Imagine having to make a meal using a cabinet full of unlabelled spices. You’d spend more time searching for ingredients than actually cooking. You need to know what’s inside without tasting each one.
That’s what managing Google Ads without a good naming system is like. Bad naming leads to confusion, wasted time, and slip-ups.
When you’re juggling multiple Google Ads campaigns, a good naming convention is like having a well-organized cabinet.
You can find what you need quickly, understand each campaign at a glance, and manage your ads more efficiently.
The right way to name your Google ads
We use a two-step naming process. First for campaigns, then for ad groups. It’s designed to give a quick, clear picture of each campaign and ad group.
Campaign names
Format: Campaign Type – Target Audience – Geographic Location – Product/Service – Period
- Campaign Type: This is the kind of campaign, like Search, Display, Video, Performance Max, App, or Shopping
- Target Audience: Who the campaign is for, like ‘Young Adults.’
- Geographic Location: Where the ads will show, like the USA or the Midwest.
- Product/Service: What we’re advertising, like ‘Smartwatches.’
- Period: When the campaign runs, like ‘Oct 2023.’
Examples:
- Search-YoungAdults-USA-Smartwatches-Oct2023
- Display-Managers-Midwest-FoodTraining-Jan2024
- PMax-Executives-EMEA-Ghostwriting-Q2’24
- Video-Gamers-UK-Halo5-H2’24
Ad group names
Format: Ad Group Number – Primary Keyword/Theme – Match Type – Custom Identifier.
- Ad Group: A clear, short name and serial number for the ad group.
- Primary Keyword/Theme: The main focus, like ‘SmartwatchReviews.’
- Match Type: The keyword strategy, like ‘Phrase’ or ‘Exact.’
- Custom Identifier: An extra tag for more details. Like 01.
Examples:
- AG1-FitnessTrackers-Broad-01: This indicates it’s the first ad group (AG1), focused on broad-match keywords related to fitness trackers. The 01 at the end suggests there might be a second or third version of the ad group for testing.
- AG2-LuxuryWatches-Exact-OnSale: Here, the ad group targets exact-match keywords about luxury watches and might include messaging about sales discounts.
- AG3-OnlineCourses-Phrase: This ad group focuses on phrase-match keywords related to online courses, marked as containing a set of exclusions.
Common mistakes and tips
- Pretend your grandma needed to understand your ad account structure. Would she get it quickly?
- Don’t use vague names like ‘Campaign1’ or ‘SummerAds’. They tell you nothing.
- Keep the name order consistent. Mistakes in naming can mess up your organization.
- Don’t use too many abbreviations or insider terms. New team members might not get them.
- Names should be short but full of info. Long names are hard to handle.
- Keep names up-to-date. If the focus of a campaign or ad group shifts, update the name to reflect this change.
A good naming system makes your work better and less stressful. Use one consistently and you’ll spend less time lost in the weeds and more time improving your Google ads.