Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is Google’s flagship online advertising platform. Launched in 2000, it allows advertisers to bid in real time to show text, image, video, and app promotion ads to users across Google Search, YouTube, the Google Display Network, Google Maps, Discover, and partner properties. Using a pay-per-click and pay-per-impression model, the platform powers a significant portion of Alphabet’s revenue and is the dominant performance advertising channel for millions of businesses worldwide.
Owned and developed by Google LLC, Google Ads combines keyword-based targeting, audience and demographic controls, and sophisticated machine learning to connect advertisers with high-intent users. Advertisers can run search campaigns to capture demand, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns to reach people across channels, Shopping campaigns for eCommerce, and app campaigns to drive installs and in-app actions. A rich set of tools—including Keyword Planner, Google Ads Editor, and extensive reporting—supports planning, execution, and optimization.
Over the years, Google Ads has evolved from a simple text-ads system into a deeply integrated marketing platform. It connects natively with Google Analytics 4, Google Merchant Center, Firebase, YouTube, and Google Marketing Platform, and it plugs into hundreds of third-party tools via the Google Ads API and integrations with platforms like HubSpot, Shopify, Salesforce, and Zapier. This ecosystem makes it a central hub for performance marketing, attribution, and revenue optimization for both B2C and B2B organizations.
Today, Google Ads serves advertisers ranging from local service businesses and nonprofits using Google Ad Grants to global enterprises spending millions per month. While the platform delivers unmatched reach and intent-based traffic, it also comes with rising competition, increasing click costs, regulatory scrutiny, and a steep learning curve—factors that make expert strategy, measurement, and ongoing optimization critical to success.