Overview of Core Google Advertising Assets
This article provides an overview of the core assets used in Google advertising: Google Accounts, Google Ads accounts, Google Merchant Center (GMC), and Google Ads Manager Accounts (MCCs). Understanding how these assets work—individually and together—is essential for managing Google Ads campaigns effectively.
You will also learn how to create and manage these accounts, how they relate to one another, and how they support your advertising operations. By mastering these components, you can structure and optimize campaigns more efficiently and improve your ad performance.
About Google Accounts and How to Create One
A Google Account is a unified login that provides access to Google services, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Ads, Google Analytics (GA4), Google Merchant Center (GMC), and more. In e-commerce, it plays several important roles:
- Customers: Use Google Accounts to sign in to websites, complete purchases, manage payment methods, and access personalized experiences.
- Merchants: Use Google tools such as Google Ads, Google Merchant Center, Google Analytics, and Google Tag Manager for advertising, measurement, and store operations.
In short, a Google Account is the foundational identity required to access and manage all Google business tools.
To learn more about Google Accounts and how to create one, refer to Google’s official guides for detailed instructions.
About Google Ads Accounts and How to Create One
A Google Ads account is the core advertising workspace where you create, manage, and optimize advertising campaigns across Google surfaces, including Google Search, Display Network, YouTube, and Shopping.
Each Google Ads account is linked to a Google account and serves as the execution layer for paid advertising activities. Within a Google Ads account, you can:
- Create and manage campaigns, ad groups, ads, and keywords
- Choose ad formats such as Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and Performance Max
- Configure bidding strategies, budgets, and targeting settings
- Track performance metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROAS
- Connect to other Google assets such as Google Merchant Center and Google Analytics
A Google Ads account is required to run any paid advertising on Google. For Shopping ads or Performance Max campaigns that use product data, the account must be linked to a Google Merchant Center account.
To learn more about Google Ads accounts and how to create one, refer to Google’s official "Create a Google Ads Account" guide.
About Google Merchant Center (GMC) and How to Create an Account
Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a platform provided by Google that allows merchants to upload and manage product data so items can appear across Google surfaces, including Google Search, Google Shopping, and Google Ads. GMC is required for running Shopping ads or Performance Max campaigns that include product feeds.
With Google Merchant Center (GMC), you can:
- Submit detailed product information such as titles, descriptions, images, prices, and availability
- Sync and update product data via primary feeds, supplemental feeds, or Content API
- Resolve product or account issues reported through policy warnings and diagnostics
- Ensure product data accuracy for better ad performance and visibility
| Note: To run Shopping ads or Performance Max campaigns with product feeds, your product data must be synced to Google Merchant Center, linked to your Google Ads account, and compliant with Google’s product data and policy requirements. |
To learn more about Google Merchant Center (GMC) and how to create an account, refer to the "Creating a Google Merchant Center Account" guide.
About Google Ads Manager Accounts and How to Create One
A Google Ads Manager account (MCC) is an account designed for organizations that manage multiple Google Ads accounts. It provides centralized control, allowing users to access, monitor, and optimize multiple accounts from a single dashboard. Manager Accounts are commonly used by:
- Agencies
- Marketing professionals
- Large advertisers managing multiple brands or regions
- Businesses with multiple Google Ads accounts for operational or structural reasons
A Manager Account allows you to:
- Link and manage multiple Google Ads accounts
- View consolidated performance and reporting
- Set up cross-account conversion tracking
- Assign user access at scale
- Organize accounts by teams, regions, or clients
To learn more about Google Ads Manager accounts and how to manage linked Google Ads accounts, refer to the official "Manager Accounts (MCC): About Google Ads manager accounts" guide.