1. What are Google Ads keywords?
In Google Ads, keywords are words or phrases that are used to match ads with the terms that people use when they search. You’ll want to use keywords that capture customers searching in different ways, including:
- Customers who know exactly what they want
- Customers who don’t know the best way to search for something when they first learn about it
- Customers who might be impacted by unexpected world events
If you don’t have an effective and updated keyword strategy, you may be missing out on valuable conversions and revenue. It is important to utilise search marketing as it is understanding the intent behind specific words that are used.
2. What are the types of keyword matching?
In Google Ads, keywords are words or phrases that are used to match ads with the terms that people use when they search. Keyword matching gives you control which searches that your keywords and ads will match by using three match types. These match types determine how related a search can be to each keyword. Learn more about keyword matching options.
3. How does Google Ads keyword matching work?
Google Ads keyword matching systems are optimised searches that are likely to meet your goals. These solutions work together for you to reach the right user, with the right message, all within your business objectives. There is a process that takes a user from a search to finding your key-matched ad. Keyword matching will have a retrieval query and look for keyword matches in your account before choosing keywords that match to move forward. A responsive search ad is created and goes through the bidding process with either Smart Bidding or manual bidding. After the bidding process, Ad Rank is calculated and then goes through the auction, the ad with the highest Ad Rank across all advertisers is then shown to the user.
4. How do keywords reach the right customers?
Google Ads utilises keyword matching to best reach your customers by optimised match type. There are many ways with each match type that can work well for your business. Optimising your keywords means utilising your bidding strategy to determine which type is most effective for you. Broad match is the only match type that uses all of the signals available to understand the intent of both the user’s search and your keyword, while having the flexibility to find the most relevant match that is expected to perform for you.
5. How does keyword matching in Google Ads understand a user’s query?
Keyword matching in Google Ads uses match searches to keywords based on syntax – matching the specific words within each search. Google Ads has technology that is able to understand search intent and is employed in keyword matching. That’s how we can match user searches to keywords based on semantics – the meaning conveyed by the search – in addition to the syntax. Learn more about keyword and search theme prioritisation within a Google Ads account.
6. How can I set an optimal bid?
Finding the optimal bid can be streamlined with the use of Google Ad’s Smart Bidding. Smart Bidding is a set of bidding strategies that utilises AI to optimise for conversions or conversion value. This sets precise bids for each and every auction to help drive high conversion volume or conversion value for your budget and return ad spend (ROAS goals). There are different strategies to find the best bid for your situation. These can include:
- Defining your goals to best reach your customers
- Choosing a bidding strategy, such as automated or manual CPC
- Researching and setting initial bids
- Monitoring and optimising your performance data relative to your goals
7. What match type works best with Smart Bidding?
There are different strategies to find the best bid for your situation. These can include:
- Defining your goals to best reach your customers
- Choosing a bidding strategy, such as automated or manual CPC
- Researching and setting initial bids
- Monitoring and optimising your performance data relative to your goals
Broad match works well with Smart Bidding because it expands the range of auctions available to the bidding algorithm. By providing Smart Bidding with more inventory, it makes it easier for it to reach your performance targets. Broad match benefits can reach additional relevant search terms compared to phrase and exact match and provide more data and flexibility with Smart Bidding. Broad match can also use additional signals to ensure relevance and intent for queries.
8. How can I create a relevant ad?
Creating a relevant ad is a keystone for success in reaching people. You can collaborate with Google AI to create and show more relevant ads to reach potential customers. This will help you compete in a wider variety of relevant auctions by delivering ads that adapt to show the right message for the right query. Keyword theming is important for ad relevance, focusing on a creative theme will make it easier to write relevant and high-quality assets that perform well across your ad group. Creative assets and landing pages are shared across your ad group and can drive incremental conversions with a theme. Optimise ad strength for feedback to help focus on providing the right messages to your customers.
9. How can I steer branded traffic with brand settings?
Brand settings can be applied to search and Performance Max campaigns to help direct branded traffic based on your advertising needs.
To steer branded traffic, there are two types of settings:
- Brand restrictions limit traffic to serve only on search queries related to specified brands.
- Brand exclusions provide added control so that your campaigns won't serve for brand queries that you want to avoid on search and Shopping inventory.
Brand setting features aim to help you with your branded traffic needs, but we recommend that you only implement them on campaigns that really need them to avoid constraining your conversion opportunities. Learn more about best practices for search ads and Performance Max.
Learn more about brand settings.
