Google Ads Search Certification Exam — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which keyword match type uses square brackets around the keyword?

Negative match
Broad match
Phrase match
Exact match (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Exact match

Exact match keywords are enclosed in square brackets (e.g., [red shoes]) and only trigger ads for that precise search or close variants.

Question 2: What is Dynamic Remarketing in Google Ads?

Remarketing that targets users based on dynamic keyword insertion in search queries
Remarketing that shows users ads featuring the specific products or services they previously viewed on your site (Correct answer)
Remarketing that automatically adjusts ad frequency based on competition
Remarketing that automatically changes bids based on auction-time signals

Correct answer: Remarketing that shows users ads featuring the specific products or services they previously viewed on your site

Dynamic remarketing uses a product or service feed to automatically generate personalized ads displaying the exact items or services a user previously viewed on your website.

Question 3: What are Combination Audiences in Google Ads?

Automatically generated audiences that combine similar keyword signals
Custom audience segments built by combining existing lists using AND, OR, and NOT logic (Correct answer)
Audiences that merge remarketing data from multiple different websites you own
A way to merge audience lists from two separate Google Ads accounts

Correct answer: Custom audience segments built by combining existing lists using AND, OR, and NOT logic

Combination Audiences let you create precise custom segments by combining existing audience lists with AND (must be in all), OR (in any), and NOT (must exclude) boolean operators.

Question 4: What is the default membership duration for a newly created Google Ads remarketing list?

30 days (Correct answer)
60 days
7 days
14 days

Correct answer: 30 days

By default, users are added to a remarketing list for 30 days from their last qualifying interaction, though advertisers can adjust this duration up to 540 days.

Question 5: What is Ad Rank in Google Search Ads?

The average position of your ad over the past 30 days
A value that determines your ad's eligibility and placement in the auction (Correct answer)
The position number assigned to your ad on the page
The click-through rate of your ad divided by impressions

Correct answer: A value that determines your ad's eligibility and placement in the auction

Ad Rank is a value calculated using your bid, Quality Score, auction-time context, and ad extensions that determines whether and where your ad appears.

Question 6: You can use Keyword Planner to identify

the amount of traffic potential keywords you might get (Correct answer)
webpages where your ad can appear based on your keywords
which text ads are performing best based on your keywords
the number of negative keywords you should add

Correct answer: the amount of traffic potential keywords you might get

The Keyword Planner is a powerful tool within Google Ads that helps advertisers research keywords for their campaigns. Its primary function is to provide insights into the estimated search volume and traffic potential for various keywords. This helps in identifying effective keywords and forecasting their potential performance before launching a campaign.

Question 7: What does the impression share metric represent?

Conversions per impression
The percentage of impressions you received out of those you were eligible for (Correct answer)
Total number of impressions
Clicks divided by cost

Correct answer: The percentage of impressions you received out of those you were eligible for

Impression share is the impressions you received divided by the estimated impressions you were eligible to receive.

Question 8: Which Search campaign bidding strategy is best suited when you want to achieve a specific cost per conversion?

Manual CPC
Maximize Clicks
Target Impression Share
Target CPA (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Target CPA

Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) bidding automatically sets bids to help you get as many conversions as possible at your specified target cost per acquisition.

Question 9: How does Google determine which Shopping ads to show for a given search query?

Based on the advertiser's manual placement selections
Based solely on the CPC bid amount
Based on the product feed attributes and Google's assessment of query relevance (Correct answer)
Based on the keywords you bid on in the Shopping campaign

Correct answer: Based on the product feed attributes and Google's assessment of query relevance

Unlike search ads, Shopping ads don't use keywords; instead, Google matches search queries to your products using the information in your product feed.

Question 10: A standard AdWords text ad is made up of:

a headline and description text
a display URL and description text
a headline, image, and description text
a headline, a display URL, and description text (Correct answer)

Correct answer: a headline, a display URL, and description text

A standard Google Ads text ad is composed of three main elements: a compelling headline (often split into two parts), a display URL that shows users the destination of the ad, and descriptive text that provides more details about the product or service being advertised. These components work together to inform and entice potential customers.

Question 11: What are 'in-market audiences' on the Google Display Network?

Users who are currently shopping for products or services similar to yours (Correct answer)
Users located in your target market geographic area
Users who have visited competitor websites
Users who follow your brand on social media

Correct answer: Users who are currently shopping for products or services similar to yours

In-market audiences consist of users who Google has identified as actively researching or comparing products and services in a specific category, signaling purchase intent.

Question 12: Which report in Google Merchant Center shows why products are not showing in Shopping ads?

Best sellers report
Price competitiveness report
Diagnostics report (Correct answer)
Performance report

Correct answer: Diagnostics report

The Diagnostics report in Google Merchant Center identifies products with errors, warnings, and policy violations that are causing them to be disapproved or limited.

Question 13: What is the 'GTIN' attribute in a Google Shopping product feed?

Global Trade Item Number, a globally unique product identifier like a barcode (Correct answer)
Google's internal category taxonomy identifier
A custom label assigned by the advertiser
Google Traffic Identification Number for ad tracking

Correct answer: Global Trade Item Number, a globally unique product identifier like a barcode

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a globally unique product identifier such as a UPC or EAN barcode number; providing it improves Shopping ad performance and eligibility.

Question 14: Which bidding strategy should Sara use if her goal is to get more people to call her local catering business?

Cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM)
Cost-per-click (CPC)
Cost-per-view (CPV)
Cost-per-acquisition (CPA) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Cost-per-acquisition (CPA)

Sara's goal is to get more people to call her business, which is a specific conversion action. Cost-per-acquisition (CPA) bidding is designed to optimize for conversions, allowing advertisers to set a target cost for each desired action. This strategy helps maximize the number of calls within a specified budget.

Question 15: Which of the following is NOT a standard remarketing type available in Google Ads?

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA)
Standard remarketing on the Display Network
Behavioral intent remarketing based on third-party data (Correct answer)
Dynamic remarketing with a product feed

Correct answer: Behavioral intent remarketing based on third-party data

Google Ads offers standard, dynamic, RLSA, video, and customer list remarketing — 'behavioral intent remarketing based on third-party data' is not an official Google Ads remarketing type.

Question 16: What does 'pinning' a headline do in a Responsive Search Ad?

Prevents Google from editing the headline automatically
Forces a specific headline to always appear in a fixed position (Correct answer)
Saves the headline as a template for other ad groups
Marks the headline as the highest priority for bidding

Correct answer: Forces a specific headline to always appear in a fixed position

Pinning a headline in an RSA forces it to always appear in a specific position (1, 2, or 3), limiting Google's ability to optimize but ensuring consistent messaging.

Question 17: Which is a recommended way to prepare for a Google Ads certification assessment?

Skipping all study
Completing Skillshop learning paths (Correct answer)
Only reading competitor blogs
Buying answer keys

Correct answer: Completing Skillshop learning paths

Skillshop offers structured learning paths designed to prepare you for each certification.

Question 18: An advertiser wants to achieve the top position in paid search results. Which recommendations would improve the likelihood of top ad position?

Improve Quality Score and decrease cost-per-click (CPC)
Decrease cost-per-click (CPC) and increase daily budget
Improve Quality Score and increase cost-per-click (CPC) (Correct answer)
Decrease cost-per-click (CPC) and decrease daily budget

Correct answer: Improve Quality Score and increase cost-per-click (CPC)

Ad position is determined by Ad Rank, which is a combination of your bid and Quality Score. To achieve a top position, both factors need to be optimized: increasing your cost-per-click (CPC) bid makes your ad more competitive, and improving your Quality Score (through relevant ads, keywords, and landing pages) enhances your ad's efficiency and rank.

Question 19: What are TrueView Video Discovery ads?

Ads shown as sponsored thumbnails in YouTube search results and alongside related videos (Correct answer)
Ads that auto-play before YouTube videos
Non-skippable ads embedded in YouTube content
Ads that appear in the YouTube feed based on viewing history

Correct answer: Ads shown as sponsored thumbnails in YouTube search results and alongside related videos

TrueView Discovery ads appear as sponsored thumbnails in YouTube search results, on the YouTube homepage, and next to related videos — viewers click the thumbnail to watch.

Question 20: What is 'view-through conversion' in YouTube advertising?

A metric tracking how many users viewed the conversion confirmation page
A conversion where a user watched the full video and then clicked through to purchase
A conversion counted when a user watches more than 50% of a video ad
A conversion attributed to users who saw but did not click a video ad before converting (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A conversion attributed to users who saw but did not click a video ad before converting

View-through conversions are credited when someone who saw (but didn't click) your video ad later visits your website and converts within the view-through conversion window.

Question 21: How does 'target frequency' work in Google Video campaigns?

It sets the maximum number of ad variations shown per campaign
It determines how often new audiences are added to the campaign targeting
It lets advertisers set a weekly frequency goal for how often to show ads to the same user (Correct answer)
It controls the refresh rate of video creative across ad groups

Correct answer: It lets advertisers set a weekly frequency goal for how often to show ads to the same user

Target frequency campaigns optimize delivery to show your video ad to each unique user a specified number of times per week, ideal for sustained brand awareness.

Question 22: What is a Merchant Center product disapproval?

A penalty applied when your Shopping ads receive low click-through rates
When Google rejects a product from serving in Shopping ads due to policy violations or data errors (Correct answer)
A temporary pause applied to products with insufficient bid amounts
A quality score drop for poorly optimized product titles

Correct answer: When Google rejects a product from serving in Shopping ads due to policy violations or data errors

Product disapprovals occur when a product in your Merchant Center feed violates Google's policies (e.g., prohibited content) or contains data quality issues, preventing it from serving.

Question 23: What is the 'sale price' attribute in a Shopping product feed used for?

To qualify products for Google's Shopping promotions program
To flag items for inclusion in seasonal ad campaigns
To display a discounted price alongside the original price in Shopping ads (Correct answer)
To set the maximum CPC bid for promotional items

Correct answer: To display a discounted price alongside the original price in Shopping ads

The sale_price attribute allows you to show a reduced price alongside the strikethrough original price in Shopping ads, highlighting discounts to shoppers.

Question 24: Which campaign type is best for promoting a mobile app for downloads?

Local campaign
Shopping campaign
App campaign (Correct answer)
Search campaign

Correct answer: App campaign

App campaigns automatically promote apps across Search, Play, YouTube, and Display to drive installs.

Question 25: What are custom labels in a Google Shopping feed?

Google-assigned categories for product classification
Advertiser-defined attributes that allow grouping products for bidding and reporting in Shopping campaigns (Correct answer)
Labels automatically applied by Google based on price competitiveness
Required fields that replace the product title in Shopping ads

Correct answer: Advertiser-defined attributes that allow grouping products for bidding and reporting in Shopping campaigns

Custom labels (0–4) are optional feed attributes you define to segment products within your Shopping campaigns, enabling differentiated bidding by sale status, margin, or seasonality.

Question 26: What is custom affinity targeting in Google Display campaigns?

Targeting pre-defined interest categories set by Google
Automatically building audiences from your CRM data
Creating your own audience segments based on specific interests, URLs, apps, and places (Correct answer)
Targeting users who have a history with your specific brand

Correct answer: Creating your own audience segments based on specific interests, URLs, apps, and places

Custom affinity audiences let you define your own interest-based audience by entering keywords, URLs, apps, and places relevant to your ideal customer.

Question 27: Which type of audience targeting lets you create a list based on people similar to your existing site visitors?

Similar audiences (Correct answer)
Custom affinity audiences
In-market audiences
Affinity audiences

Correct answer: Similar audiences

Similar audiences (now called optimized targeting) use machine learning to find new users who share characteristics with your existing remarketing lists.

Question 28: What type of ad does a Google Shopping campaign display?

Text-only ads with keyword-based targeting
Banner ads on the Google Display Network
Video ads on YouTube
Product Listing Ads showing product image, title, price, and store name (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Product Listing Ads showing product image, title, price, and store name

Shopping campaigns display Product Listing Ads (PLAs) that include a product image, title, price, and store name, appearing in Google Search and the Shopping tab.

Question 29: What is 'audience sequencing' in YouTube advertising?

Automatically rotating multiple ad formats in order of performance
Targeting audiences at different stages of the funnel simultaneously
Showing a series of video ads to the same audience in a deliberate order to tell a story (Correct answer)
Scheduling ads to run in sequence throughout the day

Correct answer: Showing a series of video ads to the same audience in a deliberate order to tell a story

Video ad sequencing lets you show viewers a series of ads in a specific order, allowing you to build a narrative or guide viewers through the customer journey step-by-step.

Question 30: When creating text ads to advertise a client’s small chain of Italian restaurants, what should you include in the ad text to make it compelling to potential customers?

An exclamation point in the display URL
Use the same headline and description as other advertisers
Include call-to-actions, such as “Find the nearest location” (Correct answer)
Information about Italian food in the description

Correct answer: Include call-to-actions, such as “Find the nearest location”

To make ad text compelling, it should clearly guide potential customers toward a desired action. Including strong call-to-actions (CTAs) like “Find the nearest location” directly addresses user intent for a local business and provides a clear next step. This makes the ad more actionable and relevant to someone searching for a restaurant.

Question 31: Which certification focuses on product listing ads driven by a merchant feed?

Measurement Certification
Search Certification
Shopping Certification (Correct answer)
Video Certification

Correct answer: Shopping Certification

The Shopping Certification covers product-based ads powered by Merchant Center feeds.

Question 32: An advertiser looking to drive conversions is using manual cost-per-click (CPC) bidding. Which factor should be most important for this advertiser when deciding keyword bids?

The profit derived from a paid click (Correct answer)
The average profit per conversion
The bids of the next closest advertiser
The Quality Score of the keyword

Correct answer: The profit derived from a paid click

When using manual cost-per-click (CPC) bidding with a goal of driving conversions, the ultimate aim is to ensure profitability. Therefore, an advertiser should set keyword bids based on the profit generated by each conversion, which is directly tied to the profit derived from a paid click. This approach ensures that the cost of acquiring a customer through a click does not exceed the value that customer brings, making the campaign financially viable.

Question 33: What is the purpose of 'call-to-action overlays' in YouTube TrueView ads?

To add subtitles to video ads for accessibility
To automatically skip to the advertiser's website after ad completion
To display a clickable text and image overlay on the video ad that drives traffic to a URL (Correct answer)
To trigger an interactive poll for viewer engagement

Correct answer: To display a clickable text and image overlay on the video ad that drives traffic to a URL

CTA overlays are clickable banners that appear over in-stream ads, displaying a headline and thumbnail image linked to your destination URL to drive direct response from video viewers.

Question 34: What happens when two Shopping ads from the same advertiser compete in the same auction?

The advertiser with the higher total budget wins both placements
Both ads can appear, doubling the advertiser's visibility
Google selects only the most relevant product and shows a single ad (Correct answer)
The ad with the higher bid always wins the placement

Correct answer: Google selects only the most relevant product and shows a single ad

Google's system prevents the same advertiser from showing multiple Shopping ads for competing products in a single auction, selecting the most relevant one to display.

Question 35: What is the viewability standard for a display ad impression to be counted as 'viewable' by Google Active View?

At least 50% of the ad visible for at least 1 second (Correct answer)
100% of the ad visible for at least 1 second
Any part of the ad visible for at least 3 seconds
At least 50% of the ad visible for at least 2 seconds

Correct answer: At least 50% of the ad visible for at least 1 second

According to the IAB/MRC standard used by Google, a display ad is viewable when at least 50% of its area is visible on screen for at least 1 second.

Question 36: What is a non-skippable in-stream ad on YouTube?

A video ad of up to 15 seconds that viewers cannot skip, charged on a CPM basis (Correct answer)
A 6-second ad that viewers must watch before accessing content
A 30-second ad that appears only in YouTube Shorts
An ad that pauses content and requires a viewer action to continue

Correct answer: A video ad of up to 15 seconds that viewers cannot skip, charged on a CPM basis

Non-skippable in-stream ads are up to 15 seconds long, cannot be skipped by the viewer, and are charged on a CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) basis.

Question 37: What is the YouTube masthead ad?

The main banner ad on a YouTube channel page
A video ad shown at the top of all YouTube search results
A premium ad placement at the top of the YouTube homepage, sold on a reservation basis (Correct answer)
A video bumper shown before YouTube Premium content

Correct answer: A premium ad placement at the top of the YouTube homepage, sold on a reservation basis

The YouTube masthead is a premium ad placement displayed at the top of the YouTube homepage desktop and app feeds, offering massive reach on a CPD (cost-per-day) or CPM reservation basis.

Question 38: What is a Responsive Search Ad (RSA) in Google Ads?

An ad that responds to competitor bids in real time
An ad that uses dynamic keyword insertion
An ad format where you provide multiple headlines and descriptions that Google tests in combination (Correct answer)
An ad that automatically resizes for mobile screens

Correct answer: An ad format where you provide multiple headlines and descriptions that Google tests in combination

A Responsive Search Ad lets you input up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google's machine learning tests combinations to find the best-performing ones.

Question 39: What is 'Target ROAS' bidding in Google Shopping campaigns?

A manual bidding approach where you set a return threshold per product group
An automated bidding strategy that optimizes bids to achieve a specific return on ad spend (Correct answer)
A strategy that sets bids to maximize the number of product page visits
A strategy that prioritizes impression share over revenue

Correct answer: An automated bidding strategy that optimizes bids to achieve a specific return on ad spend

Target ROAS bidding automatically sets bids to maximize conversion value while achieving your target return on ad spend ratio.

Question 40: In Google Search, what is the 'search term report' used for?

To view your keyword Quality Scores
To review your competitors' top search terms
To see the actual queries that triggered your ads (Correct answer)
To measure organic search performance

Correct answer: To see the actual queries that triggered your ads

The search term report shows the exact search queries that triggered your ads, helping you identify new keyword opportunities and irrelevant searches to add as negatives.

Question 41: What is a bumper ad in YouTube advertising?

A non-skippable video ad of up to 6 seconds charged on a CPM basis (Correct answer)
An interactive overlay ad shown at the start of a video
An ad that bumps your brand to the top of YouTube search results
A skippable 30-second ad shown between YouTube videos

Correct answer: A non-skippable video ad of up to 6 seconds charged on a CPM basis

Bumper ads are 6-second non-skippable video ads sold on a CPM basis, designed to deliver a brief, memorable brand message.

Question 42: What is the primary goal of keyword match types in Google Search campaigns?

To set the maximum bid per keyword
To control which searches trigger your ads (Correct answer)
To define the ad schedule
To determine ad position on the page

Correct answer: To control which searches trigger your ads

Keyword match types control which user search queries can trigger your ads to appear.

Question 43: What is the minimum list size required before RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) becomes active on Search campaigns?

5,000 active users
100 active users
500 active users
1,000 active users (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 1,000 active users

RLSA requires at least 1,000 active users on the remarketing list before it qualifies to influence Search campaign targeting, which is higher than the Display Network minimum.

Question 44: What are negative keywords used for in a Google Search campaign?

To lower your bid on less relevant searches
To mark competitors' brand terms
To exclude certain ad placements
To prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches

Negative keywords prevent your ads from being triggered by searches that are not relevant to your business, improving campaign efficiency.

Question 45: What is 'close variant matching' in Google Search Ads?

A feature that shows ads to users geographically close to your business
A bidding approach for closely related ad groups
Google's system for matching keywords to searches with similar intent, including misspellings and synonyms (Correct answer)
Matching ads to users who closely resemble your existing customers

Correct answer: Google's system for matching keywords to searches with similar intent, including misspellings and synonyms

Close variant matching allows exact and phrase match keywords to trigger ads for searches that are semantically similar, including misspellings and paraphrases.

Question 46: What is the typical passing score required for a Google Ads certification assessment?

50%
65%
100%
80% (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 80%

Most Google Ads certification assessments require a score of 80% to pass.

Question 47: What is CPV (Cost Per View) in YouTube advertising?

A bidding method where you set a maximum spend per video uploaded
The amount you pay when a viewer watches or interacts with your video ad (Correct answer)
The cost of producing a video ad divided by expected views
The total cost divided by the number of video impressions

Correct answer: The amount you pay when a viewer watches or interacts with your video ad

Cost Per View (CPV) is the bidding model used for TrueView ads where you set the maximum amount you're willing to pay each time a viewer watches or engages with your ad.

Question 48: What happens as a result of a search campaign consistently meeting its daily budget?

Accelerated ad delivery
Higher average cost-per-clicks (CPCs)
Fewer sites targeted at once
Missed potential ad impressions (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Missed potential ad impressions

When a search campaign consistently meets its daily budget, Google stops showing its ads for the remainder of that day. This means the campaign is no longer eligible to appear for relevant searches, resulting in missed opportunities for potential ad impressions and clicks. It effectively limits the campaign's reach and ability to generate results.

Question 49: What does a Quality Score of 10 indicate in Google Ads?

Your campaign has reached its daily budget
Your ad has been approved for all networks
Your ad, keyword, and landing page are highly relevant (Correct answer)
Your ad has the highest bid in the auction

Correct answer: Your ad, keyword, and landing page are highly relevant

A Quality Score of 10 (the maximum) indicates excellent relevance between your keyword, ad, and landing page experience.

Question 50: What is a callout extension used for in Google Search Ads?

To show your business rating and reviews
To highlight specific offers or benefits with short descriptive text (Correct answer)
To display customer phone numbers in ads
To add a direct link to a specific page on your website

Correct answer: To highlight specific offers or benefits with short descriptive text

Callout extensions add short snippets of text (up to 25 characters) to your ad that highlight unique offerings like 'Free Shipping' or '24/7 Support'.

Google Ads Search Certification Exam

The Google Ads Search Certification exam validates your ability to build and optimize Google Search campaigns, covering keyword targeting, bidding strategies, ad formats, extensions, and performance measurement.

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75 min

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80%

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