How to do a Keyword Research for Google Ads
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How to Perform Keyword Research for Google Ads
This article offers a clear, step-by-step guide to Keyword research and its foundation of any successful Google Ads campaign. Choosing the right keywords ensures your ads are shown to the right audience, helping you attract qualified traffic, drive conversions, and maximize your return on investment (ROI). For businesses, investing time in thorough keyword research, can mean the difference between wasted ad spend and a highly targeted, profitable campaign.
This guide will walk you through the process of performing keyword research for Google Ads to ensure that your ads reach the right people at the right time.
Step 1: Understand Your Business Goals and Target Audience
Before diving into keyword research, it's crucial to clearly define your business goals and understand your target audience. Ask yourself:
What products or services are you promoting?
Who are your ideal customers, and what are their needs?
What problems are they trying to solve?
By answering these questions, you’ll be better equipped to select keywords that align with user intent. Keywords should reflect not only what your business offers but also what your audience is actively searching for.
Step 2: Brainstorm Initial Keyword Ideas
Start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords based on your products, services, and customer queries. Think of broad terms, specific product names, service categories, and variations. You don’t need a perfect list at this stage; you’ll refine it later. Here are a few ways to brainstorm:
Think Like a Customer: Consider how your ideal customers might describe your offerings.
Use Your Website: Look at your website’s main pages and identify key terms you’ve already used to describe your services or products.
Competitor Analysis: Check your competitors' websites and ads to see which keywords they might be targeting.
For example, if you run an online fitness equipment store, your initial keyword ideas could include terms like “treadmills for sale,” “home gym equipment,” and “buy exercise bikes.”
Step 3: Use Google’s Keyword Planner Tool
Google’s Keyword Planner is a powerful tool that can help you find new keyword ideas and evaluate their potential. Here’s how to use it:
Access the Keyword Planner: Log into your Google Ads account, navigate to the “Tools & Settings” menu, and select “Keyword Planner” under the "Planning" section.
Find New Keywords: Enter your initial keyword ideas or your website URL into the Keyword Planner. Google will generate a list of related keywords along with important metrics, such as:
Average Monthly Searches: Shows how often a keyword is searched.
Competition: Indicates how competitive a keyword is for ads.
Suggested Bid Range: Provides an estimate of how much you’d likely pay for an ad click.
Refine Your List: Use these metrics to refine your keyword list. Aim for a mix of high-search-volume, low-competition keywords. Avoid overly competitive terms, especially if you have a limited budget.
Step 4: Focus on Keyword Match Types
In Google Ads, keywords come in different match types that control how closely the keyword needs to match a user’s search query. The match type you choose impacts who sees your ads and how much you spend. The four main keyword match types are:
Broad Match: Your ad shows for any search query that includes variations of your keyword (e.g., synonyms, related terms). This offers the widest reach but can also result in irrelevant clicks.
Broad Match Modifier: This is a more controlled version of broad match. Your ad only appears when specific words or their close variations are included in the search.
Phrase Match: Your ad shows when users search for the exact phrase or close variations of that phrase. It's more targeted than broad match but still offers some flexibility.
Exact Match: Your ad shows only when someone searches for the exact keyword or close variations. This provides the most control but limits reach.
Choose match types based on your campaign goals. For example, if you want to maximize visibility and cast a wide net, broad match may be appropriate. For a more focused campaign with high relevance, exact or phrase match might be better.
Step 5: Explore Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that typically have lower search volume but higher relevance and lower competition. These keywords are often more targeted and can lead to higher conversion rates because they reflect more specific user intent.
For example, instead of targeting a broad keyword like “running shoes,” a long-tail keyword might be “best running shoes for flat feet.” While the search volume is lower, the intent behind it is much clearer, meaning users searching for that term are more likely to convert.
Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or other keyword research platforms such as Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find long-tail keyword opportunities.
Step 6: Analyze Your Competitors’ Keywords
Analyzing your competitors’ keywords can give you valuable insights into what’s working in your industry. Tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, and Ahrefs allow you to input competitor domains and see which keywords they are bidding on. You can also identify gaps where competitors are not targeting certain keywords, presenting opportunities for your campaign.
Look for opportunities to bid on keywords your competitors might have overlooked or to optimize your bids for terms where you can offer a unique selling point.
Step 7: Use Negative Keywords
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, saving you money on wasted clicks. For example, if you sell premium kitchen appliances, you might want to add “cheap” as a negative keyword to avoid showing ads for searches like “cheap kitchen appliances.”
To set up negative keywords:
Go to your Google Ads campaign.
Navigate to the Keywords tab.
Select “Negative Keywords” and add the terms you want to exclude.
Common negative keywords include terms like “free,” “cheap,” “reviews,” or any words that don’t align with your business goals. Regularly review your search terms report to identify keywords that generate irrelevant clicks and add them to your negative keyword list.
Step 8: Monitor and Optimize
Keyword research doesn’t end after you launch your campaign. It’s essential to regularly monitor keyword performance and make adjustments based on the data. Use Google Ads reports to analyze the following:
Click-Through Rate (CTR): High CTRs indicate your keywords are relevant to the search terms people are using.
Conversion Rate: Keywords with high conversions are the most valuable and should be prioritized.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC): Keep an eye on the cost of your keywords to ensure you’re staying within budget.
Over time, pause underperforming keywords, add new high-performing keywords, and continue refining your negative keyword list to optimize campaign performance.
Conclusion
Effective keyword research is the backbone of any successful Google Ads campaign.
By taking the time to understand your audience, leveraging tools like Google Keyword Planner, and continuously optimizing based on performance data, you can ensure that your ads appear to the right people and drive meaningful results.
Keyword research not only helps you maximize your ad spend but also enhances the overall relevance and profitability of your campaigns.
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