PPC fundamentals

Understand auctions, search terms, budgets and conversions before deciding what to change in your ad account.

Start at the top, or choose the question you need to answer today. No account is needed to read.

1. Lesson 1 · 5 min read

   How the ad auction decides who shows and what you pay

   Learn why a competitor can bid less and still appear above you, and how to inspect quality before raising your bid.

2. Lesson 2 · 5 min read

   Keywords, match types and search terms: what you bought vs what people typed

   See the real searches behind your clicks, understand the report's limits, and review irrelevant searches before drafting negatives.

3. Lesson 3 · 5 min read

   Budgets and bidding: what your daily budget really means

   Understand average daily budgets, the usual daily and monthly spending limits, and what to inspect before changing a bid strategy.

4. Lesson 4 · 5 min read

   Conversions: count what matters, once

   Check that bidding follows useful business outcomes, spot duplicate measurement, and review consent signals before trusting the totals.