Google Ads Search Platform MCP Server Knowledge Pack

Google Ads Search Platform

Browser-based management of Google Ads Search campaigns. Covers campaign diagnostics, responsive search ad editing, keyword management, bid strategy configuration, and ad strength optimization.

Browser Access

• Requires Google account login in connected browser
• URL pattern: https://ads.google.com/aw/{section}?ocid={account_id}&authuser={n}
• Multi-account: authuser=0 for primary, authuser=1 for secondary
• Session expires after ~30min idle — watch for account chooser screen
• Ad blocker dialog may appear — does not block functionality but hides some content

URL Patterns

Page	URL Pattern
Campaigns	/aw/campaigns?ocid={id}
Ad groups	/aw/adgroups?campaignId={cid}&ocid={id}
Ads	/aw/ads?ocid={id}
Keywords	/aw/keywords?campaignId={cid}&ocid={id}
Ad Preview & Diagnosis	/aw/diagnostic/AdPreview?ocid={id}
Keyword Planner	/aw/keywordplanner/home?ocid={id}
Campaign Settings	Edit via gear icon on campaign row, not a separate URL
RSA Editor	/aw/ads/edit/search?adId={aid}&adGroupIdForAd={agid}&ocid={id}

Navigation Hierarchy

Account
 > Campaign (budget, bid strategy, networks, locations)
   > Ad Group (keyword theme, default bid)
     > Keywords (match type, status, quality score)
     > Ads (responsive search ad: headlines, descriptions, sitelinks)

Key UI Elements

Top-level Navigation (Left sidebar)

Element	Location
Campaigns menu	menuitem "Campaigns" — expands to: Campaigns, Ad groups, Ads, Assets, Keywords
Tools menu	menuitem "Tools" — expands to: Keyword Planner, Ad Preview, etc.
Settings tab	Tab within campaign view — campaign-level settings

Campaign List Page

Element	How to Find
Campaign link	a:has-text("Campaign Name") in grid
Edit settings gear	button "Edit settings" next to campaign name (opens slide-out panel)
Bid strategy column	Column "Bid strategy type" — shows "Maximize clicks", "Manual CPC", etc.
Budget column	Column "Budget" — shows daily/total amount
Status column	Shows "Bid strategy learning", "Eligible", etc.

Campaign Settings Panel (Slide-out)

Opened by clicking gear icon next to campaign name. Contains collapsible sections:

Section	Key Fields
Campaign name	Text input
Campaign status	Enabled/Paused
Networks	Google Search, Search Partners, Display Network
Budget	Daily amount or campaign total
Bidding	Strategy type + Max CPC bid limit
Locations	Geographic targeting
Languages	Language targeting

Bidding section expanded shows:

• Strategy selector (Maximize clicks, Manual CPC, Target CPA, etc.)
• "Set a maximum cost per click bid limit" checkbox
• Maximum CPC bid limit input (e.g., "€2.00")

Keywords Page

Element	How to Find
Keyword list	Grid with columns: Keyword, Match type, Ad group, Status, Impr., Clicks, etc.
Match types	"Phrase match", "Exact match", "Broad match"
Status values	"Eligible", "Paused", "Below first page bid"
Pagination	"Show rows" dropdown + "Go to next page" button at bottom

Responsive Search Ad Editor

Opened by clicking ad title link, then Edit assets FAB button.

Element	Selector / How to Find
Final URL	textbox "Final URL"
Display Path 1	textbox "Path 1"
Display Path 2	textbox "Path 2"
Headlines (max 15)	Series of textbox "Headline" inputs
Descriptions (max 4)	Series of textbox "Description" inputs
Business name	textbox "Business name"
Sitelinks section	Region with "Sitelinks" heading — "Add" buttons for each slot
Ad Strength indicator	progressbar "Ad strength overall score is ..."
Save button	material-button:has-text("Save ad") — at very bottom, may need JS to find
Pin options	button "Please select pin options" next to each headline/description

Ad Strength categories (shown as notes with score indicators):

1. Add more headlines
2. Include popular keywords in your headlines
3. Make your headlines more unique
4. Make your descriptions more unique
5. Add more sitelinks

Score levels: low (empty circle), medium (blue partial), high (green check)

Ad Strength ratings: Incomplete → Poor → Average → Good → Excellent

Sitelink Creation Dialog

Opened by clicking "Add" button in sitelinks section of RSA editor.

Field	Max Length
Sitelink text	25 chars
Description line 1	35 chars
Description line 2	35 chars
Final URL	Full URL

• Supports up to 6 sitelinks per ad
• Multiple sitelinks can be created in one dialog (expandable panels)
• Click "Create" button to save sitelinks, then "Save ad" for the full ad

Ad Preview & Diagnosis Tool

Element	How to Find
Search term input	combobox "Enter a search term"
Location selector	Region "Location setting"
Language selector	Region "Language setting"
Device selector	Region "Device setting"
Results grid	Grid "Rejected ads" with columns: Campaigns, Ad group, Reason

Diagnosis reasons:

• "The ad is rejected early on because it's unlikely to lead to an impression based on the predicted Ad Rank."
• "Your ad is showing" (green)
• "Your ad isn't showing" (red) with match count

Keyword Planner

Element	How to Find
Discover keywords card	button "Discover new keywords"
Search volume card	button "Get search volume and forecasts"
Keywords textarea	textbox "Enter or paste your keywords..."
Submit button	Unnamed button next to textarea (becomes enabled when text entered)
Results grid	Grid with columns: Keyword, Avg. monthly searches, Competition, Top of page bid (low/high)

Data Model

Campaign

Field	Type	Values
Status	enum	Enabled, Paused, Removed
Bid strategy	enum	Maximize clicks, Manual CPC, Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions
Max CPC bid limit	currency	Optional cap on auto-bidding strategies
Budget type	enum	Daily, Campaign total
Networks	multi-select	Google Search, Search partners, Display Network
Campaign type	enum	Search, Performance Max, Display, Video, Shopping

Keyword

Field	Type	Values
Match type	enum	Broad, Phrase, Exact
Status	enum	Eligible, Paused, Below first page bid, Removed
Quality Score	1-10	Based on expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience
Max CPC	currency	Keyword-level bid override (optional)

Responsive Search Ad

Field	Limits
Headlines	3-15 (minimum 3 required, 15 max, aim for 13+ for Excellent)
Descriptions	2-4 (minimum 2 required, 4 max)
Final URL	1 required
Display path	2 segments, 15 chars each
Sitelinks	0-6 (need 6 for "high" score)
Business name	0-25 chars

Ad Rank Formula

Ad Rank = Bid x Quality Score x Expected Impact of Extensions

Quality Score components:

1. Expected CTR — predicted click-through rate
2. Ad relevance — how closely ad matches search intent
3. Landing page experience — page relevance, speed, mobile-friendliness

Key insight: Low Max CPC bid limit is the #1 cause of "ad rejected early" — check Keyword Planner for "Top of page bid" to set appropriate limits.

Common Tasks

1. Diagnose Why Ads Aren't Showing

1. Navigate to Ad Preview & Diagnosis: Tools > Troubleshooting > Ad preview and diagnosis
2. Enter target keyword in search box
3. Set location, language, device, audience
4. Check results grid — expand each campaign row to see rejection reason
5. If "low Ad Rank": check Max CPC bid limit vs Keyword Planner top-of-page bids

2. Check/Update Max CPC Bid Limit

1. Navigate to Campaigns page
2. Click gear icon "Edit settings" next to campaign name
3. Click "Bidding" section to expand
4. Check "Set a maximum cost per click bid limit" checkbox state
5. If checked, compare limit value against Keyword Planner "Top of page bid (high range)"
6. Increase or uncheck to let Google optimize freely
7. Click Save

3. Get Keyword CPC Estimates

1. Navigate to Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner
2. Click "Get search volume and forecasts"
3. Enter keywords (comma-separated or one per line)
4. Click submit button (unnamed, next to textarea)
5. Review grid: Avg. monthly searches, Competition, Top of page bid (low/high range)
6. Compare against current Max CPC bid limit

4. Improve Ad Strength to Excellent

Headlines (need 13-15 for Excellent):

• Include primary keywords in at least 3 headlines
• Mix benefit statements ("Ship Code 20x Faster") with feature statements ("AI Code Review & PRs")
• Include pricing ("From $99/Agent/Month")
• Include CTA ("Deploy AI Agents Today")
• Include trust ("Open Source AI Platform", "No Vendor Lock-In")
• Each headline must be unique — no near-duplicates

Descriptions (need 4/4):

• Description 1: core value proposition
• Description 2: features and social proof
• Description 3: metrics and urgency
• Description 4: differentiation and trust (open source, no lock-in)
• Max 90 chars each

Sitelinks (need 6 for high score):

• Pricing page link
• How it works / process
• FAQ
• Primary CTA (Get Started / Contact)
• Feature page (tech stack, integrations)
• Trust page (open source, security)
• Each needs: text (25 chars), 2 description lines (35 chars each), URL

Business name: Set to match domain or brand

5. Cross-Reference with Keyword Planner

1. Export campaign keywords from Keywords page
2. Enter all keywords in Keyword Planner
3. Compare "Top of page bid (high range)" against Max CPC limit
4. Any keyword where bid high > Max CPC will likely not show
5. Prioritize keywords by: search volume x affordability

6. Edit Responsive Search Ad

1. Navigate to Ads page
2. Click ad title link to open assets view
3. Click Edit assets FAB button (material-fab[aria-label="Edit assets"])
4. Edit headlines, descriptions, display path, business name
5. Add sitelinks via "Add" buttons in Sitelinks section
6. Monitor Ad Strength indicator — aim for all 5 categories "high"
7. Find Save button: material-button:has-text("Save ad") (at bottom, may require JS evaluation to locate)

States

State	Indicators
Ad showing	Green status in Ad Preview, impressions > 0
Ad not showing — low Ad Rank	"rejected early" in diagnosis, 0 impressions
Ad not showing — paused	Campaign or ad group status = Paused
Bid strategy learning	Status column shows "Bid strategy learning" (normal for new campaigns, 1-2 weeks)
Account not verified	Advertiser verification required banner
Session expired	Google account chooser screen appears

Tips

• snapshot(includeContent=true) is the primary tool — returns full page content + accessibility tree with element refs
• Use screenshot only for visual verification (ad preview, chart readings)
• Campaign settings panel is a slide-out dialog, not a separate page — click gear icon to open
• The RSA editor "Save ad" button is often off-screen — use JS evaluation to find: material-button:has-text("Save ad")
• When viewing keyword data, the page may show "1-10 of many" — use pagination buttons to see all
• Keyword Planner results are region-specific — check the location filter (Germany vs US will show different volumes/CPCs)
• Google may auto-suggest sitelinks — accept good ones, add custom ones for the rest
• Display path is cosmetic only — it doesn't need to match a real URL, but should match the landing page theme

Gotchas

• Ad blocker dialog: "Turn off ad blockers" dialog appears frequently — it does NOT block functionality, just overlays. Most actions still work.
• Session expiry: Google Ads sessions expire after ~30min idle. Watch for account chooser screen. Navigate back to the target URL with authuser=0.
• Wrong account login: If account chooser appears, clicking wrong account (e.g., [email protected] instead of main account) leads to "You do not have any Google Ads accounts" — must switch back.
• Save button hidden: The RSA editor "Save ad" button is a material-button at the very bottom of a long scrollable form. Use JS to find it: document.querySelectorAll('material-button').filter(b => b.textContent.includes('Save ad'))
• Preview vs Save confusion: The RSA editor has both "Preview ads" and "Save ad" buttons at the bottom — they look similar. "Preview" opens a modal, "Save" saves the ad.
• Sitelink character limits: Sitelink text = 25 chars, Description lines = 35 chars each. Exceeding causes validation error (red border, "Value too long").
• Display path not a URL: Display path is cosmetic (aictpo.com/ai-agents) — the actual click destination is the Final URL. Don't put an anchor route here.
• Settings tab filter: The "Settings" tab on campaigns page may show "No campaigns match your filters" if campaign-type filters are active.
• Keyword Planner creates plans: Each "Get search volume" query creates a persistent "Plan" in your account — clean up old plans periodically.
• "Bid strategy learning": New campaigns show this status for 1-2 weeks. Normal behavior, but if Max CPC is too low, learning phase produces no data.
• Display Network on Search campaigns: Enabling Display Network on a Search campaign dilutes budget on low-quality placements — generally disable it for Search campaigns.
• Hash URLs for sitelinks: URLs like https://example.com/#pricing work as sitelink Final URLs — Google follows the hash anchor.

References

• references/ad-strength-checklist.md — step-by-step checklist for reaching Excellent ad strength
• references/keyword-diagnostics.md — diagnostic workflow for "ads not showing" issues