# Google Ads for Marketers: Free Course (2026)

> A free 2026 Google Ads course: conversions, consent mode, AI Max, Smart Bidding, Performance Max, Demand Gen, ads in AI Overviews and scripts.

Source: https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-for-marketers  
Author: Dipuck Jones, founder of MentionX  
Updated: 4 November 2026  
Level: Practitioner

**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.

> **Key takeaways**
>
> - Lessons 1-6 build the measurement foundation: account setup, conversion goals, enhanced conversions, consent mode and GA4.
> - Lessons 7-10 cover Search: match types, negatives, responsive search ads and AI Max.
> - Lessons 11-14 cover bidding, budgets, Performance Max and Demand Gen.
> - Lessons 15-16 explain ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and what ads can't do for AI visibility.
> - Lessons 17-20 cover audiences, experiments, a read-only script and a monthly review.

*Checked 4 November 2026 (CET) against Google Ads Help and Google developer documentation. Google Ads menus, defaults and rollouts change often, so confirm in your own account. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.*

## What's in the track?

| # | Lesson |
|---|---|
| 1 | [How Google Ads works in 2026](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-how-it-works-2026) |
| 2 | [Google Ads account setup checklist](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-account-setup-checklist) |
| 3 | [Conversion goals: primary vs secondary actions](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-conversion-goals-primary-secondary) |
| 4 | [Enhanced conversions and Data Manager](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-enhanced-conversions-data-manager) |
| 5 | [Consent mode for Google Ads (EEA, UK, Switzerland)](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-consent-mode-eea-uk) |
| 6 | [Using GA4 key events in Google Ads](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-ga4-key-events-import) |
| 7 | [Match types and the search terms report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-match-types-search-terms) |
| 8 | [Negative keyword strategy](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-negative-keyword-strategy) |
| 9 | [Responsive search ads, pinning and assets](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-responsive-search-ads-assets) |
| 10 | [AI Max for Search: settings and controls](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-ai-max-for-search) |
| 11 | [Smart Bidding: learning, seasonality and data exclusions](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-smart-bidding-learning-adjustments) |
| 12 | [Budgets, pacing and campaign total budgets](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-budgets-pacing-total-budgets) |
| 13 | [Performance Max controls that actually work](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-performance-max-controls) |
| 14 | [Demand Gen and channel prioritisation](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-demand-gen-channel-controls) |
| 15 | [Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-ads-in-ai-overviews-ai-mode) |
| 16 | [Paid search and AI search visibility](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-paid-search-ai-visibility) |
| 17 | [Audiences and Customer Match](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-audiences-customer-match) |
| 18 | [Experiments: testing changes properly](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-experiments-testing) |
| 19 | [Google Ads scripts for marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-scripts-marketers) |
| 20 | [A monthly Google Ads review routine](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-monthly-review-routine) |

## Who 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.

## How 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](https://mentionx.ai/learn/engines/google-ai-overviews/ai-overviews-vs-ai-mode-vs-classic-results) and [tracking AI traffic in GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/measurement/track-ai-traffic-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.

> **Pro move:** before changing any campaign, open Goals and list which conversion actions are primary (lesson 3). It is the fastest way to understand what an inherited account is really optimising for.

## Related tracks

- [Claude for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/claude/claude-for-marketers), including [Claude for ad copy testing](https://mentionx.ai/learn/claude/claude-ad-copy-testing) and [Claude for CSV analysis of GA4 and Ads data](https://mentionx.ai/learn/claude/claude-csv-analysis-ga4-ads)
- [GA4 for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/ga4/ga4-for-marketers), including [Linking Search Console and Google Ads to GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/ga4/ga4-search-console-google-ads-links)
- [ChatGPT for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/chatgpt/chatgpt-for-marketers), including [ChatGPT for paid social ads](https://mentionx.ai/learn/chatgpt/chatgpt-paid-social-ads)

## Which 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.

| Your role | Start with | Then read | Skip for now |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house paid search lead | 1-6 | 7-13, 18-20 | 14 if you don't run video |
| Demand gen or growth marketer | 1, 3, 6 | 13, 14, 17, 18 | 19 |
| Marketing ops or analytics | 3-6 | 11, 12, 18, 19 | 9 |
| Founder running their own account | 1-3, 7, 8 | 11, 12, 20 | 14, 17, 19 |
| SEO or content lead curious about paid | 1, 7 | 15, 16 | 9-14 |
| Agency or consultant inheriting accounts | 2, 3 | 8, 13, 20 | none: read it all |

## What 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.

## Which terms should you know before lesson 1?

| Term | Plain-English meaning | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Primary conversion action | A conversion counted in the Conversions column and used for bidding | 3 |
| Secondary conversion action | Reported in All conversions only; not used for bidding | 3 |
| Enhanced conversions | Hashed first-party data (such as email) sent with conversions to improve matching | 4 |
| Consent mode | Tells Google tags whether a user consented, so tags adjust behaviour | 5 |
| Search terms report | The actual searches that triggered your ads | 7 |
| AI Max for Search | An optional set of features in Search campaigns that expands matching, text and URLs | 10 |
| Learning status | A temporary label after major bidding changes | 11 |
| Search themes | Hints that guide Performance Max on Search | 13 |
| Channel prioritisation | High or Low priority per channel group when budget is limited | 14 |
| AI explainer | Gemini-written context shown with some ads in AI experiences | 15 |

## How 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.

## How should you pace the course?

| Week | Lessons | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-3 | You understand the auction and have a clean conversion setup plan |
| 2 | 4-6 | Enhanced conversions, consent and GA4 imports checked |
| 3 | 7-10 | Keywords, negatives, ads and AI Max reviewed |
| 4 | 11-14 | Bidding, budgets, Performance Max and Demand Gen understood |
| 5 | 15-20 | AI surfaces, audiences, testing, scripts and a monthly routine |

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.

## What 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.

## Try 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.

## Quick 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.

## What 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](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-how-it-works-2026).

## Common 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.

## Sources

- Google Ads Help, [About primary and secondary conversion actions](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11461796)
- Google Ads Help, [About enhanced conversions](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656)
- Google Ads Help, [About consent mode](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10000067)
- Google Ads Help, [How AI Max for Search campaigns works](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910187)
- Google Ads Help, [About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16297775)
- Google Ads Help, [About Performance Max campaigns](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10724817)
- All accessed 4 Nov 2026.

## Frequently asked 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.

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Written and reviewed by Dipuck Jones for MentionX Learn. The HTML version of this page: https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-for-marketers