Home Interview Questions and Answers Google Ads Interview Questions and Answers 2026 (UPDATED)

Google Ads Interview Questions and Answers 2026 (UPDATED)

October 4, 2015 Modified date: December 24, 2025

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Google Ads Interview Questions and Answers 2026 (UPDATED)

BASIC GOOGLE ADS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is Google Ads?

Answer:
Google Ads is Google’s online advertising platform where advertisers bid to show ads on Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Apps.

Example:
When someone searches “Buy running shoes”, your text ad appears at the top of Google Search.

2. How does Google Ads work?

Answer:
Google Ads works on an auction system, not highest bid wins.

Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score × Ad Extensions impact

Example:
Advertiser A bids ₹100 with QS 5 → Ad Rank 500
Advertiser B bids ₹60 with QS 9 → Ad Rank 540 → B wins

3. What is Quality Score?

Answer:
Quality Score is Google’s rating (1–10) of your ad relevance.

Components:

Expected CTR
Ad Relevance
Landing Page Experience

Example:
Highly relevant keywords + fast LP + strong CTR → QS 8–10

4. What are Keywords?

Answer:
Keywords are the search terms that trigger your ads.

Example:
Keyword: buy iphone 15
User searches: buy iphone 15 online

5. Keyword Match Types?

Answer:

Match Type	Example
Broad	running shoes
Phrase	“running shoes”
Exact	[running shoes]

Example:
Exact → highest control
Broad → maximum reach

6. What are Negative Keywords?

Answer:
They prevent ads from showing for irrelevant searches.

Example:
Keyword: running shoes
Negative: free, used
Blocks searches like free running shoes

INTERMEDIATE GOOGLE ADS QUESTIONS

7. What is CPC, CPM, CPA?

Answer:

Metric	Meaning
CPC	Cost per Click
CPM	Cost per 1000 Impressions
CPA	Cost per Acquisition

Example:
Spend ₹10,000 → 100 leads → CPA = ₹100

8. What is CTR?

Answer:
CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100

Example:
100 clicks / 2,000 impressions = 5% CTR

9. What are Ad Extensions?

Answer:
Ad extensions enhance ads with extra info.

Types:

Sitelinks
Callouts
Structured snippets
Call extensions

Example:
“Free Delivery | 24/7 Support | EMI Available”

10. Difference between Search & Display Ads?

Answer:

Search	Display
Intent-based	Awareness-based
Text ads	Image/video ads
High CTR	High reach

11. What is Conversion Tracking?

Answer:
Tracks actions like form fills, purchases, calls.

Example:
User clicks ad → fills lead form → conversion fires

12. What is ROAS?

Answer:
ROAS = Revenue ÷ Ad Spend

Example:
Spend ₹10,000 → Revenue ₹50,000 → ROAS = 5x

13. What is Smart Bidding?

Answer:
Google’s AI bidding based on real-time signals.

Types:

Maximize Conversions
Target CPA
Target ROAS

Example:
Target CPA ₹300 → Google optimizes bids to hit it

ADVANCED GOOGLE ADS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

14. Explain Ad Rank in detail

Answer:
Ad Rank determines ad position and CPC.

Ad Rank =
Bid + Quality Score + Ad Extensions + Context

Example:
Better QS → lower CPC even with lower bids

15. What is Audience Targeting in Google Ads?

Answer:
Target users based on behavior & intent.

Types:

In-market
Affinity
Custom segments
Remarketing

Example:
Target users searching for “home insurance quotes”

16. What is Remarketing?

Answer:
Show ads to users who previously visited your site.

Example:
User viewed product → sees ad again on YouTube

17. What is Attribution Model?

Answer:
Decides which click gets conversion credit.

Models:

Last Click
First Click
Linear
Data-Driven (recommended)

Example:
YouTube → Search → Conversion
Data-driven distributes credit intelligently

18. What is Conversion Lag?

Answer:
Time taken between click and conversion.

Example:
Click today → purchase after 5 days

19. How do you reduce CPA?

Answer:

Improve Quality Score
Add negative keywords
Optimize landing pages
Switch to Target CPA
Focus on high-intent keywords

20. How do you scale Google Ads profitably?

Answer:

Increase budget on profitable campaigns
Expand high-performing keywords
Launch new creatives
Use smart bidding with stable data

EXPERT-LEVEL GOOGLE ADS QUESTIONS

21. What is Auction Insights?

Answer:
Shows competitive metrics.

Metrics:

Impression Share
Overlap Rate
Top of Page Rate

Example:
Competitor outranking you → increase QS or bids

22. What is Search Impression Share Lost (Budget vs Rank)?

Answer:

Lost (Budget) → Budget too low
Lost (Rank) → Low bid or QS

23. How do you structure a high-performing account?

Answer:

Campaign → Theme
Ad Groups → Tight keyword clusters
Ads → Responsive Search Ads
Separate brand & non-brand

24. How does Broad Match work today?

Answer:
Uses AI + intent + audience signals, not just keywords.

Example:
Keyword: crm software
Triggers: best tools to manage sales leads

25. Difference between Max Conversions vs Target CPA?

Answer:

Max Conversions → Spend full budget
Target CPA → Control cost per lead

SITUATIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

26. Campaign getting clicks but no conversions — what will you do?

Answer:

Check landing page speed
Check conversion tracking
Add negatives
Switch to exact/phrase
Improve ad-LP message match

27. CTR is high but CPA is high — why?

Answer:

Poor landing page
Low-quality traffic
Wrong conversion action
Weak intent keywords

28. Google Ads vs Meta Ads?

Answer:

Google → Demand capture
Meta → Demand creation

MOCK INTERVIEW ANSWERS (TAILORED TO YOUR PROFILE)

Q: Tell me about your experience

Answer:
“I have over 13+ years of digital marketing experience, currently focused on performance optimization across platforms like Google Ads and LiveIntent. I manage campaigns across CPA and ROAS goals, analyze performance across L3, L7, and L14 windows, and work closely with cross-functional teams to scale efficiently while protecting KPIs.”

Q: How do you optimize campaigns daily?

Answer:
“I start with pacing and KPI health checks, analyze top publishers/keywords, identify waste, apply bid or tCPA adjustments, and track post-change performance using short-term and rolling windows.”

Q: How do you communicate with stakeholders?

Answer:
“I focus on clarity — explaining why performance changed, what action I took, and what outcome to expect, supported by data.”

Q: Why should we hire you?

Answer:
“I bring a balance of hands-on optimization, strategic thinking, and clear communication, ensuring both short-term efficiency and long-term scale.”

CASE STUDY 1: HIGH CPA GOOGLE SEARCH CAMPAIGN

Situation

Lead-gen campaign in Finance vertical running on Google Search.

Problem

KPI CPA: ₹1,200
Actual CPA: ₹2,100
CTR was strong (6%+) but conversions were low.

Analysis

Search terms report showed informational queries
Broad match keywords driving low-intent traffic
Landing page load time was 5+ seconds

Actions Taken

Added 50+ negative keywords
Shifted broad → phrase & exact
Improved ad-to-LP messaging
Switched bidding to Target CPA
Coordinated LP speed optimization

Result

✅ CPA reduced from ₹2,100 → ₹1,150
✅ Conversion volume increased 32%
✅ Quality Score improved from 5 → 8

CASE STUDY 2: SCALING A PROFITABLE GOOGLE ADS CAMPAIGN

Situation

E-commerce campaign already meeting KPI.

Problem

Client wanted scale without hurting ROAS.

Analysis

L14 ROAS stable at 1.6x
Search Impression Share lost due to budget
Few top keywords driving 70% revenue

Actions Taken

Increased daily budget 15% weekly
Expanded winning keywords
Added RSAs with new value propositions
Launched remarketing on Display

Result

✅ Spend increased 2.1x
✅ ROAS maintained at 1.55x
✅ Revenue grew 118%

CASE STUDY 3: LOW SPEND BUT GREAT CPA (LIVEINTENT STYLE)

Situation

Native campaign on performance platform (LiveIntent-type).

Problem

CPA: $48 vs KPI $75
But campaign wasn’t spending.

Analysis

Conservative tCPA limiting bids
Eligible inventory restricted
Campaign stuck in learning phase

Actions Taken

Increased tCPA by 10–15%
Expanded publisher whitelist
Raised daily cap gradually
Monitored L3/L7 performance

Result

✅ Spend scaled 3x
✅ CPA stabilized at $58
✅ Campaign moved to higher-scale strategy (111 → 113)

CASE STUDY 4: DISCREPANCY BETWEEN GA4 & PLATFORM DATA

Situation

Client reported lower conversions in GA4 than platform.

Problem

Client lost confidence in reporting.

Analysis

Different attribution models
Conversion window mismatch
Cookie vs server-side tracking

Actions Taken

Explained attribution differences
Matched conversion windows
Recommended Data-Driven Attribution
Documented reporting methodology

Result

✅ Stakeholder confidence restored
✅ Reporting alignment achieved
✅ No performance impact

CASE STUDY 5: PUBLISHER GIVING VOLUME BUT POOR QUALITY

Situation

High-volume publisher on Native channel.

Problem

35% of traffic
CPA 2x higher than KPI

Analysis

Low engagement metrics
High bounce rate
Poor post-click behavior

Actions Taken

Reduced bid on publisher
Tested limited budget cap
Eventually blocked after validation

Result

✅ Overall CPA improved 18%
✅ Conversion quality improved
✅ Budget reallocated to high-quality pubs

CASE STUDY 6: SUDDEN PERFORMANCE DROP (1-DAY SPIKE)

Situation

Daily CPA spiked suddenly.

Problem

Stakeholder panicked.

Analysis

Conversion lag of 48–72 hours
Intraday spend front-loaded
No change in L7 performance

Actions Taken

Took no immediate action
Explained lag with data
Monitored next 2 days

Result

✅ CPA normalized
✅ Avoided unnecessary bid cuts
✅ Built trust with stakeholders

CASE STUDY 7: NEW CAMPAIGN LAUNCH STRATEGY

Situation

New advertiser with no historical data.

Problem

Risk of unstable CPA.

Actions Taken

Started with Max Conversions
Conservative daily cap
Broad match with negatives
Switched to Target CPA after 30+ conversions

Result

✅ Stable learning phase
✅ CPA achieved within 10 days
✅ Scalable structure built

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