When it comes to running a successful Google Ads campaign, one of the most crucial steps is selecting the right keywords. Keywords act as the foundation of your ad strategy. Choosing the wrong ones can lead to wasted ad spend, while the right ones can bring in high-quality traffic and conversions. Keywords help match your ads with search queries relevant to your business, so selecting the best ones is essential for reaching your target audience and maximizing your return on investment (ROI). In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of selecting the perfect keywords for your Google Ads campaigns, with actionable strategies and tools to help you succeed.
1. Understand Your Audience
The first step in choosing the right keywords is understanding your target audience. Consider who your ideal customer is and what they’re likely to search for when looking for products or services like yours. The key to this is putting yourself in your customer’s shoes: how do they think and what words or phrases are they most likely to use when searching for your product or service?
Start by answering some fundamental questions:
- What problem is my product or service solving?
- What terms would my audience use to search for solutions?
- How specific or broad should my keywords be to match their search intent?
For example, if you’re selling athletic shoes, your audience might search for terms like “best running shoes for beginners” or “high-performance sneakers.” If your product is niche, you can focus on specific terms that appeal to a narrower, but highly relevant, audience. Understanding your audience’s needs and how they describe them will guide your keyword choices and ensure your ads reach the right people.
Pro Tip: Creating customer personas can be a useful exercise to deepen your understanding of your audience’s search behavior. A customer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
2. Use Google’s Keyword Planner
Google’s Keyword Planner is an excellent tool for finding keyword ideas and estimating search volume. It provides insight into how often specific keywords are searched and gives you keyword suggestions based on your input. Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads and is a go-to resource for advertisers at all levels.
Here’s how you can use it effectively:
- Seed Keywords: Start by entering a few seed keywords related to your product or service. For instance, if you sell organic skincare products, you might begin with “organic face cream” or “natural moisturizer.”
- Keyword Suggestions: The tool will provide you with a list of related keyword suggestions based on what you’ve entered. Review these suggestions and identify any keywords you hadn’t initially thought of but that could be relevant.
- Search Volume & Competition: Check the average monthly search volumes for these keywords, along with the competition level. High search volumes indicate that more users are searching for those terms, but higher competition also means more advertisers are bidding on them, potentially driving up the cost per click (CPC).
- Refine Your Keywords: Based on the data, refine your keyword list by choosing terms that have decent search volume but manageable competition. A mix of high-traffic and lower-competition keywords will help you maximize visibility while keeping your costs in check.
Pro Tip: Pay attention to seasonal trends in search volume. Some keywords may see spikes during specific times of the year, and you can leverage this insight to target keywords that have peak relevance.
3. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
While short, broad keywords like “shoes” or “laptops” might have high search volumes, they can also be extremely competitive and less targeted. On the other hand, long-tail keywords are more specific and often have lower competition. These keywords typically consist of three or more words and capture more intent-driven searches, meaning users who search these terms are more likely to convert because they have clearer goals in mind.
For example, instead of targeting the broad keyword “running shoes,” you could target “best running shoes for flat feet” or “affordable trail running shoes.” These long-tail keywords might have fewer searches but are more likely to convert because they target users with specific needs and intent.
Benefits of focusing on long-tail keywords include:
- Lower Cost Per Click (CPC): Since fewer advertisers are competing for these specific terms, you’ll typically pay less per click.
- Higher Relevance: Long-tail keywords tend to be more relevant to your product or service, attracting users who are further along in the buying process.
- Better Conversion Rates: Users who search for long-tail keywords often know exactly what they’re looking for, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
Pro Tip: Combine your main keyword with modifiers like “best,” “cheap,” “buy,” or location-specific terms to create effective long-tail keyword variations.
4. Analyze Your Competitors
A great way to find valuable keywords is by analyzing what your competitors are using. Competitor analysis not only gives you insight into the keywords they’re targeting but also helps you spot gaps in their strategy that you can take advantage of.
Here are a few ways to conduct competitor analysis:
- Use Tools Like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or SpyFu: These tools allow you to input a competitor’s website and see which keywords they’re ranking for or bidding on in Google Ads. They can also reveal which keywords are driving traffic to your competitor’s site, giving you ideas for your own keyword list.
- Find Keyword Gaps: Look for keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you’re not, and consider incorporating those into your strategy.
- Capitalize on Weaknesses: Identify keywords where your competitors are bidding but have poor ad performance (low relevance, low Quality Score). This can be an opportunity for you to bid on those same keywords but run better-optimized ads that outperform theirs.
Competitor analysis can give you insights into both positive and negative keyword trends, allowing you to refine your own list.
Pro Tip: Not all competitor keywords are worth targeting. Ensure that the keywords align with your goals, audience, and budget before adding them to your campaign.
5. Consider Keyword Match Types
Google Ads allows you to choose different keyword match types, which determine how closely a user’s search query must match your keyword for your ad to show. Understanding these match types can help you better control when your ads appear and ensure you’re targeting the right audience.
The four main keyword match types are:
- Broad Match: Your ad can appear for searches that are related to your keyword, even if the search query doesn’t exactly match. For example, if you bid on the broad match keyword “running shoes,” your ad might show for related searches like “best sneakers for running” or “buy athletic shoes.” This option gives you the broadest reach but can also lead to irrelevant clicks.
- Broad Match Modifier (BMM): This allows you to specify that certain words in your keyword must be included in the user’s search query. For example, +running +shoes ensures that the words “running” and “shoes” appear in the search.
- Phrase Match: Your ad will appear for searches that include the exact phrase you bid on, with additional words before or after. For instance, bidding on “running shoes” as a phrase match will show your ad for “buy running shoes” or “best running shoes 2024.”
- Exact Match: Your ad only appears when the user’s search query matches your keyword exactly. Bidding on [running shoes] would only trigger your ad for that exact search term.
Selecting the right match types for your keywords allows you to balance between reach and relevance. For new campaigns, a combination of phrase match and broad match modified keywords is often a good starting point, allowing you to gather data without sacrificing too much control.
Pro Tip: Review your Search Terms Report regularly to see what actual search queries triggered your ads. This can help you refine your keyword match types and add negative keywords to prevent irrelevant searches.
6. Use Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are just as important as positive ones when optimizing your Google Ads campaign. By using negative keywords, you tell Google not to show your ads for specific search terms that are irrelevant to your business. This helps you avoid wasting ad spend on clicks that won’t convert.
For example, if you sell high-end luxury watches, you might want to add negative keywords like “cheap” or “discount” to avoid showing your ads to users looking for lower-priced products.
How to Add Negative Keywords:
- Review your Search Terms Report to identify irrelevant search queries that are triggering your ads. Add those terms as negative keywords.
- Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find potential negative keywords based on common search variations.
Regularly updating your negative keyword list is crucial to keeping your campaigns efficient and ensuring that your ads are only shown to users who are more likely to convert.
7. Regularly Update and Optimize Your Keyword List
Choosing keywords for Google Ads is not a one-time process. Over time, trends change, and so do your audience’s search habits. Therefore, it’s essential to continuously monitor and update your keyword list. This includes adding new relevant keywords, removing underperforming ones, and adjusting bids on high-performing keywords.
Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Monitor Campaign Performance: Set a schedule to review your campaign’s performance. Look at metrics like click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and cost per acquisition (CPA) to assess which keywords are driving the best results.
- Use Data to Refine Your List: Remove underperforming keywords that are wasting your ad budget and add new ones that align with emerging trends or changes in your business. Use performance data to make informed decisions about bid adjustments and keyword selection.
- Expand with New Keyword Ideas: As your campaign evolves, continue using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner and other third-party resources to discover new keyword opportunities.