the track?

#02Who is it for?

Marketers who run or oversee Google Ads: in-house paid search leads, demand gen and growth marketers, and founders managing their own accounts. It assumes you can log in to Google Ads; no coding is needed, though lesson 19 includes an optional script.

#03How should you take it?

Do lessons 1-6 first. Google's AI bidding and matching learn from your conversions, so bad conversion data makes every later lesson worse. Then go to what you need. If you care about AI search, read lessons 15 and 16 with the MentionX guides on AI Overviews vs AI Mode vs classic results and tracking AI traffic in GA4.

Our view: in 2026 the advertiser's main job is giving Google good inputs: accurate conversions, sensible goals, clear negatives and strong assets. The automation does the rest only when those are right.

#04Related tracks

• Claude for Marketers, including Claude for ad copy testing and Claude for CSV analysis of GA4 and Ads data
• GA4 for Marketers, including Linking Search Console and Google Ads to GA4
• ChatGPT for Marketers, including ChatGPT for paid social ads

#05Which path fits your role?

You don't have to read all 20 lessons in order. Pick the path that matches the job you do, finish the foundation lessons, then branch.

#06What does each part of the track give you?

Part 1, measurement (lessons 1-6). Google's bidding, matching and Performance Max all learn from the conversions you mark as primary. If those conversions are wrong, every automated decision is wrong in the same direction. These lessons cover how the auction works, an account setup checklist, primary and secondary conversion goals, enhanced conversions and the Data Manager, consent mode for EEA and UK traffic, and importing GA4 key events without double counting.

Part 2, Search (lessons 7-10). How match types behave in 2026, which campaign wins when several could match, how to build negative keyword layers, how to write responsive search ads that combine well, and how to test AI Max for Search safely.

Part 3, bidding and campaign types (lessons 11-14). What really triggers Smart Bidding's Learning status, how budgets pace, which Performance Max controls now exist, and how Demand Gen and channel prioritisation work.

Part 4, AI search (lessons 15-16). How ads appear inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, and what paid search can and cannot do for your brand's visibility in AI answers.

Part 5, operating the account (lessons 17-20). Audiences and Customer Match, experiments, a read-only Google Ads script, and a monthly review routine you can run in an hour.

#07Which terms should you know before lesson 1?

#08How is each lesson built?

Every lesson opens with a short answer and key takeaways, then gives you the detail: decision tables, setup steps, edge cases and troubleshooting. Each one has a worked example using Ledgerline, a fictional accounts-payable software company, followed by an exercise you can do in your own account and a short quiz. Every factual claim is checked against Google's documentation, linked in the Sources section at the bottom.

#09How should you pace the course?

Do the "Try it yourself" exercise in each lesson on your own account as you go. Reading without changing anything teaches much less than one real audit.

#10What should you have before you start?

• Read access to a Google Ads account (your own, a client's, or a test account).
• Access to the linked GA4 property, if there is one.
• A list of what counts as a real business outcome: a sale, a qualified lead, a booked call.
• A change log document where you'll record what you change and why.

#11Try it yourself

Before lesson 1, write a one-page baseline of your account. You'll use it in lesson 20 to see what changed.

1. List every active campaign with its type (Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen, Shopping, Video), bid strategy and average daily budget.
2. Open Goals → Conversions → Summary and write down which actions are primary.
3. Note last month's spend, conversions and cost per conversion from the campaign report.
4. Note whether Google Ads and GA4 are linked, and whether consent mode is set up for EEA and UK visitors.
5. Write down the three questions you most want this track to answer.

#12Quick quiz

1. Which lessons should everyone read first, whatever their role?

Answer: Lessons 1-6. Google's automation learns from your primary conversions, so measurement comes before optimisation.

2. Do Google Ads help your brand appear in organic AI answers?

Answer: No. Google says paid ads don't influence organic AI Overviews or AI Mode answers. Lesson 16 covers what ads can do instead.

3. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary conversion action?

Answer: Primary actions appear in the Conversions column and are used for bidding; secondary actions are reported in All conversions only.

#13What should you check before the next lesson?

• Confirm you have admin or standard access to the Google Ads account.
• Link Google Ads and GA4 if they are not linked.
• List your primary conversion actions.
• Start lesson 1.

Next: How Google Ads works in 2026.

#14Common questions

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.