You’re not just adding new terms or cutting poor ones; you’re shaping the way the algorithm interprets your intent and allocates your spend. If you want consistent, efficient returns, you’ve got to get this right.
So, let’s dive into how to actually master the process, no fluff, just a proven approach that works in the real world.
Start by Auditing What You’ve Got
Before making any changes, it’s crucial to get a solid grasp of where your account currently stands. That means reviewing which keywords are pulling their weight and which ones are quietly burning through your budget.
Start by looking at your conversions and cost per acquisition. If a keyword’s racking up spend without bringing in leads or sales, it’s a red flag. You’ll also want to keep an eye on click-through rates and Quality Score, both are useful indicators of how well your ads align with the searcher’s intent.
Now, if you’ve got access to your Search Terms Report (and you absolutely should), this is the place to spot opportunities and risks. It’ll tell you exactly what users are typing in before clicking your ads, and you’ll often find some mismatches that explain why certain keywords aren’t converting. If you want to go deeper, using an n-gram analysis can help highlight repeated words or patterns that are dragging performance down.
Remove the Dead Weight
Once the data tells you what’s working and what’s not, it’s time to tidy up. This stage is all about control, removing anything that’s no longer serving you.
Any keyword that’s spending money without bringing results should be paused or removed entirely. You’ll also want to identify search queries that are clearly irrelevant—things like job-seekers, how-to guides, or DIY searches and add them as negative keywords to keep your targeting sharp.
It’s also worth reviewing any broad or ambiguous keywords that might have made their way into your campaigns. If they’re too vague to attract the right kind of user, they’re just muddying the waters. Cut them back, and you’ll be left with cleaner data and better performance signals.
Build Around What’s Working
Optimisation doesn’t just mean taking things out—it also means identifying what’s already doing well and expanding on it.
Look for search terms that are converting consistently but haven’t yet been added as dedicated keywords. Those are your low-hanging fruit. It’s also worth exploring variations on your top performers. Try adding location-based versions, plural forms, or more specific long-tail options that show clear commercial intent.
If you’re running Dynamic Search Ads or Performance Max campaigns, don’t ignore the insights coming from them. They’re often full of useful search terms that can inform your broader keyword strategy. Think of them as testing grounds that reveal gaps in your current structure.
Get Your Match Types Working For You
This is where control meets discovery. You’ll want to make sure your match types are being used with intention, not just by default.
For consistency and predictability, Exact Match is still king. It gives you tight control over what traffic you're pulling in and works brilliantly for proven converters. That said, Broad Match has come a long way, especially when paired with smart bidding strategies like Target CPA or ROAS. Broad can help you discover new, high-intent terms that wouldn’t otherwise enter your campaigns, provided you’ve got good conversion data feeding the algorithm.
A useful trick is to pair Broad and Exact keywords in the same ad groups . That way, you can achieve more efficiency when the search term exactly matches your keyword and have that exact match keyword anchor broad matches intent. Giving more context to Broad match as it reaches out to increase volume with a solid base of conversion data being built by your exact match conversions. This pairing has been suggested by Google’s own experts as the best way to approach campaigns that utilise Smart Bidding.
Structure by Intent, Not Just Theme
A well-structured account does more than just keep things tidy, it helps the algorithm deliver better results.
Think about how your keywords align with the buyer’s intent. If someone’s searching for “best online MBA UK”, they’re in a very different mindset than someone searching “what is an MBA”. Grouping those together in the same ad group will only confuse Google’s machine learning and lead to underwhelming results.
You’ll want to organise your keywords not just by product or service, but by the kind of intent behind them, whether they’re top-of-funnel queries looking for information, or bottom-of-funnel phrases from people ready to convert. If you're targeting multiple regions, consider splitting keywords by location as well. The clearer your structure, the easier it is for the algorithm to optimise delivery, and the more relevant your ads will be.
Match Bidding Strategy to Keyword Behaviour
It’s easy to fall into the trap of setting a single Target CPA or ROAS across the board and hoping for the best. But not all keywords are created equal, and neither are their paths to conversion.
Ask yourself whether your current bidding strategy actually supports your keyword structure. Are you giving your Exact Match keywords enough budget and space to shine? Are your high-intent, low-volume keywords being crowded out by broader, more aggressive ones? Sometimes, it makes sense to split certain keyword groups into their own ad groups and setting ad group level targets just to give them a fair chance to convert.
Your bid strategy should work in harmony with your keywords, not against them.
Use Tools to Speed Things Up (and Reduce Errors)
If you’re still doing all of this manually, you’re wasting time. There’s no shortage of tools and scripts out there to help you scale smarter and avoid repetitive tasks.
Whether it’s an n-gram script to break down your search terms or a Looker Studio Keyword report to analyse patterns, visualisation and automation gives you the space to make bigger strategic decisions. And if you haven’t utilised Google Ads Experiments yet, they’re a brilliant way to test changes in a controlled environment, match types, new keyword sets, or adjusted bidding strategies can all be trialled without risking the whole account.
It’s not about being lazy, it’s about working efficiently to maximise performance.
Optimisation is a Routine, Not a Project
Finally, let’s address the biggest pitfall in keyword management: thinking it’s a one-off job.
If you’re only checking your keywords and search term reports once a quarter, you’re leaving money on the table. At the very least, you should be reviewing performance bi-weekly, keeping an eye out for search terms that are a waste of spend, new irrelevant terms, or early signs of a shift in search intent in a keyword, Google trends works well to monitor this. A more detailed review each month will help you spot broader trends and decide whether it’s time to restructure or scale.
This process is cyclical. Trim, test, expand, repeat. That’s the rhythm of a high-performing search campaign.
Your Keywords Deserve More Than Guesswork
At the end of the day, keyword optimisation is where the real craft of PPC happens. It’s where you take control, cut waste, and make room for growth.
When you approach it with discipline and intent, it becomes one of your most powerful levers for performance. So don’t just set and forget. Stay curious. Keep testing. Let your structure do the heavy lifting, and give the algorithm something it can actually work with.
