Despite the path of automation and signals that Google is walking down, it’s still mostly an intent-driven platform. It’s why search campaigns remain the standard Google Ads strategy; using keywords to capture relevant active searchers.
The concept of keywords has obviously not changed, but how far they cast nets to capture searches has. Google is becoming more sophisticated at generating a higher volume of relevant search traffic with fewer keywords. Removing redundancy is more important now than ever.
Even with these changes, gathering and implementing an effective keyword strategy does not have to be overly complicated. Here are three high-level tips on building your keyword strategy:
1. Building a keyword strategy really boils down to the highest intent.
Take the business’s product or service at the highest level, and find that keyword. Then break it down into verticals, such as different service areas of their business for lead gen or specifics like models, parts, sizes, colors, or brands for e-commerce. It’s like painting a picture: start with the lightest area, which is often the main focal point, and work darker for shadows and details.
For example, if you’re working with a roofing company, start with “roofing company.” That’s where the majority of high-intent traffic comes from. From there, layer in additional verticals like “repairs” or “remodeling,” if they apply. Even if the goal is to focus primarily on specific services, starting with a core industry term can provide a clearer picture of search volume in that industry.
2. Don’t waste your time with lots and lots of variants!
Gone are the days of needing multiple keyword variants to capture plurals, word-order changes, or synonyms through exact match. Google’s close variant matching now handles most of that automatically.
An exact keyword “kitchen remodel company near me” can pick up search terms like “local kitchen remodel companies” or “kitchen remodel contractors near me” without the need for multiple redundant keywords or other match types. As referenced before, go with the highest intent.
This will help keep your keyword list from being unnecessarily large and let Google focus on your intent with easier management.
My co-worker Kelly also talks about how AI has changed search behavior, and how building for audience intent is better than trying to cover every keyword combination. These two blogs really go hand in hand.
3. Broaden your ad groups based on business verticals and not keyword variants.
With Google optimizing for capturing higher intent with fewer keywords, ad groups do not necessarily have to be as granular. This is particularly true for lead gen services. Having only one or two keywords per ad group, each based on variants all within the same verticals, can be a lot to handle. It can also get messy as Google reduces redundancy, with many keywords being removed or paused across a ton of ad groups.
When keywords fall within the same vertical, it often makes sense to place them in the same ad group, particularly if they’ll be sending users to the same landing page. Reviewing the site layout upfront helps ensure your keyword structure aligns with the site’s layout.
Say your roofing company, with the repair business vertical, is going after searches for “roof repair,” “fix roof storm damage,” and “best roof repair services near me.” It’s easier to put those into a “Roof Repair” ad group together, especially if the website has a dedicated landing page for all roof repair services.
Key Takeaways
While each business will have its own goals and different-sized target audiences, building a keyword strategy can be made simple by drilling down to the root and not overbuilding. Ultimately, success in today’s Google Ads environment isn’t about building the biggest keyword list; it’s about building the most intentional one. Start with core, high-intent terms that reflect how real customers search, structure your campaigns around meaningful business verticals, and let Google’s advancements in close variant matching and signal-based optimization do the heavy lifting.
When your keyword strategy mirrors your business structure and user intent, you create cleaner data, stronger performance signals, and a more scalable foundation. In a platform that’s evolving toward automation, clarity and focus remain your greatest competitive advantages.
