Keywords used to be the primary targeting mechanism for Google search campaigns. Keywords informed searchers’ needs as well as advertisers’ ads and landing pages. But the importance of keywords has declined over the past decade for a variety of reasons, including:
- Less precise match types.
- Intent-driven smart bidding.
- Types of non-keyword campaigns.
Keywords remain critical (and necessary) for standard search campaigns. Yet other entities increasingly determine account success. Keyword queries alone do not reveal searcher intent.
Here’s how to sustain Google Ads accounts beyond keywords.
Less precise match types
The problem:
Exact match and phrase match campaigns used to only serve ads containing specific keywords. For example, bidding on an exact match for “baseball gloves” would only trigger ads when searchers entered that identical query. Phrase match bidding would only show ads containing the exact words in the same order.
Over time, Google introduced relaxed variations for similar queries, such as:
- Singular and plural (“baseball” glove),
- Spelling mistakes (“baseball” gloves),
- Close variants (“catcher” gloves).
Broad match keywords combined with smart bidding are now common. Google says it takes into account recent user searches, landing page content, and other keywords in an ad group. So, a broad match ad for a “low-carb diet” can be shown for:
- “foods without carbohydrates”
- “low-carb diets”
- “Books on the Mediterranean diet”
- “How to Cut Carbs for Beginners”
- “carb-free meal”.
The solution:
Think of keywords as themes, a starting point. For example, a phrase match bid on “baseball gloves” could trigger searches for “baseball gloves under $100.” Still, an advertiser whose gloves cost more than $100 might choose not to assign negative keywords because Google can learn searcher preferences and serve ads accordingly. Perhaps a searcher queried with and without price and demonstrated (to Google) their preference for gloves costing more than $100. This brings us to the next point.
Intent-Driven Smart Bidding Strategies
The problem:
Manual bidding gives advertisers the most control over bidding. An example is to set a maximum amount per keyword. Additionally, advertisers can introduce modifiers, such as increasing mobile bids by 20%. But these manual tactics are now outdated given the shift toward intention and away from words alone.
The solution:
Google Smart Bidding uses artificial intelligence to optimize conversions or revenue. Google’s AI tracks hundreds of signals to deliver the right ad to the right user and automatically adds device or location modifiers. An advertiser with the most sales between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. could see their bids automatically increase during this time.
The actual keyword is less important. A search query for “baseball gloves” – normally focused on information – might bring up an ad sale baseball gloves if the searcher’s previous queries were related to purchases.
Types of non-keyword campaigns
The problem:
The rise of close variants and smart bidding can seemingly hide advertisers’ keyword gaps. Yet Google complaints billions of searches daily, with 15% new queries. It is impossible to bid on all existing or future keywords, even for large accounts.
The solution:
Shopping, Dynamic Search Ads, and Performance Max campaigns serve ads in Google search results. None use keywords, instead focusing on other factors. Shopping and Dynamic Search campaigns serve ads based on product feed attributes and advertisers’ site content. Even Performance Max, with its Google Display Network and Search ads, relies on signals provided by advertisers.
In short, it is search intent, not keywords, that increasingly determines which ads appear.