How many keywords do you recommend for a campaign?

Short Answer: Focusing on fewer, highly relevant keywords is now more effective than using a large number. Around three keywords in phrase match per ad group can be sufficient, as removing redundant or non-beneficial keywords improves your campaign’s performance.

Full Explanation

In the past, having a large number of keywords was often seen as beneficial for a campaign. The idea was that more keywords would capture more search queries and increase reach. However, this approach has shifted significantly. Today, overloading your campaign with many keywords can actually harm its effectiveness.

Modern keyword strategies emphasize removing redundant keywords—those that are non-serving and don’t contribute positively to your campaign. When your keyword list is cluttered with terms that aren’t helping, it dilutes your focus and can degrade results.

Thanks to advanced options like phrase match, you can now cover a broad range of relevant search queries with fewer keywords. This targeting allows you to maintain high relevance without the need to use many variants or loosely related terms.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Evaluate your existing keywords: Identify which keywords are not delivering value or are redundant.
2. Remove non-serving keywords: Get rid of keywords that aren’t helping your campaign perform better.
3. Focus on phrase match keywords: Use concise, targeted phrase match keywords to capture important search intent.
4. Limit keyword count per ad group: Consider using approximately three well-selected phrase match keywords in each ad group.
5. Monitor and optimize: Continuously evaluate keyword performance and adjust as needed to maintain effective targeting.

Real Examples

Although no specific industry examples are provided here, the principle applies universally. Instead of broad keyword lists, advertisers focus on three phrase match keywords per ad group. This streamlined method ensures ads trigger for relevant queries without wasteful overlap or irrelevant terms.

Common Mistakes

• Overloading campaigns with too many keywords: Leads to diluted focus and lower quality results.
• Keeping redundant keywords: Non-serving keywords do not contribute and should be removed.
• Ignoring phrase match benefits: Not leveraging phrase match keywords limits targeting efficiency.

FAQs

Why is having more keywords sometimes harmful?
Because redundant and irrelevant keywords can reduce campaign effectiveness by wasting budget and diluting focus.

What is phrase match and why is it useful?
Phrase match allows you to target specific search phrases meaningfully, covering necessary variations with fewer keywords.

How many keywords should I use per ad group?
Around three well-chosen phrase match keywords are often sufficient to optimize performance.

Key Takeaways

• Less is more: fewer high-quality keywords outperform many loosely relevant ones.
• Remove redundant and non-serving keywords to improve your campaign.
• Use phrase match to cover relevant phrases effectively with around three keywords per ad group.
• Continuously optimize your keywords to maintain campaign quality and results.