Google Ads Account Structure for E-commerce: Search, Shopping, PMax, Brand vs Non-brand
By Jacob Thyssen, Founder of Thyssen Ads
Short answer: A scalable e-commerce Google Ads structure separates brand and non-brand campaigns, gives every campaign one clear job, puts Shopping first with the feed segmented by margin, price and performance, uses Performance Max with a defined role rather than as a catch-all, and runs non-brand Search on high-intent product and category terms. Build it on clean, server-side tracking. Keep it as simple as possible so each campaign has enough data for Smart Bidding to learn.
Most Google Ads accounts don't stop scaling because of bad ads. They stop because of structure. We see the same three symptoms again and again:
- Brand is carrying everything. Brand campaigns perform. Everything else struggles to stay profitable.
- Scaling is unstable. Performance drops when budgets increase because the structure isn't built for scale.
- No clear structure. Too many campaign types without clear roles. Things get complicated that should stay simple.
We use the same structure on every account, because it works. Here it is.
Step 0: Tracking before structure
No structure fixes bad data. Before building anything, check:
- Only one purchase action counts as primary (duplicates make every sale count twice).
- Conversion values are correct, ideally profit rather than revenue.
- Server-side tracking is in place to recover lost conversions.
- Consent mode is configured for European traffic.
We treat measurement as infrastructure, with a dedicated tracking specialist on every setup. How we work.
Principle 1: Brand and non-brand, always separated
Brand searches (people typing your shop name) convert at very high ROAS because those customers already chose you. If brand and non-brand sit in the same campaign, or Performance Max is allowed to soak up brand traffic, your blended ROAS hides what the rest of the account is really doing.
How to set it up
- A dedicated Brand Search campaign with your brand terms.
- Brand terms excluded from non-brand Search, Shopping and Performance Max (using brand exclusions or negative keywords).
- Report brand and non-brand ROAS separately. Non-brand is your growth engine. Brand is mostly demand you already created.
Should you bid on your own brand?
Usually yes, cheaply and with a controlled budget, especially when competitors bid on your name. But judge growth on non-brand. We cover this in Should you bid on your own brand name?
Principle 2: One job per campaign
Every campaign should have a clear role, a clear target and enough data to learn. If you can't explain in one sentence what a campaign is for, it shouldn't exist.
A typical e-commerce account needs surprisingly few campaigns:
| Campaign | Job |
|---|---|
| Brand Search | Protect brand demand cheaply |
| Shopping / PMax: top performers | Scale proven, profitable products |
| Shopping / PMax: mid performers | Grow products with potential |
| Shopping: low or no data | Test, with tight budget control |
| Non-brand Search | Capture high-intent category and product searches |
Small markets and smaller budgets need fewer campaigns, not more, so each one gets enough conversions.
Principle 3: Shopping first, feed segmented
For most e-commerce brands, Shopping (standard or via Performance Max) is the biggest revenue driver. The key decision is how you split products.
Segment by profit and performance, not by brand or category
Split products by margin, price and performance index, so budget follows profit. Use custom labels in your feed, for example:
- custom_label_0: margin band (high / medium / low)
- custom_label_1: performance (hero / steady / zombie / new)
- custom_label_2: price band
A daily script can score each product's performance and update labels automatically. We did this for Hundlands, so budget goes behind products that actually perform.
Why not split by brand?
Accent Clothing, a UK multi-brand fashion retailer, came to us with campaigns structured by brand. Strong products were hidden inside weak brands, and weak products drained budget inside strong brands. Moving to product-level prioritisation, filtered by price competitiveness, took ROAS from 1.95 to 8.37 in five months and recovered up to 51% of misallocated spend. Read the Accent case study.
Large catalogues
Becker.dk had 800,000+ products active. We structured them by profitability, demand and performance, and expanded titles with brand and model compatibility because people don't search "brake disc", they search "brake disc BMW 3 series 2018". Google Ads revenue scaled from €100K to €400K+ per month, with ROAS from 6.0 to 9.35. Read the Becker case study.
Feed quality is structure too
Titles, product types, GTINs and localised feeds decide which searches you match. For multi-market brands, localise feeds per country. It's what unlocked Germany for Hundlands.
Principle 4: Performance Max with a defined role
Performance Max isn't bad. Using it as a black box for everything is. Give it a job:
- Feed-led PMax campaigns split by the same product segments as Shopping.
- Brand excluded, so PMax doesn't take credit for brand demand.
- Separate PMax and Standard Shopping roles if you run both (for example, PMax for heroes, Standard Shopping for testing long-tail).
- Watch search term and placement insights, and exclude what doesn't sell.
Principle 5: Non-brand Search on high intent
Non-brand Search catches people searching for what you sell but not yet for you.
- Build around category and product terms with buying intent.
- Remove Display Network and Search Partners from Search campaigns unless proven profitable.
- Use tight ad groups where control matters. Becker's search was rebuilt with single keyword ad groups for precise targeting and full control.
- Add negatives continuously. Terms like "free shipping codes" spend without converting.
Principle 6: Bid to profit
Where margins are available, optimise to profit after ad spend (POAS), not just ROAS. Set targets per segment that reflect margin. Full explanation in our POAS vs ROAS guide.
Principle 7: Replicate across markets
Once a structure works in one market, roll it out market by market with local adjustments for language and search behaviour. For Unsolved, Sweden became the reference model, then the same framework was applied to the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Belgium. All six markets became profitable within six months. Read the Unsolved case study.
Settings to check
- Auto-apply recommendations: off.
- Location targeting: "Presence", not "Presence or interest".
- Brand campaign: target impression share with a sensible cap.
- At least three active assets per ad group.
- Shopping through a non-default CSS for more efficient CPCs. Thyssen CSS gives up to 20% more efficient CPC with no campaign or feed changes.
The bottom line
Most accounts don't need more campaigns. They need the fundamentals done properly, then the discipline to scale them. Separate brand, give every campaign one job, segment Shopping by profit, define the role of PMax, and build on clean tracking.
Want us to look at your structure? Get your free Google Ads audit.
FAQ
How many campaigns should an e-commerce Google Ads account have?
As few as possible while keeping clear roles. Often a brand campaign, two or three Shopping/PMax segments and one or two non-brand Search campaigns per market. Fewer campaigns means more data per campaign.
Should I use Performance Max or Standard Shopping?
Both can work. What matters is that each has a clear role, brand traffic is excluded, and products are segmented by performance and margin.
Why separate brand and non-brand campaigns?
Brand traffic converts at very high ROAS because customers already know you. Mixing it in hides whether the rest of the account is actually profitable and makes scaling decisions unreliable.
How should I segment products in Google Shopping?
By margin, price and performance using custom labels, rather than by brand or category. That way budget follows profit and winning products aren't hidden behind weak ones.
How do I structure Google Ads for multiple countries?
Build one proven structure in your reference market, then apply it country by country with localised feeds, keywords and targets. Scale budgets only where performance justifies it.
What is a CSS and does it affect account structure?
A Comparison Shopping Service is how your Shopping ads enter Google's auction in Europe. Switching CSS doesn't change campaigns, feed or tracking. It only changes how efficiently your bids compete.