{"id":21224,"date":"2026-05-15T10:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdmarketingdigital.com\/blog\/?p=21224"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:30:30","slug":"keyword-research-for-ppc-26myfg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mdmarketingdigital.com\/blog\/en\/keyword-research-for-ppc-26myfg\/","title":{"rendered":"PPC keyword research in Google Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every peso invested in a paid advertising campaign starts to pay off or get wasted long before the first ad is published. PPC keyword research<\/strong> is the step that determines whether your budget will attract real customers or fund clicks that will never convert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing the right terms allows your ads to appear in front of users with clear purchase intent, while a careless selection fills the report with empty impressions and unjustified costs. In this guide, you\u2019ll find a clear process for doing your keyword research in Google Ads<\/strong>, understanding how many keywords to use, and identifying the most common mistakes to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is PPC keyword research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PPC keyword research<\/strong> is the process of identifying the terms users type into Google when they are looking for a product, service, or solution, in order to use them as triggers for paid ads. Unlike organic work, where the goal is to rank content over time, in PPC<\/strong> each keyword has a direct cost per click. That completely changes the logic behind how they should be chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an SEO strategy, it may make sense to target broad terms with high volume, even if purchase intent is low. In PPC, that same decision can result in high spending with minimal conversions. Keywords for Google Ads<\/strong> should reflect clear intent: users who are looking to buy, hire, or solve something specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proper segmentation from the start is what allows the budget to go further and ensures that ads reach the people who will actually interact with the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it key in Google Ads?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Google Ads, keywords<\/strong> determine which searches each ad appears for. If the terms selected are too broad or irrelevant to the business, the system will show the ad to users who are not looking for what is being offered: the cost per click rises and the conversion rate drops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact is direct: well-chosen keywords improve the Quality Score<\/strong> (the quality rating Google assigns to each ad), which reduces the CPC<\/strong><\/a> and improves the ad\u2019s position without increasing investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An aesthetic clinic that uses the broad term \u201caesthetics\u201d receives clicks from users looking for makeup courses, beauty products, or information about treatments it does not offer. Spending goes up, but inquiries do not come in. If, instead, it works with terms like \u201cfacial dark spot treatment Buenos Aires\u201d or \u201cnon-surgical facelift price,\u201d each click comes from someone looking for exactly what the clinic offers, and the cost per conversion drops significantly. That performance difference starts with keyword selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to do keyword research in Google Ads step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Good Google Ads keyword research<\/strong> starts with a real understanding of the business and the user. The process that works in practice follows these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Define the campaign objective.<\/strong> Before searching for keywords, you need to know what you want to achieve: generate leads, increase sales, or drive traffic to a specific landing page. The objective defines what type of terms to look for and with what intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Map search intent.<\/strong> Think like the user. What does someone write when they are about to hire your service? In general, the terms with the highest conversion intent include words like \u201cprice,\u201d \u201chire,\u201d \u201cservice in [city],\u201d \u201cappointment,\u201d or \u201cquote.\u201d These are the terms worth prioritizing most in PPC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Use Google Keyword Planner.<\/strong> Google Ads\u2019 native tool gives you search volume, competition, and CPC estimates for each term. It is the mandatory starting point for any campaign. You can enter a product or service and get related keyword ideas, filtered by country, language, and period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Analyze competitor keywords.<\/strong> Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs allow you to see which terms are triggering competitors\u2019 ads. That information is valuable for identifying opportunities and also for detecting expensive terms that are better approached with a more specific variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Classify keywords by intent and volume.<\/strong> Once you have a broad list, filter it. Separating them by intent (informational, comparative, transactional) allows you to better organize ad groups and allocate budget where return is most likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Define negative keywords.<\/strong> Negative keywords<\/strong> are just as important as the ones chosen to trigger ads. They exclude irrelevant searches and prevent clicks that will not convert. A well-developed negative keyword list can reduce spending without affecting results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To go deeper into how keywords work, you can read our guide on the role of keywords in digital marketing<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How many keywords should you use in Google Ads?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common questions when building a campaign is how many keywords to add in Google Ads<\/strong>. The short answer: it depends, but less is usually more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google recommends working with thematically consistent ad groups, where each one groups terms with similar intent and context. Professional practice indicates that between 10 and 20 keywords per ad group<\/strong> is a reasonable range to maintain control without fragmenting the structure too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding hundreds of keywords to a single group is one of the most common mistakes. When the terms are too different from one another, ad relevance drops, Quality Score goes down, and CPC rises. The quality of the selection always matters more than the quantity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common mistakes when choosing keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are the most common issues that appear when reviewing Google Ads campaigns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n