54 scary terms, translated to human. The Golem’s entire body, itemized.
PPC
Pay-per-click. You pay when someone clicks your ad, not when it is shown.
Impression
One display of your ad. Free in Search campaigns.
Click
Someone tapped your ad and went to your site. This is what you pay for.
CTR
Click-through rate: clicks ÷ impressions. Measures whether your message earns the click.
SERP
Search engine results page — the page of results after you hit Enter.
Organic results
The unpaid listings, ranked by relevance. You cannot buy your way in.
Campaign
Top working level of the account. Holds the budget, locations, and bidding strategy.
Ad group
A bundle inside a campaign holding one tight theme of keywords plus their ads.
Ad auction
The instant contest run for every search that decides which ads show and in what order.
Ad Rank
Your auction score — roughly bid × Quality Score (plus context factors). Highest rank wins the top spot.
Quality Score
1–10 rating of a keyword based on expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience. High QS lowers your CPC.
Keyword
The search you choose to bid on. The bridge between a person’s question and your ad.
Broad match
Keyword with no symbols. Google may match related searches, not just your words. Widest reach, least control.
Phrase match
Keyword in "quotes". Matches searches that include the meaning of your phrase.
Exact match
Keyword in [brackets]. Matches searches with the same meaning, including close variants like plurals.
Negative keyword
A word or phrase that blocks your ad from showing. Your budget’s bodyguard.
Search term
What a person actually typed. Keywords are your guesses; search terms are the truth.
Long-tail keyword
A longer, specific keyword (“emergency plumber brooklyn 24/7”). Less volume, more intent, often cheaper.
Search intent
What the searcher is trying to do: learn, compare, or buy. Bid on the intent that matches your goal.
Keyword Planner
Free research tool inside Google Ads for keyword ideas, volumes, and cost estimates.
Responsive Search Ad
The standard search ad: up to 15 headlines + 4 descriptions that Google mixes and tests automatically.
Headline
The big clickable line of an ad. Max 30 characters. Up to 3 shown at once.
Description
The smaller text under headlines. Max 90 characters each.
Display path
Two cosmetic 15-character URL fields (site.com/path1/path2). Not required to be a real page.
Final URL
The real page people land on after the click. Must work and match the ad’s promise.
Assets (extensions)
Free add-ons that enlarge your ad: sitelinks, callouts, snippets, calls, locations, prices, promotions.
Sitelink
An extra link under your ad pointing to a specific page (“Pricing”, “Book Now”).
Callout
A short non-clickable trust phrase (“Free 24h Delivery”, “Family-Owned”).
Ad Strength
Google’s Poor→Excellent label for a Responsive Search Ad’s variety of inputs. A checklist, not a prophecy.
Landing page
Where the click lands. It must deliver exactly what the ad promised — fast.
Bid
The most you are willing to pay for one click. You usually pay less.
CPC
Cost per click. Average CPC = total cost ÷ clicks.
Daily budget
Average daily spend per campaign. Days can flex to 2×; the month caps at ~30.4 × daily.
Manual CPC
You set bids by hand. Full control, no machine learning.
Smart Bidding
Google adjusts bids per auction using live signals, steering toward your conversion goal.
Maximize Clicks
Automated strategy that buys the most clicks your budget allows.
Maximize Conversions
Automated strategy that buys the most conversions your budget allows.
Target CPA
Smart Bidding toward a set cost per conversion (“get me leads at ~$40 each”).
Target ROAS
Smart Bidding toward a set return on ad spend. Requires conversion values.
Conversion
The goal action you count: purchase, call, form fill, booking, sign-up.
Conversion rate
Conversions ÷ clicks. Measures whether your page persuades.
CPA
Cost per acquisition: cost ÷ conversions. The price of one result.
ROAS
Return on ad spend: conversion value ÷ cost. 4 means $4 back per $1 spent.
Google tag
The snippet on your site that reports conversions back to Google Ads.
Attribution
The rulebook for splitting conversion credit across the ad clicks in a customer’s journey.
Data-driven attribution
Default model: splits credit across clicks based on their measured contribution.
Conversion lag
The delay between click and conversion. Reports quietly update the past — be patient.
Search Terms report
The report of real queries that triggered your ads. Read weekly; harvest negatives.
Experiments
Built-in A/B testing that splits traffic between your setup and a variation.
Remarketing
Showing ads to people who already visited you. Warm audience, high conversion rates.
Performance Max
Goal-based campaign type that runs across all Google surfaces from one set of assets.
Asset group
Performance Max’s bundle of texts, images, and videos around one theme.
Learning phase
The period after big changes while Smart Bidding recalibrates. Avoid shocking it.
Limited by budget
Status meaning your budget runs out before eligible auctions do. Raise it or focus it.