Google Ads Selecting Keywords

As we continue our series to demystify Google Ads Campaigns, specifically selecting keywords for Google Ads, you might say the fun part is next. In last week’s post, “Understanding the 3 Layers of Google Ads,” we dived into the main components of a Google Ad Campaign. First, account organization is an often overlooked yet mission-critical step. Next, campaigns are where the organization begins to take a long-form shape. Thirdly, ad groups with similar ad sets are ideal for testing. You may rightly be asking, what’s the fun part of this? Think of selecting keywords for Google Ads like going to the candy store – or donut shop – and choosing your favorite. It must be said, however, that Google offers a process for keyword planning, including a tool in your Ads account. In my fifteen years of SEO and Google advertising, strategic planning comes from understanding your product. Product knowledge includes knowing the competition, identifying your market differentiators and zeroing in on the right audience.

Google Keywords for Ads, the Basics
As a beginner, or intermediate, it’s important to understand the distinction between long-tail and short-tail keyword phrases. For example, today’s search behavior is much different than fifteen years ago. Instead of “asking” Google for a good lawyer, we might ask for a good real estate lawyer, nearby. That example is all you need to know about the difference between long-tail and short-tail keywords. Of course, the shorter the phrase, the higher the fee or bid. When selecting keywords for Google ads, remember you will bid on your favorite phrases. Bidding correlates with your monthly budget, so Google has built a few more tools to limit or broaden match parameters. When I first learned about Google Ads, I became intrigued with Boolean expressions, or operators, and decided to check them out. When selecting keywords for Google Ads, employ keyword-matching options. We’ll discuss those in more detail in our next post!