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Keyword Best Practices for Google Search Campaigns

A general playbook for structuring ad groups, choosing match types, and building negative lists that keep spend on the right searches.

Good keywords are what make a Google Search campaign efficient. BuyerBridge suggests them for you, but knowing how to structure and refine them is what separates a campaign that converts from one that wastes budget.

This guide covers the fundamentals. It pairs with How Keyword Suggestions Work in Google Search Playbooks and the Search campaign deploy flow. For the big picture on Google in BuyerBridge, start with the Google Tools 101 hub.

Quick Links

Structure Ad Groups Around One Theme

Keep each ad group tight and focused on a single theme. When every keyword in an ad group is closely related, the ad and landing page can speak directly to that search, which lifts relevance and Quality Score and lowers what you pay per click.

  • Aim for 5 to 15 keywords per ad group. If a campaign is starved for impressions, going up to about 20 is fine.
  • Split themes into separate ad groups. For example, keep "Ford F-150 lease" apart from "Ford F-150 used," since the intent and the ideal ad copy differ.
  • Do not pile every keyword into one group. A broad, mixed ad group makes the ad less relevant to any single search.

Choose Match Types on Purpose

Each keyword uses a match type that controls how closely a search has to match before your ad can show.

  • Exact match: the search closely matches your keyword. Best for high-intent terms like specific models or "dealer near me" searches.
  • Phrase match: the search contains your phrase, for example "auto service." Good for mid-funnel discovery with reasonable control.
  • Broad match: the widest reach, including related terms. It can find new searches, but on its own it will pull in queries that do not convert, so only run it alongside a strong negative keyword list.

A simple rule: for accounts someone monitors closely, a mix of all three works. For accounts that will run more hands-off, default to Phrase and Exact. Keep Brand campaigns on Phrase and Exact so you are not paying to appear on loosely related searches around your own name.

Build a Negative Keyword List

Negative keywords are how you keep budget on searches that can actually convert. They matter as much as the keywords you target.

  • Set campaign-level negatives for universal junk that never converts, such as "free," "jobs," "careers," "recall," and "salvage."
  • Add competitor and off-topic terms as negatives where they do not belong in a given campaign.
  • Use ad-group-level negatives to steer a search to the right ad group, so a model-specific query lands in its own ad group rather than a general one.
  • Your own brand terms usually belong as negatives in non-brand campaigns, so brand searches flow to the brand campaign where they perform best.

Negatives are not a one-time setup. Add to them as you learn what searches are showing up (see the next section).

Pick Keywords by Intent and Inventory

Strong keyword lists reflect two things: what the searcher wants, and what the dealer can actually sell.

  • Match intent. Prioritize terms that signal someone is close to buying or visiting, like local and model-specific searches, over broad research terms.
  • Weight toward inventory. Point spend at the makes and models the dealer has on the lot. BuyerBridge's suggestions already factor in live inventory, so lean on that when you choose.
  • Cover the core roles. A healthy account usually protects the dealer's brand name, competes on OEM and model terms, and captures service and parts demand.

Review and Refine

The first keyword list is a starting point, not the finish line.

  • Check the search terms report every one to two weeks to see the actual queries triggering your ads.
  • Add new negatives for anything irrelevant that slipped through.
  • Prune keywords that spend without converting, and lean into the ones that do.
  • Keep ad groups tight over time. If a group has drifted across themes, split it.

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