Google Ads basics

How to Choose Keywords for a First Campaign

A first campaign should prioritize commercial intent, service fit, location relevance, and enough focus to make the data readable.

Start with buyer intent

Searches that include a service, location, urgency, or action often show stronger intent than broad informational searches. A first campaign usually benefits from staying close to purchase intent.

Avoid every possible keyword

More keywords do not automatically mean more opportunity. A broad list can spend money on searches that are hard to interpret or too far from the offer.

Group similar intent

Keywords in the same ad group should be similar enough that the ad and landing page can speak directly to the searcher.

Review real search terms

Keyword planning is only a starting point. Search term reports show what people actually typed and help refine the account.

Start narrower than you think

A first campaign does not need to cover every possible service. Pick a small set of high-intent keywords that match the landing page and budget. Narrow campaigns are easier to diagnose when the first data arrives.

Consider match types

Exact and phrase match can help keep early traffic focused. Broad match may be useful later, but it usually needs strong conversion tracking, negative keywords, and enough budget to learn safely.

Use the landing page as a filter

If a keyword does not match the landing page, it may not belong in the first campaign. The page should be able to answer the searcher's need directly, without forcing them to hunt for the relevant service.

Avoid research-heavy terms

Early campaigns usually perform better when they avoid broad informational searches. Terms like "how to," "ideas," "salary," or "training" may be useful for content, but they often waste lead-generation budget.

Review after the first spend

The first keyword list is a hypothesis. Search term reports show whether the market uses the same language you expected. Use those reports to refine, not to defend the original list.

Start with commercial intent, not a list of topics

Build the first list from the exact service a customer can buy, the location served, and the problem that makes the search urgent. A plumber might separate “emergency plumber”, “water heater repair”, and “drain cleaning” because the page, call handling, and value of each enquiry differ. “Plumbing tips” may be relevant to the subject but usually signals research rather than a service request.

For every candidate keyword, write down the likely next action: call now, request an estimate, compare providers, or learn. Do not place those actions in one ad group merely because the words share a noun. The useful unit is a coherent promise between the search, ad, and landing page.

Use a simple qualification table

Before adding a term, score it against four checks: the business actually offers it, the searcher is in the target area, the landing page can answer the request, and the team can handle the resulting lead. A term that fails one check belongs on a later test list, not in the first launch.

For example, an HVAC company that only installs systems should not bid on “portable AC repair” just because it has volume. The expected click may be cheap, but the enquiry is not a route to the service being sold.

Validate assumptions with Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner can suggest related terms and forecasts, but its estimates are planning inputs—not a revenue forecast. Set the intended country, city or service area before interpreting volume or cost; broad national estimates are not a local demand estimate. Google documents the available keyword ideas, search-volume estimates and forecasts here: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243

Start with a small, auditable list. Add the strongest terms, record the match type, and note why each term is included. After launch, search-term data and lead-quality notes should determine the next additions.

Worked example: an electrician's first keyword list

A residential electrician planning a first campaign might start with a raw brainstorm of 40 keyword ideas. Instead of uploading all of them, run each through the four-point check described above: does the business offer it, is the searcher in the service area, can the landing page answer it, and can the team handle the resulting lead.

• "emergency electrician denver" passes all four checks — offered service, in area, the landing page answers it directly, and the team can respond same day. Keep it as an exact-match term in its own ad group.
• "electrician salary" fails immediately. It is a job-seeking search with no purchase intent. Add it as a negative rather than leaving it to waste impressions.
• "how to wire a light switch" fails the commercial-intent check. It is a DIY search, not a service request, even though it shares vocabulary with real customer searches.
• "licensed electrician near me" passes all four checks and signals strong local intent. Keep it as a phrase-match term.
• "electrical panel upgrade cost" passes three checks, but the current landing page does not mention panel upgrades specifically. Hold it on a second-wave list until a supporting page exists, instead of sending it to a generic services page that cannot answer the question.

Out of 40 raw ideas, this business might launch with roughly 12 keywords across three tight ad groups — emergency service, panel upgrades, and general residential wiring — each mapped to its own landing-page section. The remaining ideas become either negatives or a list to test once the first two weeks of search-term data arrive.

Common mistakes when building a first keyword list

Treating keyword research as a one-time task. The first list is a hypothesis, not a finished asset. Search-term reports after the first two weeks of spend usually reveal phrasing the original research missed entirely.

Confusing search volume with commercial intent. A keyword with high volume but low intent — such as "electrician jobs" showing up next to "electrician near me" in a keyword tool — can look attractive in Keyword Planner while draining budget with zero return.

Using the same ad group for different customer intents. Grouping "emergency electrician" with "electrician for new construction" forces one ad and one landing page to answer two very different questions, which weakens both.

Skipping the location check. A keyword that matches the service perfectly but targets a metro area far outside where the business can realistically send a technician wastes spend before the click is even evaluated against lead quality.

Frequently asked questions

How many keywords should a first campaign include? There is no universal number, but most focused first campaigns work well with 10 to 25 keywords across two or three tightly themed ad groups. Beyond that, the list has usually drifted away from strict commercial intent.

Should broad match be avoided completely at launch? Not necessarily, but broad match without an existing negative keyword list and without verified conversion tracking is the highest-risk combination for a new account. Phrase and exact match give more control while the account is still building its negative list from real search-term data.

When should new keywords be added? Add a new keyword when the search-term report shows a real, recurring search that passes the four-point check — not simply because a keyword tool suggests it as related.

First-campaign keyword checklist

• Each keyword maps to one offered service and one usable landing page.
• Location and language settings match the customers the business can serve.
• Research-only, job-seeking, DIY, supplier, free, and irrelevant product terms are considered for negatives.
• The landing-page headline repeats the service and location implied by the ad.
• Someone will review search terms and qualified leads after the first meaningful sample, rather than judging only click-through rate.