How do I choose the right ad group and keywords when building campaigns?

The short answer is to keep things simple by focusing on the services you offer and selecting the most relevant keywords for each. Group your ads by specific services and tailor keywords to those groups, while also considering the geographical areas you serve, especially if your coverage spans multiple cities.

Full Explanation

When building your campaigns, the key is to avoid making the process more complicated than necessary. Begin by clearly identifying the services your business provides—for example, gate repair, installation, or emergency services. These services form the foundation for your ad groups, enabling you to organize your campaign structure effectively. Next, determine the most appropriate keyword that directly reflects each service. For instance, the keyword for gate repair can simply be “gate repair.” This simplification makes it straightforward to match user search intent and increase the chances of your ads being shown to interested customers.

In addition, using phrase match for your keywords is beneficial. Phrase match helps you control which search queries trigger your ads by ensuring they include the keyword phrase, allowing some flexibility while maintaining relevance. Finally, consider the geographical areas you target. If your services cover a wide area, organizing your campaigns based on cities can help you tailor your messaging and bids to specific locations, thereby improving ad performance and efficiency.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

List Your Services: Identify each specific service you offer (e.g., gate repair, installation, emergency services).
Create Ad Groups by Service: Group your ads around each of these services to keep your campaigns organized.
Select Relevant Keywords: Choose clear and straightforward keywords that best represent each service (e.g., “gate repair” for gate repair service).
Use Phrase Match: Apply phrase match to your keywords to capture relevant search variations without losing focus.
Factor in Geography: If you serve multiple cities or regions, structure your campaign around these locations for better targeting.
Build Location-Based Campaigns: Create separate campaigns or ad groups for each city to optimize ad delivery and relevance.

Real Examples

For a business offering gate services, an ad group might be dedicated solely to “Gate Repair” with the keyword “gate repair” using phrase match. Another ad group could be for “Gate Installation” with the keyword “gate installation.” If the company serves several cities, it can create campaigns like “Gate Repair in City A” and “Gate Repair in City B,” ensuring ads are specifically targeted by location to attract local customers.

Common Mistakes

Overcomplicating Keyword Selection: Trying to add too many keywords that don’t directly relate to the service can dilute your campaign’s focus.
Ignoring Service-Specific Ad Groups: Not grouping ads by individual services leads to poor ad relevance and lower performance.
Neglecting Geographic Targeting: Failing to segment campaigns by location when covering large areas can result in wasted ad spend and less effective campaigns.

FAQs

Q: Why should I use phrase match keywords?
Phrase match allows your ads to show on searches that contain the exact keyword phrase, giving some flexibility while maintaining relevance to your service.

Q: How specific should my ad groups be?
Ad groups should be centered around individual services to keep messaging clear and targeted for better ad performance.

Q: What if I serve multiple cities?
Consider building your campaigns based on cities to ensure your ads reach the right audience with location-specific relevance.

Key Takeaways

Simplify your campaign building by aligning ad groups with the services you offer.
Choose clear, service-specific keywords to match search intent.
Utilize phrase match to balance flexibility and precision in keyword targeting.
Incorporate geographic segmentation when targeting multiple locations to optimize ads.