Add ad group to Google campaign (adsap_google_create_ad_group)

Platform: Google Ads · Read or write: Write · Plan: All plans · Consumes a task: Yes · Preview supported: Yes

What it does

Adds an ad group to an existing Search, Display or Demand Gen campaign, with optional keywords (Search only) and one optional ad. It can also add one responsive search ad to an ad group that already exists. If the parent campaign is active, the new ad group starts paused unless you say otherwise. Ask for a preview first.

When to use it

• Use it to add an ad group to a campaign that already exists. The campaign create tools always build a new campaign.
• It needs campaign_id and a channel that matches the campaign type. Get both from adsap_google_list_campaigns. A mismatch is rejected.
• Send ad_group to create a group, or ad_group_id to add one responsive search ad to an existing group. Never send both. The second mode is Search only and needs ad.
• For Demand Gen, ad_group.geo.location_ids is required, because Demand Gen targets locations on the ad group. For Search and Display, geo is rejected.
• It supports a preview call. With dry_run set to true, Google validates the request, nothing is created, and no task is used.

Worked example

You ask

“Preview a new ad group for waterproof trail shoes in Search campaign 21000000001, account 1234567890, with two keywords and a responsive search ad.”

The assistant calls adsap_google_create_ad_group

{
  "ad_account_id": "1234567890",
  "campaign_id": "21000000001",
  "channel": "search",
  "ad_group": {
    "name": "Waterproof trail shoes",
    "keywords": [
      { "text": "waterproof trail shoes", "match_type": "PHRASE" },
      { "text": "waterproof running shoes", "match_type": "PHRASE" }
    ]
  },
  "ad": {
    "final_url": "https://www.example.com/trail-shoes/waterproof",
    "headlines": [
      { "text": "Waterproof Trail Shoes" },
      { "text": "Grip on Wet Ground" },
      { "text": "Free Delivery in France" }
    ],
    "descriptions": [
      {
        "text": "Waterproof trail shoes built for grip on wet and rocky ground."
      },
      { "text": "Order today with free returns for 30 days." }
    ]
  },
  "dry_run": true
}

Adsap returns

The field names are the ones Adsap returns. The values are examples.

{
  "ok": true,
  "dry_run": true,
  "platform": "google",
  "action": "create_ad_group",
  "plan": {
    "campaign": {
      "id": "21000000001",
      "name": "Spring sale",
      "status": "ENABLED",
      "advertising_channel_type": "SEARCH"
    },
    "channel": "search",
    "ad_group": { "name": "Waterproof trail shoes", "status": "PAUSED", "keywords": 2 },
    "ad": {
      "ad_type": "responsive_search_ad",
      "final_url": "https://www.example.com/trail-shoes/waterproof",
      "headlines": 3,
      "descriptions": 2
    },
    "operations_count": 4
  },
  "warnings": [
    "Parent campaign \"Spring sale\" is ACTIVE, so the new ad group was created PAUSED to avoid serving immediately. Pass ad_group.status: \"ENABLED\" to create it serving, or enable it after review."
  ],
  "google_validation": "passed"
}

How to read it

plan is what would be built. plan.campaign is the parent campaign as Google reports it. plan.ad_group shows the name, the starting status and the keyword count. plan.ad shows the ad type, the URL and how many headlines and descriptions it holds. operations_count is the number of items sent to Google as one request: here the ad group, two keywords and the ad. The example shows part of plan. It also carries targeting IDs and image and video counts.

google_validation is passed when Google accepts the ad group, keywords and ad as one request. Otherwise it holds Google’s error message: fix the input and preview again. The response also carries a one-sentence human_readable_summary, left out of this example.

To create the ad group, the assistant repeats the call without dry_run. That response adds ad_group_id, ad_id and ad_group_status. If the parent campaign is active, the new ad group starts paused and warnings says so, as it does here. Pass ad_group.status as ENABLED to override that.

Parameters

Descriptions are shortened from the tool schema. Your assistant sees the full text.

Example prompts

• “Add an ad group called Winter Boots to my Search campaign with these keywords and a new responsive search ad.”
• “Add a second responsive search ad to the Trail Shoes ad group in campaign 1234567890.”
• “Preview a new Demand Gen ad group targeting Germany with this image ad.”

Notes

Performance Max, App and Shopping campaigns are not supported. An ad group created without an ad does not serve until an ad is added.

Related tools

• adsap_google_list_extensions: List the extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call, promotion, price, image/AD_IMAGE) linked to Google Ads campaigns AND…
• adsap_google_list_feed_labels: List the distinct Merchant Center feed labels visible to a Google Ads account (from the products synced via its Merchant Center link).
• adsap_google_manage_extension: Manage Google Ads extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call, promotion, price) at CAMPAIGN level (default) or ACCOUNT…

Guide

Read Managing Google Ads in bulk for the workflow around this tool, and the Tool reference for every tool.

The Google Ads MCP server  page shows how to connect Google Ads to Claude, ChatGPT or Perplexity.