Account types in the Google Ads API

This document explains the different terms used to describe accounts in the Google Ads API and how they relate to each other.

Overview

The Google Ads API uses several terms to describe accounts, which can sometimes lead to confusion. Understanding these distinctions is important for managing accounts and interpreting API responses.

Account types

The following definitions clarify the different account types you will encounter when working with the Google Ads API.

Manager account

A manager account is a primary account used to manage multiple Google Ads accounts.

• Former name: This was formerly known as "MCC" (My Client Center). You may still see this term in legacy documentation or discussions.
• Purpose: Use a manager account when you want to link to and manage multiple accounts through a single hierarchy.
• API representation: Identified by a Customer resource where customer.manager is true.

Advertiser (serving) account

An advertiser account (or serving account) is an individual Google Ads account that runs ad campaigns.

• Purpose: This is where campaigns, ad groups, asset groups, and ads are created and served.
• API representation: Identified by a Customer resource where customer.manager is false.

Client account

A client account is any account (either an advertiser account or another manager account) that is linked to and managed by a superior manager account within the hierarchy.

• Context: The term "client" refers to the relationship in the hierarchy (managed by a manager), not necessarily a "client" in the business sense.
• API representation: Query CustomerClient to inspect accounts in a manager's hierarchy, and use CustomerClientLink to manage links between manager and client accounts.

Customer

In the API context, a Customer is the resource representing any Google Ads account, whether it's a manager account or an advertiser account.

• Representation: All accounts are represented by a Customer resource, identified by a customer_id.
• Role: The nature of the account (manager or serving) depends on the specific resource.

Test account

Test accounts are special advertiser accounts organized under a dedicated test manager account specifically for testing API integrations. Both the test manager account and the test advertiser accounts under it have their customer.test_account field set to true. Test accounts cannot be created under a production manager account.

• Purpose: Test accounts allow you to test API calls without serving live ads or incurring costs. They don't serve live ads.
• API representation: Identified by a Customer resource where customer.test_account is true (with customer.manager distinguishing a test manager account from a test advertiser account).

Hierarchy example

A typical hierarchy looks like this:

• Manager Account A (Top level)
  • Client Account B (Advertiser account)
  • Client Account C (Another manager account)
    • Client Account D (Advertiser account)

In this example:

• Account A is a manager account.
• Accounts B, C, and D are client accounts relative to their parents.
• Accounts B and D are advertiser (serving) accounts.
• Account C is both a client account (to A) and a manager account (to D).