How Many Keywords per Ad Group in Google Ads?

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Google Ads and different pay-per-click (PPC) platforms let you to make aggregate ads with akin targeting. These are called advertisement groups, and they revolve astir a circumstantial acceptable of keywords, oregon hunt terms.

Below you tin spot 2 examples of advertisement groups: 1 focused connected handheld gaming devices and 1 advertizing the champion gaming consoles. Each advertisement radical includes a acceptable of keywords and 2 adverts. 

Color-coded, two-column diagram explaining the operation   of a Google Ads relationship  for a "Video Game Store," with examples.

A Google Ads relationship tin person up to 10,000 campaigns. These are sets of advertisement groups that stock a people market, language, budget, and different characteristics. 

Google lets you acceptable up a maximum of 20,000 advertisement groups per campaign. Each radical has a bounds of 20,000 people items, specified arsenic keywords oregon lawsuit groups.

But however galore keywords per advertisement radical should you truly beryllium using?

Definitely not 20,000. Not adjacent 2,000. 

The close fig of keywords depends connected your budget, run size, and different factors, which we’ll sermon aboriginal on. But first, here’s what you should cognize astir keywords and their relation successful PPC advertising. 

Further reading: What Is Google Ads & How Does It Work? A Comprehensive Guide

The Role of Keywords successful PPC

Keywords are the hunt presumption consumers usage to find products, services, oregon accusation online. 

In the discourse of PPC, your people keywords archer Google wherever and erstwhile your ads should appear. And however overmuch you’ll wage per click. 

Simply put, they assistance find which hunt queries your ads amusement for. This allows you to people circumstantial audiences based connected their search intent, which tin be:

  • Informational: Users privation to cognize much astir a topic, specified arsenic the weather, section schools, oregon room appliances (e.g., "how to cleanable an induction cooktop")
  • Navigational: Users are looking for a circumstantial web leafage (e.g., "Amazon unrecorded chat")
  • Commercial: Users privation to probe a merchandise oregon work earlier buying (e.g., "best induction cooktops")
  • Transactional: Users are acceptable to acquisition a merchandise oregon work (e.g., "IKEA Särklassig cooktop")

When you optimize your ads for applicable keywords, Google tin lucifer them to the queries related to those hunt terms.

For example, the advertisement beneath whitethorn look to consumers funny successful genu sleeves. 

Google hunt  results for "knee sleeves" showing an advertisement  for "The Original Compressa Sleeve" with a promotional offer.

How galore keywords per advertisement radical you should usage depends on:

  • Business size
  • Campaign goals
  • Competition
  • Budget and resources
  • Keyword lucifer types 

Having excessively galore keywords per advertisement radical tin dilute your connection and, successful immoderate cases, confuse imaginable customers.

On apical of that, you whitethorn person a hard clip identifying underperforming keywords. And you could extremity up spending thousands of dollars to support your ads running.

Having excessively fewer keywords, connected the different hand, tin bounds your reach. Plus, you whitethorn not beryllium capable to stitchery capable information and insights to optimize your campaigns.

Now let’s instrumentality a speedy look astatine each of the factors listed above. 

Business Size 

A tiny concern whitethorn person constricted resources and less products than a ample institution similar Nike oregon Amazon. Targeting excessively galore keywords could drain its fund and trigger ads that don't execute arsenic expected.

Let's accidental you merchantability handmade jewelry, specified arsenic leather bracelets and chokers similar the Make Smith Leather Co. successful Portland, OR. 

Online advertisement  showing leather crafting tools and handmade wallets, with a marque  connection   astir  timeless, handmade leather goods.

Consider targeting a tiny fig of highly applicable keywords (e.g., "handmade leather bracelets") alternatively than generic keywords, similar "fashion jewelry" oregon "women's bracelets."

This attack allows for much targeted advertisement copy, which could marque it easier to scope your audience. It whitethorn besides impact little costs and little enactment than an advertisement radical with dozens oregon hundreds of keywords.

A concatenation store oregon online marketplace, connected the different hand, has much products—and resources.

In this case, it makes consciousness to make advertisement groups with a ample fig of keywords. These whitethorn screen aggregate brands, merchandise lines, oregon lawsuit segments. 

Campaign Goals

Marketing campaigns, including PPC campaigns, should person circumstantial goals. For example, you whitethorn privation to rise marque awareness, make leads, oregon beforehand a caller product.

Each of these goals requires a antithetic attack from an advertizing perspective. Consequently, the fig of keywords per advertisement radical whitethorn vary, too.

For instance, an advertisement radical focused connected 1 merchandise oregon work whitethorn person less (but much specific) keywords than a radical focused connected marque awareness.

Let's accidental you privation to beforehand a caller enactment of moving shoes. In this case, the keywords successful your advertisement radical volition revolve astir the product's sanction oregon features. Like "adidas Adios Pro 3 moving shoes" oregon "lightweight moving shoes."

With this approach, your ads whitethorn look to those users who Googled “adidas Adios Pro 3 moving shoes” oregon akin terms. In this case, you tin spot an advertisement for Nike successful the apical results. 

Google SERP showing assorted  sponsored buying  ads for antithetic  models of Adidas moving  shoes and 1  brace  of Nike moving  shoes.

But if your extremity is to thrust marque awareness, you'll apt people a larger fig of keywords per advertisement group. This tin assistance you scope a wider assemblage and look successful assorted hunt queries, not conscionable those related to moving shoes.

Your run could see aggregate advertisement groups, each revolving astir a merchandise class connected your site, specified arsenic men's diversion shoes oregon gym equipment. Naturally, you'll person country for much keywords than if you beforehand conscionable 1 product. 

Further reading: Create a Marketing Campaign That Drives Results

Competition

Sometimes, it makes consciousness to bid connected highly competitory keywords. This strategy tin make vulnerability for your marque portion allowing you to divert postulation from your competitors.

Let's accidental you merchantability laptops and different gadgets from premium brands similar Apple and HP.

In this case, it's good to bid connected branded keywords, specified arsenic "Apple MacBook Air." However, your competitors whitethorn people the aforesaid hunt terms, which tin thrust up the outgo per click.

The aforesaid goes for generic, unbranded keywords similar "buy champion laptop" oregon "new laptop."

But wherever tin you get this information from?

One solution is to usage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool

It tin assistance you place trending keywords with precocious hunt measurement and debased contention successful immoderate niche. Plus, it displays the hunt intent and CPC for each keyword successful its database.

Returning to the erstwhile example, participate “new laptop” (or immoderate different hunt word you person successful mind) into the hunt bar. This volition beryllium your “seed” keyword (the hunt word you basal your probe on). 

Select your people market, specified arsenic the U.S. oregon Australia, and click "Search."

Keyword Magic Tool with a hunt  barroom  wherever  "new laptop" is typed, state  enactment    drop-down, and a green "Search" button.

As you tin spot below, “new laptop” has an mean CPC of $1.58 and a Competitive Density (“Com.”) of 1. This people shows you the level of contention betwixt advertisers bidding connected a fixed keyword. It runs connected a standard of 0 to 1, with 1 indicating the highest competition. 

Keyword Magic Tool with highlights for the keyword "new laptop," showing it has a CPC of 1.58 USD, and a Com. of 1.00.

By comparison, a little competitory keyword similar "cheap caller laptops” has an mean CPC of $0.54. Its competitory density is 0.98. 

Keyword Magic Tool with “cheap caller   laptops” marked with a purple box, showing it has a CPC of 0.54 USD, and a Com. of 0.98.

The much competitory a keyword is, the harder it would beryllium to marque your advertisement basal retired successful paid hunt results. And the CPC whitethorn beryllium higher, too, compared to that of a little competitory term. 

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool volition benignant and filter the results by CPC, Competitive Density, and different criteria. 

For instance, you tin take to spot lone those keywords with a Com. of 0.6 oregon lower. These are the slightest competitory options. 

Click “Advanced filters” from the apical navigation bar, past capable retired the fields nether “Competitive Density” with the desired values. Next, click “Apply.”

Keyword Magic Tool with "Advanced filters" expanded, showing "Competitive Density" input fields for specifying parameters.

Semrush volition show the keywords that lucifer your criteria. 

Keyword Magic Tool interface showing keywords and their associated metrics, with the "Com." file  successful  a purple box.

You tin besides filter the results by CPC. Go to the apical navigation bar, click the “CPC (USD)” tab, and participate the maximum magnitude you’re consenting to per click. When you’re done, deed “Apply.”

Keyword Magic Tool interface with the CPC (USD) dropdown expanded and a customized  scope  filled in.

If you’re successful a highly competitory market, it’s bully to person fewer, much targeted keywords per advertisement group. This keeps your costs down and maintains advertisement relevance.

Less competitory markets, connected the different hand, let you to people much keywords with a little CPC. Just marque definite they align with your advertisement transcript and run goals.

Budget and Resources

With Google Ads, you tin acceptable an mean regular budget, but this is conscionable an mean implicit the people of the month. 

The existent regular walk tin spell arsenic precocious arsenic two times your mean regular budget (on immoderate days) if Google’s AI detects a precocious imaginable for conversions. However, it volition ne'er transcend your monthly spending limit, which represents the mean regular fund multiplied by 30.4. 

Let's presume your run fund is $100 per day.

A highly competitory keyword, specified arsenic "Lenovo champion laptop" could outgo you implicit $37 per click, which would beryllium a immense fund drain. 

Keyword Magic Tool with “lenovo champion  laptop” marked with a purple box, showing it has a CPC of 37.10 USD.

So, usage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find hunt presumption that acceptable your advertizing budget. 

Filter them by CPC arsenic described earlier, oregon click the “CPC (USD)” heading to show them successful ascending oregon descending order. 

Keyword Magic Tool interface with a tooltip container  explaining "Cost Per Click" and mentioning the quality  to benignant   results.

For adjacent amended results, use further filters, specified arsenic a minimum monthly hunt volume. Ideally, people keywords with astatine slightest 100 monthly searches. 

Click the “Volume” drop-down paper successful the apical navigation bar. Select a scope oregon participate “100” successful the “From” tract nether “Customer range.” After that, click “Apply.”

Keyword Magic Tool interface with the "Volume" drop-down paper   open, displaying a "Custom range" input field.

Semrush volition show a database of keywords with 100+ monthly searches, starting with those with the lowest CPC. 

Keyword Magic Tool interface showing keywords and their associated metrics, with the "CPC (USD)" file  successful  a purple box.

Consider your schedule, too. 

Managing an advertisement radical with 50 oregon much keywords takes a batch of clip and effort. You request to optimize your ads for the people hunt terms, way their performance, and show your spending.

Imagine having to bash each these things for aggregate advertisement groups, each with a fewer twelve keywords. This simply isn't feasible for a tiny concern oregon idiosyncratic with a blimpish budget.

Your keywords volition interaction advertisement relevance, prime score, and ultimately, the effectiveness of your campaigns. They’ll besides power advertizing costs and ROI.

With that successful mind, let’s spell implicit the reasons you should prioritize PPC keyword research. 

Limiting Spend and Keeping Your Ads More Focused

Choosing keywords that lucifer the user's intent arsenic intimately arsenic imaginable tin summation your reach. At the aforesaid time, it tin assistance trim unnecessary advertisement spend. 

Ideally, opt for long-tail keywords. These are often much circumstantial to a peculiar industry, product, oregon taxable than shorter, broader keywords. Plus, they thin to person little competition, which whitethorn effect successful a little CPC.

Coming backmost to the Keyword Magic Tool, prime the desired connection number for your hunt presumption (e.g., if you similar to usage long-tail keywords).

Click the “Advanced filters” drop-down menu. Enter a minimum and maximum fig of words successful the “from” and “to” boxes nether “Word count.” Click “Apply” to filter the results. 

Keyword Magic Tool with "Advanced filters" expanded, showing "Word Count" input fields for specifying parameters.

You tin besides filter to see circumstantial keywords. Like words intimately related to your products.

Click the “Include keywords” drop-down menu. Enter the keywords you privation to see successful the results. 

Keyword Magic Tool interface with a light box dialog unfastened  connected  the right, which lists the "Include keywords" feature.

Similarly, you tin exclude keywords, specified arsenic those containing the sanction of a marque you don't sell. 

Access the “Exclude keywords” drop-down paper to participate these terms. Click “Apply.”

Keyword Magic Tool interface with an unfastened  filter model   containing excluded keywords "Dell laptop" and "Dell."

Filter by lucifer benignant to uncover much applicable keyword opportunities. Or, conscionable to heighten your keyword targeting. 

Filter by:

  • Broad Match: Keywords including immoderate signifier of your basal word successful immoderate sequence
  • Phrase Match: Keywords including your circumstantial basal word successful immoderate sequence
  • Exact Match: Keywords matching your circumstantial basal word successful the nonstop sequence
  • Related: Keywords with hunt results akin to your basal term

In this example, we’ve narrowed the results down to “Exact Match” keywords. 

Keyword Magic Tool interface, showing straight  beneath  the rubric  a navigation paper   with "Exact Match" highlighted successful  purple.

With these settings, you'll amended place highly applicable keywords. And optimize your ads accordingly.

Use Negative Keywords

Avoid wasted advertizing walk by utilizing negative keywords. These volition forestall your ads from showing up erstwhile users hunt for circumstantial phrases.

Say you merchantability decorator handbags from Prada, Dior, and different premium brands. Chances are, you don't privation your ads to look for hunt queries related to low-end brands oregon containing the connection "cheap" (e.g., "cheap enarthrosis bag").

You tin exclude these hunt presumption from your campaigns and absorption connected keywords that are much apt to convert.

Use the PPC Keyword Tool to filter irrelevant postulation by automatically adding antagonistic keywords to your advertisement group. 

If you haven’t, you request to acceptable up your task first. Enter your domain sanction successful the input box, and deed the “Set up” button.

//www.asos.com" wrong  it and a "Set up" button.

Import your keywords done immoderate of the options. Add them manually. Or import a database of people keywords from Semrush. Alternatively, import them from a record connected your device.

PPC Keyword Tool interface titled "Add Keywords," featuring assorted  options for import sources successful  a purple box.

Let’s accidental you take to adhd keywords manually. Type successful your keywords, past click “Add.” And click “Location.”

PPC Keyword Tool interface for adding keywords manually with listed keywords and navigation panel.

Select the country, region, and metropolis for your people audience. Click “Start PPC Keyword Tool.”

PPC Keyword Tool interface for adding keywords with determination  fields and a "Start PPC Keyword Tool" button.

Click the “Negatives” tab adjacent to “Keywords.”

PPC Keyword Tool interface for asos.com showing the "Negatives" tab, highlighted with a purple arrow.

Click the “+ Negatives” fastener to adhd antagonistic keywords. Add them manually oregon import a .TXT file.

PPC Keyword Tool showing a greenish  fastener  labeled "+ Negatives," with a popup model   offering options to import keywords.

If you adhd antagonistic keywords manually, paste your database of antagonistic keywords successful the input box. Click “Add.” Then click the “Add keywords” button.

PPC Keyword Tool interface for adding antagonistic  keywords manually, with adhd  buttons.

The PPC Keyword Tool’s cross-group negatives diagnostic enables you to automatically make antagonistic keyword suggestions. Use this diagnostic to debar overlap betwixt your advertisement groups and campaigns.

Click “Cross-group negatives.”

PPC Keyword Tool displaying antagonistic  keywords settings, with the fastener  "Cross-group negatives" pointed to by a purple arrow.

Add these antagonistic keywords to your Google Ads run to forestall your ads from showing to an assemblage that isn’t funny successful them. And amended your budget’s ROI by targeting imaginable customers.

Thorough keyword probe tin assistance you place the astir applicable hunt terms. So you’ll beryllium little apt to overload your advertisement groups with keywords that don’t present value. 

Don't usage a clump of keywords conscionable due to the fact that you tin spend it. Instead, absorption connected prime and relevance.

Use Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool to place 10-20 keywords related to your products oregon services. Track their performance, region those that don't person arsenic expected, and trial caller hunt terms.

This volition let you to continuously refine your keyword strategy without going implicit your selling budget.

Having countless keywords isn't conscionable costly and time-consuming, but it tin besides wounded your campaigns.

Let's presume you merchantability laptops online and make an advertisement radical with dozens of broad-match keywords, specified as:

  • "Gaming laptops"
  • "Business laptops"
  • "Laptops nether $1,000"
  • "Laptop reviews"
  • "Best laptops"
  • "Laptop specifications"
  • "Laptop deals"
  • "Ultrabooks"

You whitethorn deliberation this bidding attack would let you to scope a larger audience. That's true, but the advertisement transcript whitethorn consciousness generic oregon irrelevant to definite lawsuit groups.

The result? A debased click-through rate (CTR) and mediocre conversion rates.

Light bluish  rectangular inheritance  with a mathematical look   successful  the center, calculating click-through complaint   (CTR.)

For example, a user funny successful gaming laptops has antithetic needs than 1 searching for concern laptops oregon ultrabooks. That idiosyncratic volition find your ads irrelevant.

A amended enactment is to make abstracted advertisement groups for each laptop category. Use a operation of broad-match, phrase-match, and exact-match keywords to guarantee advertisement relevance.

Further reading: 8 Google Ads Best Practices to Maximize Return connected Ad Spend

Identifying Keyword Match Types and User Intent 

By researching your people hunt terms, you’ll recognize which keyword lucifer types enactment champion for your campaign. 

The keyword lucifer benignant determines however intimately you privation your keywords to lucifer consumers' hunt queries. Based connected this factor, you tin bid on:

  • Broad lucifer keywords: Your ads whitethorn look successful hunt queries related to your keyword
  • Phrase lucifer keywords: Your ads whitethorn look successful hunt queries that see the meaning of your keyword
  • Exact lucifer keywords: Your ads whitethorn look successful hunt queries that lucifer the meaning of your people keyword

Say you bid connected "summer dresses." If you prime "phrase match," Google would show your ads successful searches for "dresses for summer," "blue summertime dresses," "cheap summertime dresses," and truthful on.

With "broad match," your ads would look successful searches for "light dresses," "strapless dresses," "linen dresses," and akin terms.

But if you opt for "exact match," your ads would amusement connected searches for "summer dresses" oregon "women's summertime dresses."

These keyword-matching options impact advertisement relevance and costs.

Three ample  peach-colored rectangles with substance   explaining the hierarchy of keyword lucifer  types successful  Google Ads.

For example, wide keywords whitethorn let you to scope a wide audience. However, the ads volition beryllium little targeted than those triggered by operation lucifer oregon nonstop lucifer keywords.

Therefore, it makes consciousness to person a larger fig of nonstop lucifer keywords and less wide lucifer keywords. But since the erstwhile whitethorn impact higher costs, you mightiness privation to absorption connected operation lucifer keywords.

Google Ads allows you to individually show the show of your account, advertisement groups, and campaigns. 

First, entree your dashboard, and navigate to “Ad groups” nether “Campaigns” > ”Campaigns.”

Google Ads sidebar with "Ad groups" highlighted and selected.

You tin presumption your advertisement group’s show astatine a glimpse with the chart.

Google Ads campaign management interface showing a enactment     graph for advertisement  radical  clicks from May 1 – 21, 2024.

Click the dropdown paper to filter the illustration based connected respective metrics. Select “Performance” to filter by show metrics similar impressions, outgo and CTR.

Dropdown paper   connected  Ad Groups with "Performance" options and submenus for elaborate  metrics specified  arsenic  "Clicks" and "Cost."

Scroll down to spot the “Ad group” table. You tin presumption each advertisement radical and their respective show metric.

Google Ads Ad Groups information  array  showing show  metrics for 4  advertisement  groups.

Dig deeper into your champion advertisement groups and place the highest-converting keywords. Remove those that neglect to present results, adhd caller ones, and proceed to way their performance.

The lone mode to archer however galore keywords per advertisement radical you should person is to reappraisal your run goals, budget, and different aspects. 

For example, a section work concern whitethorn payment from targeting a fistful of highly applicable keywords similar “computer repairs adjacent me” oregon “computer repair successful [neighborhood name].” 

But if that institution starts offering distant method support, it whitethorn usage a larger fig of keywords (including much generic hunt presumption similar “remote tech support”). This would let it to scope a wider assemblage and physique consciousness of its services. 

No substance your run goals, usage Semrush’s tools to make and negociate your advertisement groups. 

Start with the Keyword Magic Tool to find hunt presumption that lucifer your run goals. Then signifier your people keywords and adhd cross-group negatives automatically with the PPC Keyword Tool