If you’re looking to get your Google Ads campaigns firing on all cylinders for your lead-based business, it all starts with one crucial element: keyword research. Just like navigating the sometimes-overwhelming world of GA4, mastering keyword research can feel like a totally different beast, but don’t panic, it’s a totally solvable challenge. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to uncover the keywords that will connect you with your ideal customers.

Why bother with in-depth keyword research?

Without proper keyword research, you’re essentially guessing what terms people are using to find products or services like yours on Google. Guesswork leads to wasted ad spend, irrelevant clicks, and ultimately, a poor return on your investment. In fact, the whole point of digital marketing versus traditional is that, often, it takes out any guess-work! The data is available. So let’s learn to do it correctly.

Effective keyword research helps you to:

• Reach the right audience
• Improve ad relevancy
• Lower costs
• Uncover new opportunities

Your Google ads keyword research toolkit

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s quickly touch on the tools that will make your life easier:

Google Keyword Planner

The OG. It’s free and integrated directly into Google Ads. Essential for volume data and discovery.

Google Search (and related searches)

Don’t underestimate the power of simply typing queries into Google and seeing what “People also ask” and “Related searches” pop up.

Competitor analysis tools

Tools like SpyFu and SEMRush can offer insights into what keywords your competitors are ranking for and bidding on.

Your step-by-step guide

Let’s get practical. Here’s a structured approach to finding your perfect keywords.

1. Brainstorm core topics & seed keywords

Start broad. What are the main products or services you offer? What problems do you solve for your customers? This is a type of keyword we call your “core” keyword (often referred to as “seed” keyword in the PPC industry).

Example for a plumbing business:

• • Topics: Leaky faucets, clogged drains, water heater repair, emergency plumbing.
  • Seed Keywords: “plumber near me,” “drain cleaning,” “hot water heater replacement,” “emergency plumber.”

2. Expand your list with Google Keyword Planner

Head to Google Keyword Planner (Tools & Settings > Planning > Keyword Planner).

• Choose “Discover new keywords.”
• Enter your seed keywords.
• Explore the suggestions: Keyword Planner will show you a wealth of related terms, their average monthly searches, and competition levels. This is where you’ll find variations, synonyms, and long-tail opportunities.
• Filter and refine: Pay attention to search volume (you want enough searches, but not so much competition you can’t compete) and commercial intent (are people looking to buy, or just research?).

3. Analyse search intent

This is incredibly powerful for seeing if a keyword aligns with your business goals. Not all searches are created equal. Understand the user’s intent:

• Informational: “How to [complete action]” (User wants information).
• Navigational: “[company] login” (User wants a specific page to navigate to).
• Commercial investigation: “best CRM software 2024” (User is researching options before buying).
• Transactional: “buy CRM software online” (User is ready to purchase).

For Google Ads, you’ll often focus on commercial investigation and transactional keywords, as these indicate a higher likelihood of conversion.

4. Consider keyword match types

Don’t panic if you see “broad,” “phrase,” and “exact” match types, it’s understandable! This is how you tell Google how strictly to match your ads to user queries.

• Broad Match: (e.g., plumber near me) – Shows your ad for searches loosely related to your keyword. Can generate a lot of traffic, but often less relevant. We often avoid this one as it really can match with some weird and wonderful terms completely unrelated to our business.
• Phrase Match: (e.g., “plumber near me”) – Shows your ad for searches that include your keyword’s meaning. This is often the match type we use, as it is a good balance of relevant and wide reaching.
• Exact Match: (e.g., [plumber near me]) – Shows your ad only for searches that are the exact keyword or close variations to it in meaning. Highly relevant, but lower volume.

For more details on match types, you can learn more from our dedicated match types article here.

5. Don’t forget negative keywords!

This is crucial for preventing wasted ad spend. Negative keywords tell Google not to show your ad for certain searches.

• Example for a business selling new water heaters: You might add “repair” or “used” as negative keywords to avoid showing up for people looking to fix an old one or buy a second-hand unit.
• Look at your search terms report in Google Ads to find irrelevant queries where your ads have shown up, and add those as negatives.

Continuous optimisation is key

Keyword research isn’t a one-and-done task. Regularly review your Google Ads search terms report, add new relevant keywords, prune underperforming ones, and continuously refine your negative keyword list. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to building robust Google Ads campaigns that truly resonate with your target audience, driving valuable leads and growing your business. Happy researching!