Google Ads Account Structure: Hagakure vs SKAGs in 2026

2026-01-18

33 min read

Kiril Ivanov

Performance Marketing Specialist

Part 1: The Death of SKAGs (The Mathematical Failure)

What was a SKAG?

For the uninitiated, a Single Keyword Ad Group structure looked like this:

Campaign: Red Shoes
Ad Group: [red nike shoes]
Keyword: [red nike shoes]
Ad Copy: "Buy Red Nike Shoes."

The logic was simple.

One keyword.

One ad group.

One set of ads.

One landing page.

One bid.

At the time, this gave advertisers a sense of precision.

If someone searched for red Nike shoes, they saw an ad about red Nike shoes.

That sounds reasonable.

It was reasonable.

But it was built for a different Google Ads system.

Why it Worked (2015-2020)

Quality Score: It helped create strong ad relevance.
Control: You could bid exactly $2.50 for "red nike shoes" and $1.50 for "nike shoes red".
Transparency: You knew where spend was going.

SKAGs were attractive because they made accounts feel organised.

They made reports easy to read.

They let advertisers write very specific ad copy.

They also gave agencies a way to show detailed work.

A client could look at the account and see effort.

Thousands of ad groups looked like control.

But control and performance are not always the same thing.

A structure can look impressive and still perform poorly.

That is the problem with many legacy accounts today.

They are busy.

They are detailed.

They are hard to manage.

But they are not giving the algorithm enough useful data.

Why it Fails (2024-2026)

Three changes weakened SKAGs.

Close Variants: Google no longer treats Exact Match as exact in the old sense. [red nike shoes] can match close variants and similar intent searches. This means multiple ad groups can become eligible for similar queries.
Smart Bidding Signal Density: Bid algorithms need data volume. A SKAG with 3 clicks per month has very little learning value.
RSA (Responsive Search Ads): RSAs need enough impressions to test asset combinations. Tiny ad groups starve the system.

This does not mean every SKAG account is automatically broken.

It means the structure is usually working against the modern system.

Modern Google Ads does not only look at the keyword.

It looks at context.

It can consider signals such as:

Device.
Location.
Time of day.
Search history.
Query meaning.
Audience behaviour.
Conversion probability.
Landing page experience.
Previous user signals.
Auction conditions.

A tiny ad group cannot give Smart Bidding enough volume to read these patterns properly.

The result is usually one of three problems.

First, the account becomes fragmented.

Conversions are spread across too many ad groups and campaigns.

Second, the account becomes hard to manage.

Every change takes longer.

Every report needs more interpretation.

Third, the account becomes slower to learn.

The system cannot see enough data in each place.

The Result: SKAG accounts today often suffer from low data density, weaker RSA learning, slower bidding optimisation and unnecessary management complexity.

The issue is not that structure does not matter.

The issue is that old structure was built around keyword syntax.

Modern structure should be built around intent.

Part 2: The Hagakure Method (Japanese Efficiency)

"Hagakure" roughly translates to "Hidden by Leaves."

In Google Ads, it refers to a consolidated structure popularised by Google Japan.

The idea is simple.

Reduce unnecessary fragmentation.

Group similar intent together.

Give Smart Bidding more data.

Let the system make better decisions using stronger signals.

Structure Signal Visualizer

[red shoes]

2 Convs

[nike shoes red]

1 Convs

red running shoes

3 Convs

crimson trainers

1 Convs

Signal Density Impact

Learning SpeedVery Slow

Data is fragmented across too many buckets. The algorithm takes weeks to find patterns in 1-2 conversions.

The Core Philosophy:

Maximize Data Density per Ad Group to fuel Smart Bidding.

This is not about being lazy.

It is not about removing structure.

It is about removing structure that no longer helps.

The New Architecture

Instead of 1,000 Ad Groups, you may have 10.

Campaign: Shoes
Ad Group: Sneakers - Generic
Keywords: nike sneakers, running shoes, "gym trainers" (Concept-based, not syntax-based).
Ad Copy: Responsive Search Ads cover the main theme.
URL: A relevant landing page that can handle the full intent group.

The important change is the grouping logic.

Old structure grouped by keyword wording.

Modern structure groups by intent.

For example, these searches may belong together:

emergency plumber
24 hour plumber
urgent leak repair
plumber near me now
burst pipe help

The words are different.

The intent is the same.

The person needs help quickly.

The ad should speak to speed, availability and trust.

They do not need five separate ad groups.

They need one strong emergency intent group.

The Signal Density Equation

Smart Bidding effectiveness improves when the system has more useful conversion data.

$$ \text{Learning Strength} \approx \log(C_v + 1) $$

Where:

C_v = conversion volume available to the bidding system.

This is not a literal Google formula.

It is a useful way to think about the principle.

More conversion data usually gives Smart Bidding more room to learn.

SKAG: 2 Conversions/Month -> weak learning.
Hagakure: 50 Conversions/Month -> stronger learning.

By grouping similar keywords into one bucket, you give the system more conversion data in one place.

That helps it understand patterns.

It can learn that a user searching from a mobile phone at 7 PM may be more valuable.

It can learn that one location converts better than another.

It can learn that a certain type of query leads to higher value customers.

It can learn that some searches deserve a higher bid and others deserve less.

A human looking at keyword text cannot process all of that at auction time.

Smart Bidding can.

But only if it has enough signal.

That is why consolidation matters.

AI Learning Velocity

Simulate how conversion volume accelerates your account's Smart Bidding maturity.

Monthly Conversions (per Ad Group)10

Time to Optimize

20 Days

Steady Growth

Part 3: STAGs (Single Topic Ad Groups) - The Middle Ground

For most advertisers, pure Hagakure can feel too broad.

That is why we often recommend STAGs.

STAG means Single Topic Ad Group.

It is a practical middle ground.

It keeps the account controlled, but not overbuilt.

Definition:

Grouping keywords by Theme/Intent, not syntax.

Theme A: "Emergency Plumber"
- Keywords: emergency plumber, 24 hour plumbing, urgent leak fix.
- Why? The intent is speed. The ad copy must say "Arriving in 30 mins."
Theme B: "Plumbing Installation"
- Keywords: install toilet, new bathroom piping, plumbing renovation.
- Why? The intent is project-based. The ad copy must say "Free Quote."

This is the key principle.

If the user needs a different promise, they need a different ad group.

If the same promise works, consolidate.

Rule of Thumb:

If the Ad Copy needs a different value proposition, it needs a new Ad Group.

If you can use the same Ad Copy, consolidate it.

This is simple, but powerful.

Do not ask:

"Does this keyword have different wording?"

Ask:

"Does this person need a different message?"

For example:

emergency plumber and urgent leak repair can live together.

The person wants speed.

bathroom installation plumber and new pipework quote can live together.

The person wants a planned project.

But emergency plumber and bathroom renovation quote should not live together.

The first person is in distress.

The second is planning.

They need different ads.

They need different landing pages.

They may need different bids.

That is how modern structure should work.

It should follow human intent.

Not keyword decoration.

Part 4: The Migration Roadmap (Don't Break Everything)

Moving from SKAGs to STAGs or Hagakure is risky.

If you pause everything and launch a new broad structure overnight, performance may drop.

The account may enter learning.

Budgets may shift.

Search terms may broaden.

The team may panic.

That is why migration needs to be controlled.

Do not destroy the old structure before the new structure has proof.

Here is the safe migration path.

Phase 1: Audit

Use this logic to identify consolidation candidates.

Export your "Search Terms Report" for the last 90 days.
Look for "Duplicate Search Terms" triggering ads from different Ad Groups.
If "red shoes" triggers Ad Group A and Ad Group B, you have overlap.

You are looking for waste and duplication.

A legacy account often has many ad groups competing for similar searches.

This makes reporting harder.

It also makes optimisation harder.

The audit should identify:

Low impression ad groups.
Low conversion ad groups.
Duplicate intent groups.
Overlapping search terms.
Similar landing pages.
Similar RSA copy.
Fragmented budget.
Campaigns stuck with too little data.

Do not start by touching winners.

Start by finding obvious waste.

Phase 2: The "Seed" Campaign

Do not touch your SKAGs yet.

Create a New Campaign: "Consolidated - Generic".
Add your top 5 broad or phrase match keywords that cover the topic.
Set Bidding Strategy to Maximize Conversions or Target CPA if you have enough conversion data.
Crucial: Add the SKAG keywords as Negative Keywords to this new campaign to prevent overlap initially.

The seed campaign lets you test the new structure safely.

It gives the modern campaign a chance to learn.

It also protects your current performance while you gather data.

Start with a controlled budget.

Watch search terms.

Watch lead quality.

Watch CPA.

Watch conversion volume.

Do not judge after two days.

Give the campaign enough time to gather useful data.

Phase 3: The Slow Kill

As the Consolidated Campaign learns and gains conversions, slowly pause the underperforming SKAGs.
Remove the negative keywords from the Consolidated campaign to let it "absorb" the traffic.
Watch the CPA, conversion rate and lead quality.

The goal is not to chase a perfect structure.

The goal is to improve business results.

If the new campaign brings better CPA and better volume, continue migrating.

If it brings worse leads, slow down.

If broad match becomes too loose, tighten with negatives.

If one intent theme performs very differently, split it out.

Good migration is not blind consolidation.

It is controlled consolidation.

Part 5: URL Structure & Dynamic Replacement

One valid argument for SKAGs was Landing Page Relevance.

Keyword: "Red Shoes" -> URL: site.com/shoes/red
Keyword: "Blue Shoes" -> URL: site.com/shoes/blue

That made sense.

If someone searches for red shoes, they should not land on a generic shoe page if a better red shoe page exists.

Landing page relevance still matters.

Consolidation should not mean lazy landing pages.

In a consolidated group, how do you handle this?

Solution: Final URL Suffixes & IF Functions.

Do not send everyone to site.com/shoes if stronger pages exist.

Use ValueTrack Parameters where appropriate.

Final URL: site.com/shoes?color=[ignore]&match=[keyword]

You can also use:

Final URLs at keyword level.
Ad customizers.
Dynamic keyword insertion.
Location insertion.
Custom landing page rules.
Site filters.
Feed based campaigns.
Dynamic Search Ads where suitable.

The principle is simple.

Consolidate the bidding signal.

Do not destroy user relevance.

If one ad group contains several related product terms, make sure the landing page can serve those terms.

If the landing page cannot do that, the ad group may be too broad.

This is where SEO and PPC meet.

A strong landing page helps both.

It gives Google better context.

It gives the user a better answer.

It gives Smart Bidding a better chance of success.

Part 6: Reporting in a Consolidated World

"If I group everything, how do I know which keyword is working?"

This is the normal fear.

It is understandable.

A granular account makes people feel informed.

But the keyword is not always the truth anymore.

The Search Term is the truth.

Stop relying only on the Keyword tab.

Start looking at the Search Terms tab.

The keyword is a targeting input.

The search term is what the user actually typed.

That distinction matters.

If "red shoes" as a search term is converting, keep it.

If "blue shoes" as a search term is wasting money, add "blue shoes" as a Negative Keyword to the ad group.

You manage efficiency via Exclusion.

Not endless micro-bidding.

That is a major mindset shift.

Old PPC was built around inclusion.

You built massive keyword lists.

Modern PPC is increasingly built around controlled expansion.

You let the system explore.

Then you remove what does not belong.

This requires discipline.

You still need to review search terms.

You still need negative keywords.

You still need query quality checks.

You still need lead quality feedback.

Consolidated does not mean unmanaged.

It means managed at the right level.

Part 7: Account Structure Diagrams

The "Silo" Structure (Legacy)

Campaign: Services
- AG: Plumbing (Exact)
- AG: Plumbing (Phrase)
- AG: Plumbing (Broad)
- AG: Emergency (Exact)
- AG: Emergency (Phrase)
- ... (50 Ad groups)

This structure looks organised.

But it often splits data too far.

It makes the account harder to optimise.

It also creates match type duplication.

The "Modern" Structure (2026)

Campaign: Services (Target CPA: $40)
- AG: Emergency (High Urgency)
- AG: General Plumbing (Low Urgency)
- AG: Installation (High Ticket)

Why this wins: The Smart Bidding algorithm at the Campaign Level now has cleaner conversion data across fewer intent groups, allowing it to optimise budget allocation more effectively.

This structure is easier to understand.

It matches the customer journey.

It also gives the bidding system more data in each place.

Emergency users need speed.

General users need trust.

Installation users need project confidence.

That is how structure should work.

Part 8: Naming Conventions For Sanity

When you consolidate, naming becomes critical for filtering.

A simple naming system saves time.

It also makes reports easier to read.

Formula:

[Network] - [Country] - [Category] - [Match Type] - [Bidding]

Examples:

GS - US - Shoes - Broad - tCPA
GDN - UK - Remarketing - NA - MaxConv

For UK accounts, you might use:

GS - UK - Plumbing - Search - tCPA
GS - UK - Brand - Exact - ImpShare
GS - UK - Competitor - Phrase - MaxConv
PMAX - UK - Ecommerce - Feed - tROAS
GS - UK - DSA - CatchAll - MaxConv

Tags: Use Campaign-level labels for:

Lifecycle: Evergreen
Lifecycle: Promo
Owner: Kiril

You can also use labels for:

Test: Broad Match
Migration: Legacy
Migration: Consolidated
Priority: High
Review: Weekly
Budget: Protected

Good naming is not cosmetic.

It reduces mistakes.

It helps teams work faster.

It makes audits easier.

It keeps the account readable as it grows.

Part 9: FAQs

Part 10: The Google Ads Editor "Hagakure" Workflow

Migrating an account manually in the browser interface is painful.

Use Google Ads Editor.

It is faster.

It is safer.

It lets you bulk edit, review and post changes with more control.

Here is the engineering workflow to effectively "de-structure" your account.

Step 1: Export & Tag

Download Recent Changes in Editor.
Select all active ad groups.
Add a Label: Legacy_SKAG.
Export to CSV.

This gives you a clean record of the old account.

Do not skip this step.

You need a fallback.

You also need a map.

Step 2: The Spreadsheet pivot

You need to map your 1,000 SKAGs to your 10 new Hagakure groups.

Open the CSV.
Create a new column: New_Ad_Group.
Use an Excel formula to map keywords.
- Formula: =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("emergency", A2)), "Emergency", "General")
You now have a clean map.

This is where the strategy happens.

The spreadsheet is not just admin.

It is your migration blueprint.

You should map by:

Intent.
Landing page.
Value proposition.
Funnel stage.
Lead quality.
Conversion volume.
Product category.
Service type.

Step 3: The Re-Import

Create the new Campaign in Editor.
Paste the mapped ad groups and keywords.
Crucial: Set match types to Phrase first if you want a safer migration, or Broad if you have strong Smart Bidding data.
Post the changes.

Do not migrate every theme at once unless the account is already failing.

Start with one theme.

Prove the structure.

Then scale the migration.

Part 11: Automated Audit Script (JavaScript)

You cannot manage this manually at scale.

Use a Google Ads Script to identify Ad Groups that are "Gasping for air" because they do not have enough impression volume.

The "Zombie Group" Killer Script:

function main() {
  // Config
  var IMPRESSION_THRESHOLD = 500; // 30 Days
  var TIME_RANGE = 'LAST_30_DAYS';

  var campaignIterator = AdsApp.campaigns()
      .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
      .get();

  Logger.log("--- Audit Start ---");

  while (campaignIterator.hasNext()) {
    var campaign = campaignIterator.next();
    var adGroupIterator = campaign.adGroups()
        .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
        .withCondition("Impressions < " + IMPRESSION_THRESHOLD)
        .forDateRange(TIME_RANGE)
        .get();

    while (adGroupIterator.hasNext()) {
      var adGroup = adGroupIterator.next();
      Logger.log("ZOMBIE AD GROUP: " + campaign.getName() + " > " + adGroup.getName() +
                 " | Impressions: " + adGroup.getStatsFor(TIME_RANGE).getImpressions());
    }
  }
}

How to use:

Copy into Tools → Scripts.
Run Preview.
Any Ad Group that shows up in the log is a candidate for consolidation.

Important note.

Do not automatically pause every low impression ad group.

Some low volume ad groups are valuable.

For example:

High ticket B2B terms.
Rare but profitable products.
Competitor terms.
Specialist local services.
Brand protection terms.

The script finds candidates.

You still need human judgement.

Part 12: Case Study: The E-commerce Consolidation

Client Profile:

Vertical: Luxury Apparel.
Structure: 150 Campaigns, 3,000 SKAGs.
Problem: CPA was $85 (Target $50). Volatility was extreme.

The "Before" State:

Campaign: Search - US - NonBrand - Red Silk Dress
Ad Group: [red silk dress]
Ad Group: [silk dress red]
Result: 50% of ad groups had 0 clicks in the last 30 days. Smart Bidding had very little useful data in many parts of the account.

The account looked detailed.

But it was starved of signal.

The team was spending time managing structure instead of improving performance.

The "Action":

We reduced 150 campaigns down to 5 core non-brand themes.

Dresses - General
Dresses - Silk
Tops
Bottoms
Accessories

We set Target ROAS (600%) at the campaign level.

We used broader themed keywords such as silk dresses to capture long-tail variations like "buy elegant silk evening wear."

The old account had no clean way to cover those searches without building endless new SKAGs.

The new account allowed the system to find more demand.

The "After" State (90 Days Later):

Spend: Increased 40%.
ROAS: Increased from 350% to 640%.
CPA: Dropped to $42.
Management Time: Reduced by 80%.

Why it worked:

Consolidating data allowed the tROAS algorithm to find stronger patterns.

It could see that certain users, devices, times and query patterns were more valuable.

The old SKAG structure split this signal into too many small pieces.

The new structure unified it.

That does not mean every account will see the same result.

It means the principle is sound.

Better data density can improve bidding decisions.

Cleaner structure can reduce waste.

Less manual clutter can make optimisation more meaningful.

Part 13: The "Match Type" nuance (Broad vs Phrase)

A common fear is:

"If I consolidate, won't I match to junk?"

The honest answer is:

You might, if you do it badly.

Broad match is powerful.

It is also dangerous without controls.

The Safety Net:

You must layer Audience Exclusions and Negative Keywords.

Negative Keyword Lists: Maintain a "Master Negative" list applied to all campaigns. This protects you from "free", "jobs", "repair" if you sell new, and other irrelevant terms.
Broad Match Modifier (BMM) is dead.
- Old BMM: +red +shoes.
- New Phrase: "red shoes" can often provide a safer starting point.
- Strategy: Start with Phrase Match in your Consolidated groups. Once you hit CPA targets, test 1 to 2 Broad Match ad groups or experiments to scale volume.

Phrase match is often a better first step for nervous accounts.

It gives more reach than exact.

It gives more control than broad.

Once conversion tracking is clean and CPA is stable, you can test broad.

Do not turn broad on everywhere at once.

Test it.

Measure it.

Control it.

Look at search terms.

Look at lead quality.

Look at revenue.

Broad match is not a faith exercise.

It is a measured test.

Part 14: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) as a "Catch-All"

In a Hagakure structure, you may still miss very specific long-tail queries.

This is where DSA fits in.

Structure:

Campaign: Consolidated Search
- AG: Standard (Keywords)
- AG: DSA (Dynamic)
  - Target: URL Contains /products/
  - Bid: Lower than your standard groups.

Function:

The DSA acts as a controlled vacuum at the bottom of the campaign.

Any query that does not match your keyword themes can be picked up by DSA.

This is useful for:

Large ecommerce stores.
Product catalogues.
Real estate websites.
Travel sites.
Dealership stock pages.
Service websites with many pages.
Long-tail search discovery.

Pro Tip: Add your main keywords as negatives to the DSA group to ensure better incrementality.

DSA should not be unmanaged.

Exclude:

Blog posts.
Privacy pages.
Login pages.
Support pages.
Out of stock pages.
Low quality pages.
Old campaign pages.
Policy pages.

DSA works best when your website structure is clean.

That is why SEO matters.

The better your pages are, the better DSA can work.

Part 15: Detailed Migration Checklist

Print this out.

Phase	Task	Status
Audit	Run "Zombie Group" Script	[ ]
Audit	Identify top 3 themes by volume	[ ]
Audit	Export 90-day Search Terms Report	[ ]
Audit	Find duplicate search terms across ad groups	[ ]
Audit	Identify low data ad groups	[ ]
Setup	Create "Hagakure" Campaign Shell	[ ]
Setup	Set Budget	[ ]
Setup	Apply "Master Negative List"	[ ]
Setup	Create clean RSA assets by theme	[ ]
Launch	Add Theme 1 Keywords (Phrase)	[ ]
Launch	Set tCPA or Maximise Conversions	[ ]
Launch	Check conversion tracking before spend	[ ]
Monitor	Check "Search Terms" daily for 7 days	[ ]
Monitor	Check lead quality or revenue quality	[ ]
Scale	Pause Legacy SKAGs for Theme 1	[ ]
Scale	Remove overlap negatives carefully	[ ]
Scale	Add Theme 2 Keywords	[ ]
Scale	Test Broad Match after stability	[ ]

This checklist protects the account from chaos.

The worst migration is rushed.

The best migration is staged.

Part 16: The Physics of Internal Competition (Why SKAGs can increase CPC)

Many advertisers believe that splitting keywords gives them cheaper clicks because they can lower bids on specific terms.

Sometimes that was true in the old system.

But in modern Google Ads, too much fragmentation can increase waste.

The "Second Price Auction" Flaw

Google runs a version of an Ad Rank auction.

A simplified way to think about price is:

$$ \text{Price} \approx \frac{\text{AdRank of Next Competitor}}{\text{Your Quality Score}} + 0.01 $$

This is simplified.

But it shows the principle.

If your Quality Score and expected performance signals are stronger, you may pay less for the same auction.

When you have [red shoes] in Group A and "red shoes" in Group B eligible for similar searches, the account becomes harder to control.

The bigger issue is not that you directly bid against yourself in a simple way.

Google does not normally let two ads from the same account show for the same search in the same auction.

The bigger issue is signal fragmentation.

You split data.

You split impressions.

You split CTR history.

You split conversion volume.

You split RSA learning.

You split reporting.

That makes optimisation weaker.

More importantly, Quality Score and expected CTR depend on historical performance signals.

If you split your data into 10 groups, each entity has less data.
Google's confidence in predicted performance may be weaker.
Lower expected performance can hurt Ad Rank.
Weaker Ad Rank can increase CPC or reduce impression share.

Consolidating into Hagakure or STAGs can aggregate useful data.

Google can become more confident in the expected performance of the theme.

Your ads can gain more impressions.

Your RSAs can test faster.

Your bidding strategy can learn better.

That can help reduce CPC and improve conversion efficiency.

The point is not that consolidation always drops CPC by a fixed percentage.

The point is that better signal density often improves the economics of the account.

Part 17: Excel Engineering for Account Cleanup

You cannot do this cleanup with just your eyes.

You need Excel or Google Sheets.

Here are the formulas I use to audit structure.

1. The "Keyword Length" Test

Long-tail keywords with 4 or more words usually do not need their own ad group in a Hagakure structure.

Formula: =LEN(TRIM(A2))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""))+1
Action: Filter for anything greater than 4 words. Move them into a relevant theme or pause them if they have no volume and no value.

This does not mean long-tail keywords are bad.

It means they rarely need their own ad group.

Long-tail intent can often be captured by phrase, broad or DSA inside a stronger theme.

2. The "Duplicate Stem" Finder

To find keywords that are essentially the same, such as "plumber new york" and "new york plumber":

Formula: Try a fuzzy lookup add-on, or sort alphabetically and spot check.
Better approach: Use the Google Ads Editor "Find Duplicates" tool.
- Open Editor → Tools → Find Duplicates.
- Select similar broad match intent where available.
- Run.
- Review duplicates and keep the stronger version.

Do not pause duplicates blindly.

Check:

Conversions.
CPA.
Search terms.
Landing pages.
Match type.
Quality Score.
Impression volume.
Lead quality.

The spreadsheet helps you find the issue.

A human still makes the final decision.

Part 18: Vertical-Specific Strategy: B2B vs Ecommerce

Hagakure looks different depending on your business model.

A hotel account is not the same as a SaaS account.

A dental clinic is not the same as an ecommerce store.

A dealership is not the same as a national insurance brand.

The principle is the same.

The structure changes.

Scenario A: Ecommerce (The "Feed" Approach)

In ecommerce, you may have 10,000 SKUs.

Do NOT make an Ad Group for every SKU.
Structure:
- Campaign: Womens - Shoes
- Ad Group: Sandals (Broad + Phrase)
- Ad Group: Boots (Broad + Phrase)
- Product Feed: Attached where relevant.
Why: Shopping, Performance Max and feed based campaigns can handle specific SKU matching. Search Ads should focus on category intent.

For ecommerce, the structure should follow how people shop.

They often search by:

Product type.
Brand.
Category.
Size.
Colour.
Material.
Use case.
Price point.
Occasion.
Delivery need.

Your campaigns should reflect the commercial reality.

High margin categories may need their own budget.

Best sellers may need protection.

Sale products may need separate messaging.

Brand and non-brand should be separate.

Shopping feed quality is also critical.

A poor feed can limit performance.

Scenario B: B2B SaaS (The "Avatar" Approach)

In B2B, the keyword often implies the buyer's stage or role.

Structure:
- Campaign: Software - Bottom Funnel
- Ad Group: Features ("scheduling features", "time tracking")
- Ad Group: Competitors ("vs Calendly", "alternative to Asana")
- Ad Group: Pricing ("cost", "enterprise license")
Why: You want to funnel users into assets that match their stage.
- Features -> Landing Page with Feature Grid.
- Competitors -> Comparison Page.
- Pricing -> Request Quote Page.
Note: Even here, we do NOT separate "scheduling software" and "software for scheduling". That is one Ad Group.

For B2B, lead quality matters more than lead count.

You may need:

Strong negatives.
CRM import tracking.
Offline conversion tracking.
Lead scoring.
Competitor campaigns.
Industry landing pages.
Role-specific messaging.
Sales accepted lead measurement.

Do not judge B2B search only on cost per lead.

Judge it on pipeline.

Part 19: The "Negative Keyword" Library (Your Defense System)

In a consolidated account, your Negative Keyword List determines your profitability.

You should have tiered lists applied.

Tier 1: The "Universal Toxic" List

Apply to ALL campaigns where relevant.

"free", "crack", "torrent", "job", "salary", "internship", "resume", "login", "support", "customer service".

Be careful with universal negatives.

Some businesses may want "support" or "customer service" traffic.

Some may want "free consultation."

So the list must match the business.

Do not copy it blindly.

Tier 2: The "Conflict" List

Apply to specific campaigns to force traffic shaping.

Example: In your Generic campaign, add your Brand name as a negative. This forces brand searches to trigger correctly in your Brand campaign.

This keeps reporting cleaner.

It also prevents broad generic campaigns from stealing brand credit.

Tier 3: The "Competitor" List

Decide if you want to bid on competitors.

If Yes: Create a dedicated Competitor Campaign. Add competitor terms as negatives to your standard campaigns.
If No: Add competitor names to the relevant negative list.

Competitor traffic is different.

It needs different copy.

It needs different expectations.

It needs careful legal review.

Do not let it mix with core generic traffic unless that is intentional.

A good negative system is not defensive only.

It also shapes the account.

It tells Google where each query belongs.

That is why negatives matter more in consolidated accounts.

Part 20: The Psychology of Intent (Why Structure Matters)

Ultimately, an account structure is not just a filing system.

It is a User Journey Map.

When a user types a query, they are in one of three mental states.

Your structure must respect this.

1. Navigational Intent ("I want to go to [Brand]")

Query: "Nike website", "Nike login".
Structure: This belongs in a Brand Campaign.
Bidding: Target Impression Share, Manual CPC or another controlled strategy depending on the account.

You are holding the door open.

These people already know the brand.

Do not mix them with non-brand.

It will make the account look better than it really is.

2. Informational Intent ("I have a problem")

Query: "best running shoes for flat feet", "how to fix leaky pipe".
Structure: This belongs in a Top-of-Funnel (TOF) Generic Campaign if you are intentionally buying this traffic.
Bidding: Maximise Conversions with caution, or a controlled strategy based on data.
Asset Group: Use educational copy. "Guide to Running Shoes."

Informational traffic can be valuable.

But it is not the same as transactional traffic.

It often needs content, retargeting and softer calls to action.

3. Transactional Intent ("I want to buy")

Query: "buy nike pegasus 40 size 10", "emergency plumber price".
Structure: This belongs in your Core Service/Product Campaign.
Bidding: Target ROAS or Target CPA if you have enough data.
Asset Group: Transactional copy. "Free Shipping", "Arriving in 30 mins".

Transactional intent deserves stronger bids.

The person is closer to action.

The landing page should be direct.

The call to action should be clear.

The Mistake:

SKAGs treat "best running shoes" and "buy running shoes" as two different strings of text.

Modern structure treats them as different states of mind.

That is the key shift.

The question is not only what the user typed.

The question is what the user is trying to do.

Glossary of Key Terms

SKAG (Single Keyword Ad Group):

A legacy structure where each ad group contains one main keyword.

Hagakure:

A modern structure where ad groups are consolidated based on landing page, theme and intent, often containing multiple closely related keywords.

STAG (Single Topic Ad Group):

A themed ad group structure. Similar to Hagakure, but usually with tighter control.

Impression Density:

The volume of data passing through an entity such as an ad group or campaign. Higher density can help Smart Bidding and RSA learning.

Close Variants:

The mechanism by which Google matches a keyword like [red shoes] to similar intent queries. This reduced the isolation value of SKAGs.

Zombie Ad Group:

An ad group with very low impression or conversion volume. It may have insufficient data to optimise effectively.

DSA (Dynamic Search Ads):

Ads where Google generates the headline and selects the target URL based on website content, not manually selected keywords.

The Legacy Account Migration Plan

If you inherited a SKAG account, do not delete everything overnight.

You can shock the account.

You can lose stable traffic.

You can reset learning.

You can create internal panic.

Use a staged migration.

The Slow Migration (5 steps):

Kill the Zombies: Find Ad Groups with 0 conversions in the last 90 days. Pause or consolidate them after checking relevance.
Cluster the Winners: Identify your top 5 producing Ad Groups. Look for semantic overlaps.
Merge: Pause the smaller groups. Add their keywords to the strongest theme group.
Update Ad Copy: Ensure the surviving group's RSA covers all the absorbed themes.
Wait: Run for 2 weeks before judging. CPA may fluctuate before stabilising.

Do not judge too early.

A migration needs enough time to collect data.

But do not ignore warning signs either.

If search terms become poor, fix negatives.

If lead quality drops, check intent.

If CPA spikes badly, slow the migration.

On the Alpha/Beta Framework (Is it still valid?)

Classic strategy: run "Beta" broad campaigns to find terms, then move winners to "Alpha" exact campaigns.

2026 verdict: mostly outdated.

Exact Match now includes close variants.

Moving every winner into a separate exact campaign can split data without gaining much extra precision.

A better approach is often:

Keep winners inside the main themed group.
Add bad terms as negatives.
Separate only when the business case is clear.
Use exact match for terms that need stronger control.
Use campaign structure to protect budget and intent.

Brand separation is non-negotiable.

Always put Brand keywords in their own campaign.

Mixing Brand + Non-Brand makes your ROAS look artificially high:

Brand ROAS: 2,000%
Non-Brand ROAS: 200%
Mixed: 1,100%

You will think you are a genius.

You are just harvesting people who already know you.

Brand traffic should be measured separately.

Non-brand traffic should prove its own value.

That is how you keep the account honest.

Final Takeaway

Google Ads account structure has changed because Google Ads itself has changed.

The old world rewarded manual control.

The new world rewards clean data, clear intent and strong conversion signals.

That does not mean you should hand everything to automation.

It means you should structure the account so automation has the right conditions to work.

SKAGs gave advertisers control when control lived at keyword level.

Today, control often lives in:

Conversion tracking.
Campaign goals.
Landing pages.
Negative keywords.
Search term reviews.
Budget allocation.
Audience signals.
Feed quality.
Creative quality.
Offline conversion data.

Hagakure is not about doing less work.

It is about doing the right work.

Less time managing tiny ad groups.

More time improving the offer.

Less time splitting syntax.

More time understanding intent.

Less time chasing tiny bid changes.

More time improving conversion quality.

The best structure is not the most complicated structure.

It is the structure that helps the account make better decisions.

For most modern accounts, that means consolidation.

Not chaos.

Not blind broad match.

Not one campaign for everything.

But thoughtful grouping by intent, landing page and value proposition.

That is the future of Google Ads structure.

Cleaner accounts.

Stronger signals.

Better learning.

Better decisions.

Better results.

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About the Author

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Google Ads Account Structure: Hagakure vs SKAGs in 2026

2026-01-18

33 min read

Kiril Ivanov

Performance Marketing Specialist

Part 1: The Death of SKAGs (The Mathematical Failure)

What was a SKAG?

For the uninitiated, a Single Keyword Ad Group structure looked like this:

Campaign: Red Shoes
Ad Group: [red nike shoes]
Keyword: [red nike shoes]
Ad Copy: "Buy Red Nike Shoes."

The logic was simple.

One keyword.

One ad group.

One set of ads.

One landing page.

One bid.

At the time, this gave advertisers a sense of precision.

If someone searched for red Nike shoes, they saw an ad about red Nike shoes.

That sounds reasonable.

It was reasonable.

But it was built for a different Google Ads system.

Why it Worked (2015-2020)

Quality Score: It helped create strong ad relevance.
Control: You could bid exactly $2.50 for "red nike shoes" and $1.50 for "nike shoes red".
Transparency: You knew where spend was going.

SKAGs were attractive because they made accounts feel organised.

They made reports easy to read.

They let advertisers write very specific ad copy.

They also gave agencies a way to show detailed work.

A client could look at the account and see effort.

Thousands of ad groups looked like control.

But control and performance are not always the same thing.

A structure can look impressive and still perform poorly.

That is the problem with many legacy accounts today.

They are busy.

They are detailed.

They are hard to manage.

But they are not giving the algorithm enough useful data.

Why it Fails (2024-2026)

Three changes weakened SKAGs.

Close Variants: Google no longer treats Exact Match as exact in the old sense. [red nike shoes] can match close variants and similar intent searches. This means multiple ad groups can become eligible for similar queries.
Smart Bidding Signal Density: Bid algorithms need data volume. A SKAG with 3 clicks per month has very little learning value.
RSA (Responsive Search Ads): RSAs need enough impressions to test asset combinations. Tiny ad groups starve the system.

This does not mean every SKAG account is automatically broken.

It means the structure is usually working against the modern system.

Modern Google Ads does not only look at the keyword.

It looks at context.

It can consider signals such as:

Device.
Location.
Time of day.
Search history.
Query meaning.
Audience behaviour.
Conversion probability.
Landing page experience.
Previous user signals.
Auction conditions.

A tiny ad group cannot give Smart Bidding enough volume to read these patterns properly.

The result is usually one of three problems.

First, the account becomes fragmented.

Conversions are spread across too many ad groups and campaigns.

Second, the account becomes hard to manage.

Every change takes longer.

Every report needs more interpretation.

Third, the account becomes slower to learn.

The system cannot see enough data in each place.

The Result: SKAG accounts today often suffer from low data density, weaker RSA learning, slower bidding optimisation and unnecessary management complexity.

The issue is not that structure does not matter.

The issue is that old structure was built around keyword syntax.

Modern structure should be built around intent.

Part 2: The Hagakure Method (Japanese Efficiency)

"Hagakure" roughly translates to "Hidden by Leaves."

In Google Ads, it refers to a consolidated structure popularised by Google Japan.

The idea is simple.

Reduce unnecessary fragmentation.

Group similar intent together.

Give Smart Bidding more data.

Let the system make better decisions using stronger signals.

Structure Signal Visualizer

[red shoes]

2 Convs

[nike shoes red]

1 Convs

red running shoes

3 Convs

crimson trainers

1 Convs

Signal Density Impact

Learning SpeedVery Slow

Data is fragmented across too many buckets. The algorithm takes weeks to find patterns in 1-2 conversions.

The Core Philosophy:

Maximize Data Density per Ad Group to fuel Smart Bidding.

This is not about being lazy.

It is not about removing structure.

It is about removing structure that no longer helps.

The New Architecture

Instead of 1,000 Ad Groups, you may have 10.

Campaign: Shoes
Ad Group: Sneakers - Generic
Keywords: nike sneakers, running shoes, "gym trainers" (Concept-based, not syntax-based).
Ad Copy: Responsive Search Ads cover the main theme.
URL: A relevant landing page that can handle the full intent group.

The important change is the grouping logic.

Old structure grouped by keyword wording.

Modern structure groups by intent.

For example, these searches may belong together:

emergency plumber
24 hour plumber
urgent leak repair
plumber near me now
burst pipe help

The words are different.

The intent is the same.

The person needs help quickly.

The ad should speak to speed, availability and trust.

They do not need five separate ad groups.

They need one strong emergency intent group.

The Signal Density Equation

Smart Bidding effectiveness improves when the system has more useful conversion data.

$$ \text{Learning Strength} \approx \log(C_v + 1) $$

Where:

C_v = conversion volume available to the bidding system.

This is not a literal Google formula.

It is a useful way to think about the principle.

More conversion data usually gives Smart Bidding more room to learn.

SKAG: 2 Conversions/Month -> weak learning.
Hagakure: 50 Conversions/Month -> stronger learning.

By grouping similar keywords into one bucket, you give the system more conversion data in one place.

That helps it understand patterns.

It can learn that a user searching from a mobile phone at 7 PM may be more valuable.

It can learn that one location converts better than another.

It can learn that a certain type of query leads to higher value customers.

It can learn that some searches deserve a higher bid and others deserve less.

A human looking at keyword text cannot process all of that at auction time.

Smart Bidding can.

But only if it has enough signal.

That is why consolidation matters.

AI Learning Velocity

Simulate how conversion volume accelerates your account's Smart Bidding maturity.

Monthly Conversions (per Ad Group)10

Time to Optimize

20 Days

Steady Growth

Part 3: STAGs (Single Topic Ad Groups) - The Middle Ground

For most advertisers, pure Hagakure can feel too broad.

That is why we often recommend STAGs.

STAG means Single Topic Ad Group.

It is a practical middle ground.

It keeps the account controlled, but not overbuilt.

Definition:

Grouping keywords by Theme/Intent, not syntax.

Theme A: "Emergency Plumber"
- Keywords: emergency plumber, 24 hour plumbing, urgent leak fix.
- Why? The intent is speed. The ad copy must say "Arriving in 30 mins."
Theme B: "Plumbing Installation"
- Keywords: install toilet, new bathroom piping, plumbing renovation.
- Why? The intent is project-based. The ad copy must say "Free Quote."

This is the key principle.

If the user needs a different promise, they need a different ad group.

If the same promise works, consolidate.

Rule of Thumb:

If the Ad Copy needs a different value proposition, it needs a new Ad Group.

If you can use the same Ad Copy, consolidate it.

This is simple, but powerful.

Do not ask:

"Does this keyword have different wording?"

Ask:

"Does this person need a different message?"

For example:

emergency plumber and urgent leak repair can live together.

The person wants speed.

bathroom installation plumber and new pipework quote can live together.

The person wants a planned project.

But emergency plumber and bathroom renovation quote should not live together.

The first person is in distress.

The second is planning.

They need different ads.

They need different landing pages.

They may need different bids.

That is how modern structure should work.

It should follow human intent.

Not keyword decoration.

Part 4: The Migration Roadmap (Don't Break Everything)

Moving from SKAGs to STAGs or Hagakure is risky.

If you pause everything and launch a new broad structure overnight, performance may drop.

The account may enter learning.

Budgets may shift.

Search terms may broaden.

The team may panic.

That is why migration needs to be controlled.

Do not destroy the old structure before the new structure has proof.

Here is the safe migration path.

Phase 1: Audit

Use this logic to identify consolidation candidates.

Export your "Search Terms Report" for the last 90 days.
Look for "Duplicate Search Terms" triggering ads from different Ad Groups.
If "red shoes" triggers Ad Group A and Ad Group B, you have overlap.

You are looking for waste and duplication.

A legacy account often has many ad groups competing for similar searches.

This makes reporting harder.

It also makes optimisation harder.

The audit should identify:

Low impression ad groups.
Low conversion ad groups.
Duplicate intent groups.
Overlapping search terms.
Similar landing pages.
Similar RSA copy.
Fragmented budget.
Campaigns stuck with too little data.

Do not start by touching winners.

Start by finding obvious waste.

Phase 2: The "Seed" Campaign

Do not touch your SKAGs yet.

Create a New Campaign: "Consolidated - Generic".
Add your top 5 broad or phrase match keywords that cover the topic.
Set Bidding Strategy to Maximize Conversions or Target CPA if you have enough conversion data.
Crucial: Add the SKAG keywords as Negative Keywords to this new campaign to prevent overlap initially.

The seed campaign lets you test the new structure safely.

It gives the modern campaign a chance to learn.

It also protects your current performance while you gather data.

Start with a controlled budget.

Watch search terms.

Watch lead quality.

Watch CPA.

Watch conversion volume.

Do not judge after two days.

Give the campaign enough time to gather useful data.

Phase 3: The Slow Kill

As the Consolidated Campaign learns and gains conversions, slowly pause the underperforming SKAGs.
Remove the negative keywords from the Consolidated campaign to let it "absorb" the traffic.
Watch the CPA, conversion rate and lead quality.

The goal is not to chase a perfect structure.

The goal is to improve business results.

If the new campaign brings better CPA and better volume, continue migrating.

If it brings worse leads, slow down.

If broad match becomes too loose, tighten with negatives.

If one intent theme performs very differently, split it out.

Good migration is not blind consolidation.

It is controlled consolidation.

Part 5: URL Structure & Dynamic Replacement

One valid argument for SKAGs was Landing Page Relevance.

Keyword: "Red Shoes" -> URL: site.com/shoes/red
Keyword: "Blue Shoes" -> URL: site.com/shoes/blue

That made sense.

If someone searches for red shoes, they should not land on a generic shoe page if a better red shoe page exists.

Landing page relevance still matters.

Consolidation should not mean lazy landing pages.

In a consolidated group, how do you handle this?

Solution: Final URL Suffixes & IF Functions.

Do not send everyone to site.com/shoes if stronger pages exist.

Use ValueTrack Parameters where appropriate.

Final URL: site.com/shoes?color=[ignore]&match=[keyword]

You can also use:

Final URLs at keyword level.
Ad customizers.
Dynamic keyword insertion.
Location insertion.
Custom landing page rules.
Site filters.
Feed based campaigns.
Dynamic Search Ads where suitable.

The principle is simple.

Consolidate the bidding signal.

Do not destroy user relevance.

If one ad group contains several related product terms, make sure the landing page can serve those terms.

If the landing page cannot do that, the ad group may be too broad.

This is where SEO and PPC meet.

A strong landing page helps both.

It gives Google better context.

It gives the user a better answer.

It gives Smart Bidding a better chance of success.

Part 6: Reporting in a Consolidated World

"If I group everything, how do I know which keyword is working?"

This is the normal fear.

It is understandable.

A granular account makes people feel informed.

But the keyword is not always the truth anymore.

The Search Term is the truth.

Stop relying only on the Keyword tab.

Start looking at the Search Terms tab.

The keyword is a targeting input.

The search term is what the user actually typed.

That distinction matters.

If "red shoes" as a search term is converting, keep it.

If "blue shoes" as a search term is wasting money, add "blue shoes" as a Negative Keyword to the ad group.

You manage efficiency via Exclusion.

Not endless micro-bidding.

That is a major mindset shift.

Old PPC was built around inclusion.

You built massive keyword lists.

Modern PPC is increasingly built around controlled expansion.

You let the system explore.

Then you remove what does not belong.

This requires discipline.

You still need to review search terms.

You still need negative keywords.

You still need query quality checks.

You still need lead quality feedback.

Consolidated does not mean unmanaged.

It means managed at the right level.

Part 7: Account Structure Diagrams

The "Silo" Structure (Legacy)

Campaign: Services
- AG: Plumbing (Exact)
- AG: Plumbing (Phrase)
- AG: Plumbing (Broad)
- AG: Emergency (Exact)
- AG: Emergency (Phrase)
- ... (50 Ad groups)

This structure looks organised.

But it often splits data too far.

It makes the account harder to optimise.

It also creates match type duplication.

The "Modern" Structure (2026)

Campaign: Services (Target CPA: $40)
- AG: Emergency (High Urgency)
- AG: General Plumbing (Low Urgency)
- AG: Installation (High Ticket)

Why this wins: The Smart Bidding algorithm at the Campaign Level now has cleaner conversion data across fewer intent groups, allowing it to optimise budget allocation more effectively.

This structure is easier to understand.

It matches the customer journey.

It also gives the bidding system more data in each place.

Emergency users need speed.

General users need trust.

Installation users need project confidence.

That is how structure should work.

Part 8: Naming Conventions For Sanity

When you consolidate, naming becomes critical for filtering.

A simple naming system saves time.

It also makes reports easier to read.

Formula:

[Network] - [Country] - [Category] - [Match Type] - [Bidding]

Examples:

GS - US - Shoes - Broad - tCPA
GDN - UK - Remarketing - NA - MaxConv

For UK accounts, you might use:

GS - UK - Plumbing - Search - tCPA
GS - UK - Brand - Exact - ImpShare
GS - UK - Competitor - Phrase - MaxConv
PMAX - UK - Ecommerce - Feed - tROAS
GS - UK - DSA - CatchAll - MaxConv

Tags: Use Campaign-level labels for:

Lifecycle: Evergreen
Lifecycle: Promo
Owner: Kiril

You can also use labels for:

Test: Broad Match
Migration: Legacy
Migration: Consolidated
Priority: High
Review: Weekly
Budget: Protected

Good naming is not cosmetic.

It reduces mistakes.

It helps teams work faster.

It makes audits easier.

It keeps the account readable as it grows.

Part 9: FAQs

Part 10: The Google Ads Editor "Hagakure" Workflow

Migrating an account manually in the browser interface is painful.

Use Google Ads Editor.

It is faster.

It is safer.

It lets you bulk edit, review and post changes with more control.

Here is the engineering workflow to effectively "de-structure" your account.

Step 1: Export & Tag

Download Recent Changes in Editor.
Select all active ad groups.
Add a Label: Legacy_SKAG.
Export to CSV.

This gives you a clean record of the old account.

Do not skip this step.

You need a fallback.

You also need a map.

Step 2: The Spreadsheet pivot

You need to map your 1,000 SKAGs to your 10 new Hagakure groups.

Open the CSV.
Create a new column: New_Ad_Group.
Use an Excel formula to map keywords.
- Formula: =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("emergency", A2)), "Emergency", "General")
You now have a clean map.

This is where the strategy happens.

The spreadsheet is not just admin.

It is your migration blueprint.

You should map by:

Intent.
Landing page.
Value proposition.
Funnel stage.
Lead quality.
Conversion volume.
Product category.
Service type.

Step 3: The Re-Import

Create the new Campaign in Editor.
Paste the mapped ad groups and keywords.
Crucial: Set match types to Phrase first if you want a safer migration, or Broad if you have strong Smart Bidding data.
Post the changes.

Do not migrate every theme at once unless the account is already failing.

Start with one theme.

Prove the structure.

Then scale the migration.

Part 11: Automated Audit Script (JavaScript)

You cannot manage this manually at scale.

Use a Google Ads Script to identify Ad Groups that are "Gasping for air" because they do not have enough impression volume.

The "Zombie Group" Killer Script:

function main() {
  // Config
  var IMPRESSION_THRESHOLD = 500; // 30 Days
  var TIME_RANGE = 'LAST_30_DAYS';

  var campaignIterator = AdsApp.campaigns()
      .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
      .get();

  Logger.log("--- Audit Start ---");

  while (campaignIterator.hasNext()) {
    var campaign = campaignIterator.next();
    var adGroupIterator = campaign.adGroups()
        .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
        .withCondition("Impressions < " + IMPRESSION_THRESHOLD)
        .forDateRange(TIME_RANGE)
        .get();

    while (adGroupIterator.hasNext()) {
      var adGroup = adGroupIterator.next();
      Logger.log("ZOMBIE AD GROUP: " + campaign.getName() + " > " + adGroup.getName() +
                 " | Impressions: " + adGroup.getStatsFor(TIME_RANGE).getImpressions());
    }
  }
}

How to use:

Copy into Tools → Scripts.
Run Preview.
Any Ad Group that shows up in the log is a candidate for consolidation.

Important note.

Do not automatically pause every low impression ad group.

Some low volume ad groups are valuable.

For example:

High ticket B2B terms.
Rare but profitable products.
Competitor terms.
Specialist local services.
Brand protection terms.

The script finds candidates.

You still need human judgement.

Part 12: Case Study: The E-commerce Consolidation

Client Profile:

Vertical: Luxury Apparel.
Structure: 150 Campaigns, 3,000 SKAGs.
Problem: CPA was $85 (Target $50). Volatility was extreme.

The "Before" State:

Campaign: Search - US - NonBrand - Red Silk Dress
Ad Group: [red silk dress]
Ad Group: [silk dress red]
Result: 50% of ad groups had 0 clicks in the last 30 days. Smart Bidding had very little useful data in many parts of the account.

The account looked detailed.

But it was starved of signal.

The team was spending time managing structure instead of improving performance.

The "Action":

We reduced 150 campaigns down to 5 core non-brand themes.

Dresses - General
Dresses - Silk
Tops
Bottoms
Accessories

We set Target ROAS (600%) at the campaign level.

We used broader themed keywords such as silk dresses to capture long-tail variations like "buy elegant silk evening wear."

The old account had no clean way to cover those searches without building endless new SKAGs.

The new account allowed the system to find more demand.

The "After" State (90 Days Later):

Spend: Increased 40%.
ROAS: Increased from 350% to 640%.
CPA: Dropped to $42.
Management Time: Reduced by 80%.

Why it worked:

Consolidating data allowed the tROAS algorithm to find stronger patterns.

It could see that certain users, devices, times and query patterns were more valuable.

The old SKAG structure split this signal into too many small pieces.

The new structure unified it.

That does not mean every account will see the same result.

It means the principle is sound.

Better data density can improve bidding decisions.

Cleaner structure can reduce waste.

Less manual clutter can make optimisation more meaningful.

Part 13: The "Match Type" nuance (Broad vs Phrase)

A common fear is:

"If I consolidate, won't I match to junk?"

The honest answer is:

You might, if you do it badly.

Broad match is powerful.

It is also dangerous without controls.

The Safety Net:

You must layer Audience Exclusions and Negative Keywords.

Negative Keyword Lists: Maintain a "Master Negative" list applied to all campaigns. This protects you from "free", "jobs", "repair" if you sell new, and other irrelevant terms.
Broad Match Modifier (BMM) is dead.
- Old BMM: +red +shoes.
- New Phrase: "red shoes" can often provide a safer starting point.
- Strategy: Start with Phrase Match in your Consolidated groups. Once you hit CPA targets, test 1 to 2 Broad Match ad groups or experiments to scale volume.

Phrase match is often a better first step for nervous accounts.

It gives more reach than exact.

It gives more control than broad.

Once conversion tracking is clean and CPA is stable, you can test broad.

Do not turn broad on everywhere at once.

Test it.

Measure it.

Control it.

Look at search terms.

Look at lead quality.

Look at revenue.

Broad match is not a faith exercise.

It is a measured test.

Part 14: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) as a "Catch-All"

In a Hagakure structure, you may still miss very specific long-tail queries.

This is where DSA fits in.

Structure:

Campaign: Consolidated Search
- AG: Standard (Keywords)
- AG: DSA (Dynamic)
  - Target: URL Contains /products/
  - Bid: Lower than your standard groups.

Function:

The DSA acts as a controlled vacuum at the bottom of the campaign.

Any query that does not match your keyword themes can be picked up by DSA.

This is useful for:

Large ecommerce stores.
Product catalogues.
Real estate websites.
Travel sites.
Dealership stock pages.
Service websites with many pages.
Long-tail search discovery.

Pro Tip: Add your main keywords as negatives to the DSA group to ensure better incrementality.

DSA should not be unmanaged.

Exclude:

Blog posts.
Privacy pages.
Login pages.
Support pages.
Out of stock pages.
Low quality pages.
Old campaign pages.
Policy pages.

DSA works best when your website structure is clean.

That is why SEO matters.

The better your pages are, the better DSA can work.

Part 15: Detailed Migration Checklist

Print this out.

Phase	Task	Status
Audit	Run "Zombie Group" Script	[ ]
Audit	Identify top 3 themes by volume	[ ]
Audit	Export 90-day Search Terms Report	[ ]
Audit	Find duplicate search terms across ad groups	[ ]
Audit	Identify low data ad groups	[ ]
Setup	Create "Hagakure" Campaign Shell	[ ]
Setup	Set Budget	[ ]
Setup	Apply "Master Negative List"	[ ]
Setup	Create clean RSA assets by theme	[ ]
Launch	Add Theme 1 Keywords (Phrase)	[ ]
Launch	Set tCPA or Maximise Conversions	[ ]
Launch	Check conversion tracking before spend	[ ]
Monitor	Check "Search Terms" daily for 7 days	[ ]
Monitor	Check lead quality or revenue quality	[ ]
Scale	Pause Legacy SKAGs for Theme 1	[ ]
Scale	Remove overlap negatives carefully	[ ]
Scale	Add Theme 2 Keywords	[ ]
Scale	Test Broad Match after stability	[ ]

This checklist protects the account from chaos.

The worst migration is rushed.

The best migration is staged.

Part 16: The Physics of Internal Competition (Why SKAGs can increase CPC)

Many advertisers believe that splitting keywords gives them cheaper clicks because they can lower bids on specific terms.

Sometimes that was true in the old system.

But in modern Google Ads, too much fragmentation can increase waste.

The "Second Price Auction" Flaw

Google runs a version of an Ad Rank auction.

A simplified way to think about price is:

$$ \text{Price} \approx \frac{\text{AdRank of Next Competitor}}{\text{Your Quality Score}} + 0.01 $$

This is simplified.

But it shows the principle.

If your Quality Score and expected performance signals are stronger, you may pay less for the same auction.

When you have [red shoes] in Group A and "red shoes" in Group B eligible for similar searches, the account becomes harder to control.

The bigger issue is not that you directly bid against yourself in a simple way.

Google does not normally let two ads from the same account show for the same search in the same auction.

The bigger issue is signal fragmentation.

You split data.

You split impressions.

You split CTR history.

You split conversion volume.

You split RSA learning.

You split reporting.

That makes optimisation weaker.

More importantly, Quality Score and expected CTR depend on historical performance signals.

If you split your data into 10 groups, each entity has less data.
Google's confidence in predicted performance may be weaker.
Lower expected performance can hurt Ad Rank.
Weaker Ad Rank can increase CPC or reduce impression share.

Consolidating into Hagakure or STAGs can aggregate useful data.

Google can become more confident in the expected performance of the theme.

Your ads can gain more impressions.

Your RSAs can test faster.

Your bidding strategy can learn better.

That can help reduce CPC and improve conversion efficiency.

The point is not that consolidation always drops CPC by a fixed percentage.

The point is that better signal density often improves the economics of the account.

Part 17: Excel Engineering for Account Cleanup

You cannot do this cleanup with just your eyes.

You need Excel or Google Sheets.

Here are the formulas I use to audit structure.

1. The "Keyword Length" Test

Long-tail keywords with 4 or more words usually do not need their own ad group in a Hagakure structure.

Formula: =LEN(TRIM(A2))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""))+1
Action: Filter for anything greater than 4 words. Move them into a relevant theme or pause them if they have no volume and no value.

This does not mean long-tail keywords are bad.

It means they rarely need their own ad group.

Long-tail intent can often be captured by phrase, broad or DSA inside a stronger theme.

2. The "Duplicate Stem" Finder

To find keywords that are essentially the same, such as "plumber new york" and "new york plumber":

Formula: Try a fuzzy lookup add-on, or sort alphabetically and spot check.
Better approach: Use the Google Ads Editor "Find Duplicates" tool.
- Open Editor → Tools → Find Duplicates.
- Select similar broad match intent where available.
- Run.
- Review duplicates and keep the stronger version.

Do not pause duplicates blindly.

Check:

Conversions.
CPA.
Search terms.
Landing pages.
Match type.
Quality Score.
Impression volume.
Lead quality.

The spreadsheet helps you find the issue.

A human still makes the final decision.

Part 18: Vertical-Specific Strategy: B2B vs Ecommerce

Hagakure looks different depending on your business model.

A hotel account is not the same as a SaaS account.

A dental clinic is not the same as an ecommerce store.

A dealership is not the same as a national insurance brand.

The principle is the same.

The structure changes.

Scenario A: Ecommerce (The "Feed" Approach)

In ecommerce, you may have 10,000 SKUs.

Do NOT make an Ad Group for every SKU.
Structure:
- Campaign: Womens - Shoes
- Ad Group: Sandals (Broad + Phrase)
- Ad Group: Boots (Broad + Phrase)
- Product Feed: Attached where relevant.
Why: Shopping, Performance Max and feed based campaigns can handle specific SKU matching. Search Ads should focus on category intent.

For ecommerce, the structure should follow how people shop.

They often search by:

Product type.
Brand.
Category.
Size.
Colour.
Material.
Use case.
Price point.
Occasion.
Delivery need.

Your campaigns should reflect the commercial reality.

High margin categories may need their own budget.

Best sellers may need protection.

Sale products may need separate messaging.

Brand and non-brand should be separate.

Shopping feed quality is also critical.

A poor feed can limit performance.

Scenario B: B2B SaaS (The "Avatar" Approach)

In B2B, the keyword often implies the buyer's stage or role.

Structure:
- Campaign: Software - Bottom Funnel
- Ad Group: Features ("scheduling features", "time tracking")
- Ad Group: Competitors ("vs Calendly", "alternative to Asana")
- Ad Group: Pricing ("cost", "enterprise license")
Why: You want to funnel users into assets that match their stage.
- Features -> Landing Page with Feature Grid.
- Competitors -> Comparison Page.
- Pricing -> Request Quote Page.
Note: Even here, we do NOT separate "scheduling software" and "software for scheduling". That is one Ad Group.

For B2B, lead quality matters more than lead count.

You may need:

Strong negatives.
CRM import tracking.
Offline conversion tracking.
Lead scoring.
Competitor campaigns.
Industry landing pages.
Role-specific messaging.
Sales accepted lead measurement.

Do not judge B2B search only on cost per lead.

Judge it on pipeline.

Part 19: The "Negative Keyword" Library (Your Defense System)

In a consolidated account, your Negative Keyword List determines your profitability.

You should have tiered lists applied.

Tier 1: The "Universal Toxic" List

Apply to ALL campaigns where relevant.

"free", "crack", "torrent", "job", "salary", "internship", "resume", "login", "support", "customer service".

Be careful with universal negatives.

Some businesses may want "support" or "customer service" traffic.

Some may want "free consultation."

So the list must match the business.

Do not copy it blindly.

Tier 2: The "Conflict" List

Apply to specific campaigns to force traffic shaping.

Example: In your Generic campaign, add your Brand name as a negative. This forces brand searches to trigger correctly in your Brand campaign.

This keeps reporting cleaner.

It also prevents broad generic campaigns from stealing brand credit.

Tier 3: The "Competitor" List

Decide if you want to bid on competitors.

If Yes: Create a dedicated Competitor Campaign. Add competitor terms as negatives to your standard campaigns.
If No: Add competitor names to the relevant negative list.

Competitor traffic is different.

It needs different copy.

It needs different expectations.

It needs careful legal review.

Do not let it mix with core generic traffic unless that is intentional.

A good negative system is not defensive only.

It also shapes the account.

It tells Google where each query belongs.

That is why negatives matter more in consolidated accounts.

Part 20: The Psychology of Intent (Why Structure Matters)

Ultimately, an account structure is not just a filing system.

It is a User Journey Map.

When a user types a query, they are in one of three mental states.

Your structure must respect this.

1. Navigational Intent ("I want to go to [Brand]")

Query: "Nike website", "Nike login".
Structure: This belongs in a Brand Campaign.
Bidding: Target Impression Share, Manual CPC or another controlled strategy depending on the account.

You are holding the door open.

These people already know the brand.

Do not mix them with non-brand.

It will make the account look better than it really is.

2. Informational Intent ("I have a problem")

Query: "best running shoes for flat feet", "how to fix leaky pipe".
Structure: This belongs in a Top-of-Funnel (TOF) Generic Campaign if you are intentionally buying this traffic.
Bidding: Maximise Conversions with caution, or a controlled strategy based on data.
Asset Group: Use educational copy. "Guide to Running Shoes."

Informational traffic can be valuable.

But it is not the same as transactional traffic.

It often needs content, retargeting and softer calls to action.

3. Transactional Intent ("I want to buy")

Query: "buy nike pegasus 40 size 10", "emergency plumber price".
Structure: This belongs in your Core Service/Product Campaign.
Bidding: Target ROAS or Target CPA if you have enough data.
Asset Group: Transactional copy. "Free Shipping", "Arriving in 30 mins".

Transactional intent deserves stronger bids.

The person is closer to action.

The landing page should be direct.

The call to action should be clear.

The Mistake:

SKAGs treat "best running shoes" and "buy running shoes" as two different strings of text.

Modern structure treats them as different states of mind.

That is the key shift.

The question is not only what the user typed.

The question is what the user is trying to do.

Glossary of Key Terms

SKAG (Single Keyword Ad Group):

A legacy structure where each ad group contains one main keyword.

Hagakure:

A modern structure where ad groups are consolidated based on landing page, theme and intent, often containing multiple closely related keywords.

STAG (Single Topic Ad Group):

A themed ad group structure. Similar to Hagakure, but usually with tighter control.

Impression Density:

The volume of data passing through an entity such as an ad group or campaign. Higher density can help Smart Bidding and RSA learning.

Close Variants:

The mechanism by which Google matches a keyword like [red shoes] to similar intent queries. This reduced the isolation value of SKAGs.

Zombie Ad Group:

An ad group with very low impression or conversion volume. It may have insufficient data to optimise effectively.

DSA (Dynamic Search Ads):

Ads where Google generates the headline and selects the target URL based on website content, not manually selected keywords.

The Legacy Account Migration Plan

If you inherited a SKAG account, do not delete everything overnight.

You can shock the account.

You can lose stable traffic.

You can reset learning.

You can create internal panic.

Use a staged migration.

The Slow Migration (5 steps):

Kill the Zombies: Find Ad Groups with 0 conversions in the last 90 days. Pause or consolidate them after checking relevance.
Cluster the Winners: Identify your top 5 producing Ad Groups. Look for semantic overlaps.
Merge: Pause the smaller groups. Add their keywords to the strongest theme group.
Update Ad Copy: Ensure the surviving group's RSA covers all the absorbed themes.
Wait: Run for 2 weeks before judging. CPA may fluctuate before stabilising.

Do not judge too early.

A migration needs enough time to collect data.

But do not ignore warning signs either.

If search terms become poor, fix negatives.

If lead quality drops, check intent.

If CPA spikes badly, slow the migration.

On the Alpha/Beta Framework (Is it still valid?)

Classic strategy: run "Beta" broad campaigns to find terms, then move winners to "Alpha" exact campaigns.

2026 verdict: mostly outdated.

Exact Match now includes close variants.

Moving every winner into a separate exact campaign can split data without gaining much extra precision.

A better approach is often:

Keep winners inside the main themed group.
Add bad terms as negatives.
Separate only when the business case is clear.
Use exact match for terms that need stronger control.
Use campaign structure to protect budget and intent.

Brand separation is non-negotiable.

Always put Brand keywords in their own campaign.

Mixing Brand + Non-Brand makes your ROAS look artificially high:

Brand ROAS: 2,000%
Non-Brand ROAS: 200%
Mixed: 1,100%

You will think you are a genius.

You are just harvesting people who already know you.

Brand traffic should be measured separately.

Non-brand traffic should prove its own value.

That is how you keep the account honest.

Final Takeaway

Google Ads account structure has changed because Google Ads itself has changed.

The old world rewarded manual control.

The new world rewards clean data, clear intent and strong conversion signals.

That does not mean you should hand everything to automation.

It means you should structure the account so automation has the right conditions to work.

SKAGs gave advertisers control when control lived at keyword level.

Today, control often lives in:

Conversion tracking.
Campaign goals.
Landing pages.
Negative keywords.
Search term reviews.
Budget allocation.
Audience signals.
Feed quality.
Creative quality.
Offline conversion data.

Hagakure is not about doing less work.

It is about doing the right work.

Less time managing tiny ad groups.

More time improving the offer.

Less time splitting syntax.

More time understanding intent.

Less time chasing tiny bid changes.

More time improving conversion quality.

The best structure is not the most complicated structure.

It is the structure that helps the account make better decisions.

For most modern accounts, that means consolidation.

Not chaos.

Not blind broad match.

Not one campaign for everything.

But thoughtful grouping by intent, landing page and value proposition.

That is the future of Google Ads structure.

Cleaner accounts.

Stronger signals.

Better learning.

Better decisions.

Better results.

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About the Author

Performance marketing specialist with 6 years of experience in Google Ads, Meta Ads, and paid media strategy. Helps B2B and Ecommerce brands scale profitably through data-driven advertising.

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Google Ads Bidding Strategies: Manual CPC vs Smart Bidding Explained

Google Ads Negative Keywords List: Result-Killing Terms to Exclude

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Google Ads Account Structure: Hagakure vs SKAGs in 2026

On this page

Part 1: The Death of SKAGs (The Mathematical Failure)

What was a SKAG?

Why it Worked (2015-2020)

Why it Fails (2024-2026)

Part 2: The Hagakure Method (Japanese Efficiency)

Structure Signal Visualizer

The New Architecture

The Signal Density Equation

AI Learning Velocity

Part 3: STAGs (Single Topic Ad Groups) - The Middle Ground

Part 4: The Migration Roadmap (Don't Break Everything)

Phase 1: Audit

Phase 2: The "Seed" Campaign

Phase 3: The Slow Kill

Part 5: URL Structure & Dynamic Replacement

Part 6: Reporting in a Consolidated World

Part 7: Account Structure Diagrams

The "Silo" Structure (Legacy)

The "Modern" Structure (2026)

Part 8: Naming Conventions For Sanity

Part 9: FAQs

Part 10: The Google Ads Editor "Hagakure" Workflow

Step 1: Export & Tag

Step 2: The Spreadsheet pivot

Step 3: The Re-Import

Part 11: Automated Audit Script (JavaScript)

Part 12: Case Study: The E-commerce Consolidation

Part 13: The "Match Type" nuance (Broad vs Phrase)

Part 14: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) as a "Catch-All"

Part 15: Detailed Migration Checklist

Part 16: The Physics of Internal Competition (Why SKAGs can increase CPC)

The "Second Price Auction" Flaw

Part 17: Excel Engineering for Account Cleanup

1. The "Keyword Length" Test

2. The "Duplicate Stem" Finder

Part 18: Vertical-Specific Strategy: B2B vs Ecommerce

Scenario A: Ecommerce (The "Feed" Approach)

Scenario B: B2B SaaS (The "Avatar" Approach)

Part 19: The "Negative Keyword" Library (Your Defense System)

Tier 1: The "Universal Toxic" List

Tier 2: The "Conflict" List

Tier 3: The "Competitor" List

Part 20: The Psychology of Intent (Why Structure Matters)

1. Navigational Intent ("I want to go to [Brand]")

2. Informational Intent ("I have a problem")

3. Transactional Intent ("I want to buy")

Glossary of Key Terms

The Legacy Account Migration Plan

Final Takeaway

Next Best Step

Where to go from here

Google Ads Management

Google Ads Guide

Marketing Tools

About the Author

Continue Reading

Related Reads

Need this implemented for you?

Google Ads Account Structure: Hagakure vs SKAGs in 2026

On this page

Part 1: The Death of SKAGs (The Mathematical Failure)

What was a SKAG?

Why it Worked (2015-2020)

Why it Fails (2024-2026)

Part 2: The Hagakure Method (Japanese Efficiency)

Structure Signal Visualizer

The New Architecture

The Signal Density Equation

AI Learning Velocity

Part 3: STAGs (Single Topic Ad Groups) - The Middle Ground

Part 4: The Migration Roadmap (Don't Break Everything)

Phase 1: Audit

Phase 2: The "Seed" Campaign

Phase 3: The Slow Kill

Part 5: URL Structure & Dynamic Replacement

Part 6: Reporting in a Consolidated World

Part 7: Account Structure Diagrams

The "Silo" Structure (Legacy)