How to do Keyword Research For Google Ads

Doing keyword research for Google Ads is all about discovering the exact search terms that users are using while making any search on the SERP and analyzing the associated metrics with it.

​Let’s have a look at the steps on how to do keyword research for Google Ads:

​Step 1: Choose The Type of Campaign

The first step in how to do keyword research for Google Ads is to select the type of campaign you want to run. There are different types of Google Ads campaigns, each of which has its own set of goals and objectives.

• Search Campaigns
• Display Campaigns
• Video Campaigns
• Demand Gen Campaigns
• Performance Max Campaigns
• App Install Campaigns
• Smart Campaigns
• Local Campaigns
• Discovery Campaigns
• Shopping Campaigns

Step 2: Define Your Campaign Goals

The second step in how to do keyword research for Google Ads is to define the goals of your campaign i.e, what you want to achieve through the campaign. Your campaign goal will identify the type of keywords that you should use. 

For Example

  If your goal is to increase website traffic, than you should target “ broader informational keywords”, if your goal is sales that target high intent keywords like “buy now, order now, place order now, limited time offer”, if your goal is to generate leads than target keywords that reflects query or inquiry like “book a consultation now, get a quote” etc.

Step 3: Identify Your Target Audience

The third step is to identify your target audience and their search intent. It is important to identify the target audience to choose the right keywords. In this step, you have to identify your ideal customer and narrow them down by location, gender, interest , online behaviour, and search intent. Matching the user’s search intent is important to create more relevant ads and attract potential users.

Step 4: Select Keyword Research Tool

The fourth step in  how to do keyword research for Google Ads is to choose the tool that you will use for doing keyword research. There are different keyword tools available for different types of campaigns. You can use one or many to find and target different keywords.

Google Keyword Planner is a free and widely used tool for doing keyword research for different types of campaigns.

If you are doing keyword research to drive traffic on your site, then Ubersuggest, SEMrush, and Ahrefs are good tools that you can try out. If you are doing keyword research for App Install campaigns, then you can use AppAnnie, AppTweak, AppGrowing, etc.

 Google Ads transparency is another good tool that you can use to find competitors’ keywords that are running ads on Google and other partner networks.

Step 5: Find Your Targeted Keywords

Once you have selected your keyword tool, start with the keyword research process. Make a list of all selected keywords.  

The metrics to analyze when doing keyword research depend on the type of your campaign. Generally, the following metrics are analyzed when doing keyword research:

• Search Volume (to know how many users are making searches using a particular keyword).
• Competition ( to know how many competitors are targeting a particular keyword).
• Intent ( to know the type of user’s search intent).
• CPC (cost per click, it is the  average cost that you have to  pay to Google to display your ads on different networks. A high CPC indicates that the keyword is more valuable. )
• SEO Difficulty ( to determine how difficult it is for you to rank on a keyword. A high keyword difficulty indicates higher competition, which means it will be difficult to rank on such a keyword).