What Mistake Did They Make with the Keywords?

Short Answer: They combined multiple different keywords into a single keyword phrase, causing Google to only show their ad when all those exact terms appeared in a user’s search. This made it highly unlikely for their ad to be displayed.

Full Explanation

The primary mistake was merging several distinct keywords into one long keyword string. Instead of allowing the ad platform to treat each keyword as an individual trigger, they forced Google to look for all of the specified terms together in one search query. This reduced the ad’s visibility significantly, because it is rare that all those specific words appear simultaneously in a user’s search.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Identify Keywords: They collected different keywords they wanted to target.
Combine Keywords: Rather than listing these keywords separately, they put them all together into one keyword phrase.
Google’s Interpretation: Google treated this combined keyword as a single search term requiring every word in the phrase.
Result: The ad was triggered only when a user’s search query exactly matched all terms, which rarely happens.

Real Examples

While no specific examples are provided, imagine an ad intended to appear for “shoes,” “running shoes,” and “best running shoes.” Combining all these keywords into one phrase such as “shoes running best running shoes” means the ad will only show when the search includes all these terms together, which is highly unlikely.

Common Mistakes

Mixing multiple distinct keywords into a single keyword.
Expecting broader reach from a long, combined keyword phrase.
Confusing keyword targeting by not separating search terms properly.

FAQs

Q: Why is it a problem to combine keywords into one phrase?
A: Because it restricts ad visibility to searches including every single word, drastically reducing the chances of the ad showing.

Q: How should keywords be used instead?
A: Keywords should be kept separate or managed properly to ensure ads appear for relevant searches without unrealistic term combinations.

Key Takeaways

Combining multiple keywords into one phrase limits ad triggers.
Google requires that all terms in the combined keyword be present to show the ad, which is rare.
Proper keyword separation is essential for broader and effective ad targeting.