Ads campaigns win when you understand how users search; you should analyze intent, match types, negative keywords, and bid strategies to align keywords to your goals. Use tools and the step-by-step guide How to do keyword research for Google Ads to expand high-value terms, test long-tail queries, and prune low-performing phrases so your budget focuses on the queries that convert.

Key Takeaways:

Combine search volume with user intent-prioritize keywords that indicate purchase or conversion.
Target long-tail, lower-competition phrases to reduce CPC and improve conversion rates.
Use negative keywords to filter irrelevant traffic and protect ROI.
Apply match types and bid adjustments to control reach, relevance, and cost per conversion.
Leverage Keyword Planner, competitor analysis, and ongoing A/B testing to refine and expand your keyword list.

Understanding Keyword Research

You’ll map keywords to real user intent by combining search volume, modifier signals, and match type strategy; for instance, prioritize queries containing “buy,” “near me,” or specific sizes/models because they often indicate purchase intent. Use volume thresholds (e.g., >100 monthly searches for niche terms, >1,000 for broader reach) and inspect SERP features – shopping results or local packs signal commercial intent – then allocate bids accordingly to avoid wasting spend on informational queries that never convert.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process you use to discover and evaluate the search terms your potential customers enter, grouping them by intent and value. You’ll compare short-head (1-2 word) and long-tail (3+ word) phrases, check monthly volume and CPC, and tag each term as transactional, navigational, or informational; for example, “running shoes” vs “men’s trail running shoes size 11 waterproof” will differ drastically in intent and conversion likelihood.

Importance of Keyword Research in Google Ads

Strong keyword research lets you target high-intent traffic and control CPA by excluding low-value queries and allocating budget to terms that actually convert. If your campaign has $1 average CPC and broad-match queries convert at 0.5% (CPA = $200), shifting spend to intent-rich, long-tail phrases that convert at 1.5% drops CPA to about $66. That kind of optimization directly improves ROAS and Quality Score.

Drilling deeper, you should use search term reports and negatives weekly, test phrase and exact match blends, and create SKAGs or tight-theme ad groups for top-performing terms to boost CTR and ad relevance. For example, grouping 20 high-intent long-tail variants into a focused ad group can lift CTR by 20-40% and reduce wasted clicks; then scale bids on winners while adding low-converting terms as negatives to protect margin.

Tools for Keyword Research

Use a mix of Google’s native tools and third-party platforms to validate intent, volume, and competitiveness; combining sources reduces blind spots. You should cross-reference Google Keyword Planner ranges with third-party difficulty scores (0-100) and click estimates, and layer in location and device filters to spot regional opportunities-for example, prioritize county- or city-level terms when search volume concentrates locally.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner returns historical monthly search ranges (10-100, 100-1K, 1K-10K, etc.), top-of-page bid low/high, and location/device granularity down to city level. You can run Forecasts to estimate clicks and impressions for a proposed budget, and segment by match type to see how broad vs exact changes volumes-use those bid ranges to set initial CPC limits for tests.

Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz provide single-number volume estimates, Keyword Difficulty (0-100), SERP-feature tracking, and related-query suggestions; they also surface competitor rankings and backlink metrics you won’t see in Planner. You should use their keyword gap reports and PPC analytics to identify terms competitors buy but you don’t.

For more depth, use Ahrefs’ “Traffic Potential” and SEMrush’s Keyword Magic to find high-opportunity long-tail variants-if Ahrefs shows KD 35 with volume 2,400 while Planner buckets it 1K-10K, treat it as medium-competition and test phrase match with a conservative bid. Additionally, use Moz Priority or SEMrush CPC to rank tradeoffs: pick 3-5 test keywords per ad group and scale winners after 200-500 clicks to validate ROI.

Types of Keywords

Keyword types determine reach and ROI: short‑tail keywords like “laptops” often yield 10,000-100,000 monthly searches and high CPCs, while long‑tail phrases such as “budget gaming laptop under $700” capture precise intent and can convert 2-3× better, so you should adjust bids accordingly. Phrase and exact match affect impression share and cost; discovery keywords (questions) fuel content and remarketing. Any campaign you run needs an intentional mix by volume, intent, and bid to maximize your ROAS.

Short‑Tail	Example: “laptops” – 10k-100k searches/month; broad intent, higher CPC, use for awareness and testing.
Long‑Tail	Example: “budget gaming laptop under $700” – 10-200 searches/month per phrase; higher conversion rate, lower CPC.
Branded	Example: “Nike running shoes” – higher CTR and lower CPC; defensive bids protect your funnel and market share.
Non‑Branded	Example: “running shoes sale” – broader reach, prospecting focus, typically higher CPA than branded terms.
Geo‑Targeted / Local	Example: “coffee shop near me” – strong local intent, mobile heavy; use location bids, call extensions, and local assets.

You should prioritize long‑tail for conversion-driven campaigns – expect 2-3× better CVR versus generic terms.
Bid defensively on branded terms; allocate roughly 20-40% of your brand budget to retain top positions.
Apply negative keywords to short‑tail campaigns to cut wasted spend by an estimated 10-30% during testing.
Test match types: start broad for discovery, then tighten to phrase/exact for high‑intent, low‑waste queries.

Short‑Tail vs. Long‑Tail Keywords

You’ll use short‑tail terms like “coffee maker” for reach-10,000-50,000 searches/month and higher CPCs-while long‑tail phrases such as “single‑serve coffee maker under $50” often see 10-200 searches/month but convert 2-3× better; allocate long‑tail to conversion campaigns and reserve short‑tail for audience building and keyword discovery.

Branded vs. Non‑Branded Keywords

You’ll separate branded queries (your company or product names) from non‑branded ones; branded searches commonly deliver 2-4× higher CTR and lower CPCs with conversion rates around 3-6%, while non‑branded queries drive scale and new customer acquisition with typically lower CVR.

When managing branded vs non‑branded, you should defend owned terms by monitoring impression share and setting defensive bids-allocating 10-30% of your brand budget to maintain top positions can deter competitors. Use exact match and sitelinks to boost CTR, exclude generic queries from brand campaigns with negatives, and layer RLSA or remarketing lists to reduce CPA on returning users while using non‑branded bids for prospecting and category expansion.

Analyzing Search Intent

When you analyze intent, segment keywords into informational, navigational, and transactional buckets and prioritize by conversion likelihood. Use query modifiers like “near me,” “buy,” or brand names to classify; for example, adding “buy” often raises conversion intent roughly 3x versus generic queries. Combine Google Search Console CTRs and Keyword Planner volume to spot low-volume, high-purchase signals and allocate budget to terms that historically drive higher ROAS.

Navigational Intent

You should treat navigational queries-brand names, product pages, and store locators-as high-value landing opportunities and protect them with aggressive bids and exact-match coverage. Branded searches typically deliver 2-5x higher CTRs than non-branded ones; in one campaign, bidding on three misspelled brand variants cut lost traffic by 18% while holding top position. Add sitelinks and callouts to capture quick clicks.

Transactional Intent

Focus transactional keywords on purchase-ready modifiers like “buy,” “order,” “coupon,” and SKU numbers, allocating at least 35-50% of your conversion-focused budget to them. Use price or promo text in headlines and call-to-action extensions-tests commonly show a 10-30% CTR lift when price appears-and prioritize exact and phrase match for tight control over spend.

To sharpen transactional performance, isolate high-intent terms into dedicated ad groups with tailored landing pages, apply device and time-of-day bid adjustments, and add negative keywords such as “how to” or “review” to reduce informational traffic. For example, a retailer raised conversion rate by 25% after creating SKU-specific ad groups and increasing mobile bids during evening peak hours.

Competitor Analysis

Use Google Ads Auction Insights alongside tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or SpyFu to map who actually competes for your keywords; often the top three paid rivals take 50-80% of impressions in a given auction. Compare impression share, overlap rate, and average position to spot gaps. If a competitor has 30-40% higher CPC but lower conversion, you can bid smarter on high-intent terms to outmaneuver them without outspending the market.

Identifying Competitors

Start with Auction Insights to list rivals by impression share and overlap; then scan SERPs for top ads and organic leaders. Prioritize competitors that appear in both paid and organic results, and flag brands with overlap >40% as direct contenders. Use a short spreadsheet to track the top 10 competitors, their primary landing pages, and one KPI such as CTR or conversion rate to focus your keyword counter-strategy.

Analyzing Competitor Keywords

Export competitor keyword lists from SEMrush or SpyFu, then filter by intent and metrics: search volume, CPC, and ranking difficulty. Target keywords with volume >500/month and CPC under your max CPA for scalable wins, while also capturing long-tail queries (10-50/month) that often convert at 2-4x higher rates. Mark which keywords are running exact vs. broad match in competitors’ ads to refine your match-type strategy.

Assess competitor ad copy and landing pages alongside keywords to infer angles and USPs that drive conversions; for example, if a rival promotes “Free 30‑day trial” on top-performing keywords, you can test a stronger offer or a clearer CTA. Run a two-week bid and creative experiment, raising your bids 10-15% on select terms while monitoring conversion rate and CPA, and iterate based on which keywords improve your ROI rather than just position.

Keyword Organization

Group keywords by intent and theme rather than volume: segment informational, commercial, and transactional queries into separate lists, tag each with labels (e.g., “bottom-funnel”) and keep ad groups to 10-20 tightly related keywords or use SKAGs for high-value terms. You should maintain a negative keyword list per campaign and sync it with your spreadsheet; teams often see 15-30% CTR uplift after reorganizing this way.

Creating Ad Groups

When creating ad groups, pick a single message and 5-15 keywords that share intent; for example, an “trail-running shoes” ad group might include “trail running shoes”, “best trail runners 2025”, and “waterproof trail shoes”. You should write 2-3 ad variations per group and test headlines against keywords; advertisers typically find conversion rates rise 10-25% with tighter ad relevance.

Structuring Campaigns for Success

Separate campaigns by product line, brand vs non-brand, and geographic targeting so budgets and bidding strategies align; for instance, run a dedicated brand campaign with higher bids (brand CTRs often 20-30% higher) and non-brand campaigns focused on ROAS targets. You should also split by match type for bid control and reporting clarity.

Allocate budget strategically-start with 60% to high-intent non-brand keywords, 30% to brand and 10% to testing/remarketing, then adjust after 2-4 weeks; implement conversion-based bidding for top-performing campaigns and manual CPC for tests. You should create separate remarketing campaigns and use shared negative lists to prevent overlap that can inflate CPC by 5-15%.

To wrap up

Presently you must prioritize search intent and long-tail variations in your Google Ads keyword research, use broad and exact match strategically, and add negative keywords to cut waste. Use keyword-level performance to adjust bids and landing pages to lift quality score, and run A/B tests to validate assumptions. Leverage competitor insights and seasonal trends, automating rule-based actions where possible so your campaigns continuously refine toward higher ROI.

FAQ

Q: How should I start keyword research for a new Google Ads campaign?

A: Define campaign goals (brand awareness, leads, sales) and list seed terms describing your product or service. Use Google Keyword Planner and Search Console to expand that list, filter by relevant search volume and estimated CPC, then add long-tail variants that indicate buying intent. Create an initial negative keyword list from obvious mismatches, and pilot a small set of keywords to collect real search terms before scaling.

Q: How do I use search intent to choose the best keywords?

A: Categorize keywords by intent: informational (how-to, what), navigational (brand/product name), and transactional (buy, price, near me). Prioritize transactional and commercial investigation keywords for conversion-focused campaigns; use informational keywords for upper-funnel awareness with content-focused landing pages. Match ad copy and landing pages to the intent to improve Quality Score and conversion rates.

Q: What are best practices for building and managing negative keywords?

A: Regularly review the Search Terms report to find irrelevant queries and add them as negatives. Group negatives by campaign or shared list to prevent wasted spend across similar campaigns. Use phrase and exact negatives to avoid blocking useful queries; avoid broad negatives unless you’re certain they’ll never convert. Update lists after seasonality changes or product launches to keep exclusions aligned with current offers.

Q: Which tools and metrics should I rely on for keyword selection?

A: Start with Google Keyword Planner for volume and bid estimates, then validate with Search Console, Ads Search Terms, and Google Trends. Use third-party tools (SEMrush, Ahrefs, KeywordTool) for competitor insights and long-tail ideas. Prioritize metrics: search volume, estimated CPC, conversion rate, conversion value/ROAS, impression share, and Quality Score. Use a blend of volume and commercial intent to pick high-value keywords, not just high-volume ones.

Q: How should I organize keywords and choose match types for optimal performance?

A: Group keywords into tightly themed ad groups with relevant ad copy and landing pages. Use a mix of match types: exact and phrase for control, broad match with Smart Bidding to discover new queries (with robust negative lists), and avoid unmanaged broad match alone. Consider single-keyword ad groups only if you need very granular control and can handle the maintenance. Regularly review overlap using search terms and negatives to reduce internal competition and bid waste.