Google Ads Keyword Research: How to Find the Right Keywords for Your Campaign

Choosing keywords for Google Ads sounds simple.

You might think:

“I sell web design services, so I’ll just target ‘web design’.”

But this is where many small businesses make their first mistake.

Someone searching “web design company near me” may be looking for a service provider.

Someone searching “what is web design” may simply want information.

Someone searching “web design course” wants education.

Someone searching “free web design templates” may not be looking to hire anyone.

All four searches contain the words web design. But their intent is completely different.

And when you are paying for every click, that difference matters.

Google Ads keyword research is therefore not simply about finding keywords with high search volume.

It is about finding the searches that are relevant to your business, commercially meaningful, and capable of bringing the right customer to your website.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to research Google Ads keywords from scratch, how to use Google Keyword Planner, how to understand keyword intent and match types, how to find negative keywords, and how to turn your research into a practical campaign structure.

This is Part 2 of the Digital Yaar Google Ads series.

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, start here:

Part 1: How to Start Google Ads for Your Business in 2026

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Table of Contents

1. What is a Google Ads keyword?
2. Keyword vs search term — what’s the difference?
3. Why keyword research matters in Google Ads
4. Start with your business, not the Keyword Planner
5. Step 1: Define exactly what you’re selling
6. Step 2: Understand search intent
7. The 4 major types of keyword intent
8. Step 3: Create your seed keyword list
9. Step 4: Use Google Keyword Planner
10. How to use Keyword Planner step by step
11. How to read Keyword Planner data
12. Search volume isn’t everything
13. Understanding CPC and bid estimates
14. Step 5: Group keywords by intent
15. Step 6: Understand keyword match types
16. Broad match
17. Phrase match
18. Exact match
19. Which match type should a beginner use?
20. What are negative keywords?
21. How to build a negative keyword list
22. Step 7: Use the Search Terms report
23. Search terms can reveal new keywords
24. Search terms can also reveal wasted spending
25. Long-tail keywords in Google Ads
26. Local keyword research
27. Competitor keyword research
28. Branded vs non-branded keywords
29. Keywords you should usually avoid
30. Common keyword research mistakes
31. A practical Google Ads keyword research example
32. How many keywords should you add?
33. How to organize keywords into ad groups
34. Keyword research in the age of AI and AI Max
35. A simple keyword research workflow
36. Google Ads keyword research checklist
37. FAQs
38. Final thoughts

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1. What Is a Google Ads Keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase that you add to your Google Ads campaign to help Google understand the searches for which your advertisement may be eligible to appear.

For example, suppose you run a digital marketing agency.

You might research keywords such as:

• digital marketing agency
• digital marketing company
• digital marketing services
• SEO agency
• SEO services
• Google Ads agency
• PPC management services

But remember something important:

A keyword is not necessarily the exact phrase someone types into Google.

Google’s matching systems can connect your keywords with related searches depending on the match type and campaign settings. Google currently supports three main keyword match types: broad, phrase and exact.

That distinction becomes extremely important when you start managing your campaign.

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2. Keyword vs Search Term — What’s the Difference?

This confuses many beginners.

Keyword

A keyword is what you add to your Google Ads campaign.

Example:

“digital marketing agency”

Search term

A search term is what the user actually types into Google.

For example:

digital marketing agency for small business

Your keyword could be:

digital marketing agency

But the actual search that triggered your ad could be:

digital marketing agency for small business

Google’s Search Terms report lets advertisers see the searches that triggered their ads and analyze how those searches performed.

This report eventually becomes one of your most valuable keyword-research tools.

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3. Why Keyword Research Matters in Google Ads

Your keyword selection influences:

• who can see your ads
• what searches trigger your ads
• how relevant your ads are
• how much traffic you receive
• which customers visit your website
• how much irrelevant traffic you receive
• what you pay for clicks
• how many conversions your campaign can generate

Imagine you own a premium furniture showroom.

You target:

furniture

You could potentially attract searches such as:

• furniture shop
• furniture showroom
• cheap furniture
• furniture repair
• used furniture
• free furniture
• furniture jobs
• furniture course
• furniture design ideas

Some may be useful.

Many may not.

Now compare that with more commercially specific searches:

premium furniture showroom near me

solid wood dining table showroom

custom furniture manufacturer

These searches communicate much more about what the person wants.

The objective isn’t to find the keyword with the biggest number.

The objective is to find the searches that make business sense.

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4. Start With Your Business — Not the Keyword Planner

This is one of the most important principles in this entire article.

Don’t open Keyword Planner first and start selecting keywords randomly.

Start with your business.

Ask:

What exactly do I sell?

For example:

Website design services

Who is my customer?

Small businesses

Where do I serve them?

Delhi NCR

What action do I want?

Generate enquiries

Now you have context.

Only then should you start researching keywords.

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5. Step 1: Define Exactly What You’re Selling

Before opening Google Keyword Planner, create a simple list.

This prevents you from building a keyword list around terms that don’t actually represent your business.

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6. Step 2: Understand Search Intent

Search intent means:

What is the person actually trying to accomplish with the search?

Consider these searches:

“what is SEO”

“SEO course”

“SEO consultant”

“SEO agency near me”

They all contain the word SEO.

But they represent completely different intentions.

Someone searching “what is SEO” may want information.

Someone searching “SEO course” wants education.

Someone searching “SEO consultant” may be looking for professional help.

Someone searching “SEO agency near me” has stronger local commercial intent.

For advertising, this distinction is extremely important.

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7. The 4 Major Types of Keyword Intent

A practical way to classify keywords is into four categories.

1. Informational intent

The person wants information.

Examples:

• what is Google Ads
• how does SEO work
• how to create a website
• digital marketing tips

These searches can be valuable for content marketing, but they’re not automatically good advertising keywords.

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2. Commercial investigation

The person is researching options before making a decision.

Examples:

• best SEO agency
• best CRM for small business
• Google Ads agency reviews
• WordPress hosting comparison

These can be useful depending on the business and campaign strategy.

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3. Transactional intent

The person appears ready to take an action.

Examples:

• buy running shoes online
• hire SEO agency
• book dentist appointment
• buy laptop online

These can be particularly valuable for lead-generation or ecommerce campaigns.

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4. Navigational intent

The person is trying to reach a particular website, brand or location.

Examples:

• Digital Yaar
• Amazon login
• SBI net banking
• Apple store

These searches need to be handled differently from generic non-brand searches.

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8. Step 3: Create Your Seed Keyword List

Don’t try to find 500 keywords immediately.

Start with 10–20 basic ideas.

Suppose you provide Google Ads management.

Your seed list could be:

• Google Ads agency
• Google Ads management
• PPC agency
• PPC management
• Google Ads consultant
• Google Ads expert
• PPC services
• Google advertising agency
• Google Ads services
• paid search agency

These aren’t necessarily your final keywords.

They’re your starting point.

You will use them to discover additional ideas.

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9. Step 4: Use Google Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner is designed specifically for researching keywords for Search campaigns.

It can help you:

• discover keyword ideas
• see estimated search volumes
• examine historical metrics
• understand competition
• view bid estimates
• build keyword plans
• generate forecasts

Google currently provides two main ways to begin:

Discover new keywords

or

Get search volume and forecasts.

You’ll generally find Keyword Planner inside your Google Ads account under the Tools area.

One important practical point: Google says basic keyword-idea features require completing account setup, including billing information.

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10. How to Use Google Keyword Planner — Step by Step

Let’s walk through a simple example.

Suppose you run a:

Website Design Company in Delhi

You want leads from businesses looking for website design services.

Step 1

Open Google Ads.

Step 2

Go to:

Tools → Keyword Planner

Step 3

Choose:

Discover new keywords

Step 4

Enter your seed keywords.

For example:

website design

web design company

website development

website designer

You can also use a website URL to generate ideas.

Google says Keyword Planner can use keywords and/or a website to generate keyword ideas.

Step 5

Set your location.

For example:

Delhi

or

Delhi NCR

This is important because keyword demand varies significantly by location.

Google’s Keyword Planner allows you to refine ideas by location and language and can also show trends for different time periods.

Step 6

Review the keyword ideas.

Don’t immediately select everything.

This is where your judgment matters.

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11. How to Read Keyword Planner Data

You may see columns such as:

• Keyword
• Average monthly searches
• Competition
• Top of page bid — low range
• Top of page bid — high range

Google defines average monthly searches as an estimate of the average number of searches for the keyword and its close variants based on the selected location, network and date range.

Competition indicates how many advertisers are showing on that keyword relative to other keywords in the selected targeting context.

The top-of-page bid ranges provide historical bid estimates, rather than a guarantee of what your actual CPC will be.

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12. Search Volume Isn’t Everything

This is probably the biggest lesson in keyword research.

Imagine Keyword Planner gives you:

A beginner might choose website because it has the highest search volume.

That’s often the wrong way to think.

The keyword:

website

is extremely broad.

Someone searching it could be looking for:

• website examples
• website login
• website builder
• website meaning
• website templates
• website design
• website development
• how to create a website

But:

hire website designer Delhi

tells you much more about what the person wants.

Search volume tells you how much demand exists. It doesn’t tell you whether that demand is valuable to your business.

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13. Understanding CPC and Bid Estimates

Keyword Planner can show top-of-page bid ranges.

These figures can help you understand the advertising market around a keyword.

For example:

A high estimated bid can indicate a competitive advertising environment.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking:

“High CPC = bad keyword.”

A keyword with a ₹150 CPC could still be profitable if one customer generates ₹50,000 in revenue.

Likewise, a ₹20 CPC keyword could be wasteful if it generates visitors who never become customers.

You should ultimately evaluate keywords against business economics.

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14. Step 5: Group Keywords by Intent

Once you have your keyword ideas, start grouping them.

For example, for a web design company:

Group 1 — Web design company

• web design company
• website design company
• website development company
• web development company

Group 2 — Website designer

• website designer
• web designer
• hire website designer
• professional website designer

Group 3 — Local

• website designer Delhi
• website design company Delhi
• web design agency Delhi
• website developer near me

Group 4 — Ecommerce

• ecommerce website development
• ecommerce website designer
• ecommerce website company

This grouping will later help you create tightly related ad groups and write more relevant advertisements.

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15. Step 6: Understand Google Ads Keyword Match Types

Google Ads currently has three primary keyword match types:

1. Broad match
2. Phrase match
3. Exact match

They determine how closely a keyword needs to relate to a user’s search before your ad may become eligible for the auction.

And there’s an important point many old Google Ads tutorials get wrong:

The old Broad Match Modifier is no longer a separate match type.

Google incorporated its behavior into phrase matching years ago.

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16. Broad Match

Example:

website designer

You don’t add quotation marks or brackets.

Broad match can allow your ad to appear for searches related to the keyword, including searches that don’t contain exactly the same words.

Google says broad match can use signals such as the user’s recent searches, landing-page content and other keywords in the ad group to understand relevance.

Advantage

It can help you discover additional relevant searches.

Risk

It can also expand your reach beyond what you initially expected.

For that reason, broad match should not be treated as:

“Add broad keywords and forget about the campaign.”

Google recommends using Smart Bidding with broad match.

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17. Phrase Match

Phrase match is written using quotation marks.

Example:

"website designer"

Phrase match can match searches that include the meaning of the keyword.

It provides a middle ground between reach and control.

It is broader than exact match but generally more controlled than broad match.

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18. Exact Match

Exact match is written using square brackets.

Example:

[website designer]

Despite the name, exact match doesn’t mean the user’s search must contain the exact same characters.

Google describes exact match as matching searches that have the same meaning or intent as the keyword.

Google also uses close variants, which can include things such as misspellings, singular/plural forms and reordered words with the same meaning.

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19. Which Match Type Should a Beginner Use?

There isn’t one universal answer.

Your choice should depend on:

• campaign maturity
• conversion tracking
• budget
• search volume
• business type
• level of control required
• bidding strategy

For a new advertiser who wants to understand exactly what is happening, phrase and exact match can be useful starting points for tightly defined commercial searches.

As your campaign collects reliable conversion data, you can test broader targeting and Google’s automated matching capabilities.

Google’s current guidance increasingly emphasizes Smart Bidding and broader AI-powered matching, but the correct approach still depends on the campaign and the quality of your conversion data.

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20. What Are Negative Keywords?

Negative keywords are words or phrases that you tell Google Ads not to use for your ads.

Suppose you sell paid website design services.

You probably don’t want your ad appearing for:

• free website design
• website design jobs
• website design course
• website design tutorial
• website templates

You could add relevant terms such as:

free

jobs

course

tutorial

as negative keywords, depending on your business and campaign.

Google explains that negative keywords can exclude ads from searches containing specified terms.

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21. How to Build a Negative Keyword List

Don’t try to create a massive negative list before launching.

Start with obvious irrelevant categories.

For example, a paid service provider may review searches containing:

Free intent

• free
• freeware
• free download

Employment intent

• jobs
• job
• vacancy
• career
• salary

Education intent

• course
• training
• certification
• tutorial

DIY intent

• how to
• tutorial
• guide

But be careful.

A word isn’t automatically irrelevant just because it looks informational.

For example, someone searching:

“how much does a website cost”

could actually become a customer.

So don’t blindly block every informational phrase.

Look at the actual search and its business relevance first.

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22. An Important Point About Negative Keywords

Negative keywords don’t behave exactly like positive keywords.

Google notes that negative keywords do not match close variants in the same way positive keywords can.

That means you should review your actual search terms rather than assuming that adding one negative word will block every variation.

This is another reason why campaign monitoring matters.

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23. Step 7: Use the Search Terms Report

This is where real-world keyword research begins.

Before launch, your keyword research is based largely on assumptions and historical data.

After launch, Google starts giving you evidence.

The Search Terms report shows searches that triggered your ads and provides performance information for those searches.

Suppose your keyword is:

“website designer”

After receiving traffic, you discover these searches:

• website designer near me
• website designer Delhi
• professional website designer
• affordable website designer
• website designer jobs
• website designer course
• free website designer

Now you can make decisions.

Potentially useful

website designer Delhi

Potentially useful

professional website designer

Potentially irrelevant

website designer jobs

Potentially irrelevant

website designer course

Those insights came from actual customer searches rather than your imagination.

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24. Search Terms Can Reveal New Keywords

Suppose you discover that people repeatedly search:

ecommerce website developer

and those visitors are converting.

You might decide to add that concept as a dedicated keyword or ad group.

This is one of the most powerful keyword research loops:

Keyword → Search → Data → Search term → New keyword → Better campaign

Google itself recommends using search-term data to identify optimization opportunities, discover new keyword ideas and find irrelevant searches for negative keywords.

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25. Search Terms Can Also Reveal Wasted Spending

Imagine you spend ₹1,500 and discover that a significant part of the traffic came from:

• free
• jobs
• course
• tutorial
• DIY

That tells you something.

The campaign isn’t necessarily “bad.”

It means your targeting needs refinement.

You can:

1. review the searches
2. identify irrelevant themes
3. add appropriate negative keywords
4. review your match types
5. improve your ad groups
6. monitor the results again

This is how campaign optimization works in practice.

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26. Long-Tail Keywords in Google Ads

A long-tail keyword is generally a more specific search phrase.

Compare:

shoes

with:

men’s running shoes for flat feet

The second phrase tells you much more about the searcher’s requirement.

For a local business:

dentist

is broad.

Whereas:

root canal dentist in Rohini

is much more specific.

Long-tail searches often have lower search volume, but that isn’t automatically a disadvantage.

If the search is highly relevant and commercially meaningful, even a small number of searches can matter.

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27. Local Keyword Research

If you operate locally, location can be extremely important.

For example:

digital marketing agency

versus:

digital marketing agency Delhi

versus:

digital marketing agency near me

The correct approach depends on your location-targeting setup and business model.

When researching local keywords, consider:

• city
• locality
• nearby areas
• “near me”
• service + city
• service + locality
• product + city
• service + area

Keyword Planner allows location-specific research, so you don’t have to rely only on national search-volume numbers.

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28. Competitor Keyword Research

You can also research what people search for around competing products and services.

For example, suppose you sell CRM software.

You might investigate searches around:

• CRM software
• CRM for small business
• sales CRM
• CRM comparison
• CRM alternatives
• CRM pricing

However, don’t assume that every competitor-related search should become an advertising keyword.

Evaluate:

• relevance
• intent
• cost
• landing-page suitability
• conversion potential
• advertising policies

Competitor research is for discovering market language—not blindly copying someone else’s campaign.

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29. Branded vs Non-Branded Keywords

This distinction is useful when managing an established business.

Branded keyword

Contains your brand name.

Example:

Digital Yaar

Non-branded keyword

Describes your service without your brand.

Example:

SEO consultant

These should often be analyzed separately because users searching your brand may already know who you are.

For larger campaigns, separating branded and non-branded activity can make performance analysis easier.

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30. Keywords You Should Usually Avoid

There are no universal “bad keywords.”

But certain categories deserve extra scrutiny.

1. Completely unrelated searches

If you sell accounting software:

wedding photographer

Obviously irrelevant.

2. Employment searches

If you sell a service:

accounting software jobs

may be irrelevant.

3. Free-seeking searches

If you sell a paid product:

free accounting software

may not be commercially useful.

4. Educational searches

If your goal is immediate sales:

what is accounting software

may have weaker commercial intent.

5. Extremely broad keywords

For example:

software

could be too broad for a small business with a limited budget.

Again, don’t reject a keyword simply because it belongs to one of these categories.

Look at intent and business relevance.

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31. A Practical Google Ads Keyword Research Example

Let’s build a small keyword list for a fictional business.

Business

Website Design Company

Location

Delhi NCR

Goal

Generate leads

Service

Business website design

Start with these seed keywords:

• website design
• website designer
• web design company
• website development
• website development company

After research, you might create groups like this:

Ad Group 1 — Website Design

• website design
• website design services
• business website design

Ad Group 2 — Website Designer

• website designer
• professional website designer
• hire website designer

Ad Group 3 — Website Development Company

• website development company
• web development company
• website developer

Ad Group 4 — Local

• website designer Delhi
• website design company Delhi
• website developer Delhi

Negative keyword ideas

Depending on the business:

• jobs
• career
• salary
• course
• tutorial
• free

This is a much more useful starting structure than dumping hundreds of unrelated keywords into one ad group.

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32. How Many Keywords Should You Add?

This is another area where beginners often overdo things.

You don’t need hundreds of keywords simply to make your campaign look sophisticated.

A smaller list of highly relevant keywords can be easier to understand and optimize.

For a small campaign, focus on:

high relevance + clear intent + manageable structure

rather than:

maximum number of keywords

Also remember that modern Google Ads matching systems can discover related searches beyond the exact words you manually add. Google’s current documentation specifically describes broad match and AI-powered matching as ways to expand relevant search coverage.

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33. How to Organize Keywords Into Ad Groups

Your ad group should have a clear theme.

Bad structure:

Ad Group — Everything

• SEO
• Google Ads
• social media marketing
• website design
• email marketing
• PPC
• web development

That’s difficult to manage.

Better:

Ad Group — SEO Services

• SEO services
• SEO company
• SEO agency

Ad Group — Google Ads

• Google Ads agency
• Google Ads management
• PPC management

Ad Group — Website Design

• website design
• website designer
• web design company

The benefit is simple:

Your keyword → ad → landing page should make sense together.

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34. Google Ads Keyword Research in the Age of AI

Google Ads keyword research is changing.

You should understand this before following older tutorials.

Google now uses AI-powered systems to understand search intent and expand matching beyond the literal words in your keyword.

In 2026, Google is also introducing AI Max for Search campaigns, which Google describes as an optimization layer within Search campaigns rather than a separate campaign type. It includes features such as expanded search-term matching, text customization and final URL expansion.

This changes the role of the advertiser.

The job is increasingly becoming:

Give Google strong signals and clear business information, then monitor what the system is actually doing.

That does not mean keyword research has become unnecessary.

Quite the opposite.

You still need to understand:

• what your customers search for
• which searches are valuable
• which searches are irrelevant
• what your landing page offers
• which conversions matter
• what you should exclude
• where automation should and shouldn’t be allowed to expand

Google’s AI can help find opportunities.

It doesn’t know your business economics as well as you do.

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35. A Simple Keyword Research Workflow

Here is the complete process I recommend for a small business owner.

Step 1 — Define your service

What exactly are you selling?

Step 2 — Define your customer

Who is most likely to buy?

Step 3 — Define your location

Where do you serve customers?

Step 4 — Write 10–20 seed keywords

Use the language your customers actually use.

Step 5 — Open Keyword Planner

Discover related ideas.

Step 6 — Apply location targeting

Don’t rely blindly on national search data.

Step 7 — Study search intent

Ask:

“If someone searches this, what are they actually trying to do?”

Step 8 — Remove obviously irrelevant ideas

Don’t advertise everything.

Step 9 — Group similar keywords

Create logical themes.

Step 10 — Choose appropriate match types

Use the level of control and reach appropriate to your campaign.

Step 11 — Create negative keyword ideas

Think about searches that could waste your budget.

Step 12 — Launch

But don’t consider keyword research finished.

Step 13 — Review Search Terms

See what people actually searched.

Step 14 — Add useful discoveries

Turn valuable search terms into campaign insights or keywords where appropriate.

Step 15 — Add irrelevant searches as negatives

Reduce wasted traffic.

Step 16 — Repeat

Keyword research isn’t a one-time activity.

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36. Google Ads Keyword Research Checklist

Before launching your campaign, ask yourself:

Business

• Do I know exactly what I’m selling?
• Do I know my target customer?
• Do I know my service area?
• Do I know the desired conversion?

Keyword research

• Have I created seed keywords?
• Have I used Keyword Planner?
• Have I checked location-specific data?
• Have I reviewed search intent?
• Have I removed irrelevant keywords?
• Have I considered long-tail searches?

Campaign structure

• Are keywords grouped logically?
• Does each ad group have a clear theme?
• Do the ads match the keywords?
• Does the landing page match the search intent?

Negative keywords

• Have I considered job-related searches?
• Have I considered free-seeking searches?
• Have I considered irrelevant educational searches?
• Have I reviewed actual Search Terms data?

After launch

• Am I reviewing Search Terms?
• Am I finding new useful searches?
• Am I excluding irrelevant searches?
• Am I looking at conversions rather than clicks alone?

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37. Common Google Ads Keyword Research Mistakes

Mistake 1: Choosing keywords only because they have high search volume

More searches don’t automatically mean more customers.

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Mistake 2: Using extremely broad keywords

A broad keyword can attract people who aren’t looking for your actual service.

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Mistake 3: Ignoring search intent

“How to do SEO” and “hire SEO agency” are completely different searches.

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Mistake 4: Adding hundreds of keywords immediately

More keywords can create more complexity without creating more business.

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Mistake 5: Never checking Search Terms

This means you are ignoring some of the most useful real-world data from your campaign.

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Mistake 6: Forgetting negative keywords

Irrelevant clicks can consume budget.

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Mistake 7: Treating Google Keyword Planner forecasts as guarantees

Keyword Planner provides estimates. Actual results depend on factors including bids, budget, ad quality, targeting, customer behavior and industry conditions.

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Mistake 8: Copying competitors blindly

Your competitor’s business model, pricing, location and customers may be completely different from yours.

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Mistake 9: Ignoring your own website language

Your landing page should clearly explain what you offer.

Google’s matching systems can use landing-page content and other campaign signals when determining relevance, particularly with broader matching.

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38. Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Google provides Keyword Planner within Google Ads, although access to basic keyword-idea functionality requires completing account setup, including billing information.

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How many keywords should I use in a Google Ads campaign?

There is no universal number.

Start with a manageable set of highly relevant keywords rather than trying to cover every possible variation.

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Which keyword match type is best?

There is no single match type that is best for every campaign.

Broad, phrase and exact match serve different purposes. Google’s current systems increasingly combine broader matching with Smart Bidding and AI-powered features, so your choice should reflect your conversion data, budget and campaign objective.

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Should I use broad match?

Broad match can help discover relevant searches and expand reach. Google recommends using Smart Bidding with broad match.

For a new advertiser, understand how your campaign is performing before aggressively expanding targeting.

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Are exact-match keywords really exact?

Not literally.

Google says exact match can match searches that have the same meaning or intent, and close variants can also be included.

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What are negative keywords?

Negative keywords prevent your ads from serving for searches containing specified terms, helping reduce irrelevant traffic.

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What is the Search Terms report?

It shows searches that triggered your ads and provides performance information about those searches.

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Should I add every keyword suggested by Keyword Planner?

No.

Keyword Planner gives you ideas.

You decide which ideas actually make business sense.

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Is a high-search-volume keyword always better?

No.

A smaller, highly relevant commercial keyword may be more useful to your business than a huge but generic keyword.

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Are long-tail keywords useful for Google Ads?

They can be, particularly when they clearly communicate a specific requirement.

But don’t select them solely because they’re long. Relevance and intent matter more.

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How often should I do keyword research?

For a new campaign, review search-term data regularly after enough traffic has accumulated.

Over time, keyword research becomes an ongoing optimization process rather than a one-time task.

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Can I use AI to do keyword research?

Yes.

AI can help generate ideas, categorize keywords, identify themes and analyze search intent.

But don’t blindly upload an AI-generated keyword list into Google Ads.

Use AI for research and organization, then validate the keywords using real search data, Keyword Planner and actual campaign performance.

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Your Simple Google Ads Keyword Formula

If you’re completely new to Google Ads, remember this:

Business → Customer → Intent → Seed Keywords → Keyword Planner → Filter → Group → Match Type → Negative Keywords → Search Terms → Optimize

That’s the process.

Don’t start with:

“Which keyword has the highest search volume?”

Start with:

“Which search indicates that someone may genuinely need what I sell?”

That single change in thinking can dramatically improve how you approach Google Ads.

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Final Thoughts

Keyword research isn’t about creating the longest possible keyword list.

It is about understanding your customer.

When someone searches Google, they are telling you something.

Sometimes they’re saying:

“I want information.”

Sometimes:

“I’m comparing options.”

And sometimes:

“I’m ready to buy.”

Your job as an advertiser is to understand that difference.

Google’s automation and AI can now identify relationships between searches that go far beyond the exact words you enter. But that makes business judgment more important, not less.

You still need to know:

• who your customer is
• what they are looking for
• which searches matter
• which searches don’t
• what you can afford to pay
• what counts as a valuable conversion

Once you understand that, Keyword Planner becomes much more useful.

And after your campaign starts receiving traffic, the Search Terms report becomes your second source of keyword research—because now you’re no longer guessing what people might search.

You’re looking at what they actually searched.

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Continue the Google Ads Beginner Series

Part 1: How to Start Google Ads for Your Business in 2026

Part 2: Google Ads Keyword Research — You are here

Part 3: How to Create Your First Google Search Campaign

Part 4: Google Ads Conversion Tracking — How to Know Which Leads and Sales Came From Your Ads

Part 5: How to Manage and Optimize Google Ads

Part 6: Google Ads for Different Types of Businesses

The next article should take the keyword research from this guide and show the reader exactly how to create and launch their first Search campaign, including campaign settings, ad groups, ads, assets, bidding, budget and launch checks.

Official Google resources

For readers who want to work directly with Google’s documentation:

Google Keyword Planner — Google Ads Help

Google Ads keyword matching options

Google Ads Search Terms report

Google Ads negative keywords

AI Max for Search campaigns