How Many Keywords Should You Target in Google Search Ad Campaigns? Less is More

When launching a new Google Ads campaign, many advertisers fall into the trap of adding dozens (sometimes hundreds) of keywords, thinking that casting a wider net will inevitably capture more potential customers. This approach is not only ineffective but can actively hurt your campaign performance and waste your budget.

The reality is that fewer keywords deliver better results, and here's why you should start small and scale strategically.

Every keyword in your campaign needs sufficient data to make informed optimization decisions. When you spread your budget across too many keywords, each one receives fewer impressions, clicks, and conversions. This creates a statistical nightmare where you can't distinguish between genuine performance differences and random fluctuations.

With fewer keywords, you'll reach statistical significance faster. Instead of waiting months to understand which keywords actually drive results, you can make confident optimization decisions within weeks. This accelerated learning cycle means you can reinvest budget into winners and eliminate losers much more quickly.

Begin your campaign with just 5-10 carefully selected broad match keywords that represent your core offering. Focus on high-intent terms (keywords that indicate someone is ready to take action, not just browsing).

For example, if you're a digital marketing agency, start with keywords like:

• "digital marketing agency"
• "PPC management services"
• "Google Ads consultant"

Broad match allows Google's machine learning to explore related search queries while keeping your keyword list manageable. You'll quickly discover which variations and related terms actually convert.

Once your initial keywords have collected sufficient data (typically 100+ clicks per keyword), you can begin strategic expansion:

Performance-Based Additions: Add new keywords based on your search terms report. If you see consistent conversions from specific query variations, consider adding them as exact or phrase match keywords.

Match Type Refinements: Gradually introduce phrase and exact match versions of your best-performing broad match keywords. This gives you more granular control over when your ads appear.

Negative Keywords: Use your search terms data to build a robust negative keyword list, ensuring your broad match keywords don't trigger irrelevant searches.

Regular keyword maintenance is crucial for campaign health. Set up a monthly review process to:

• Pause keywords that haven't generated clicks in 30+ days
• Remove keywords with high spend but no conversions after reaching statistical significance
• Adjust bids based on performance data rather than assumptions

Remember, pausing underperforming keywords isn't giving up. It's reallocating budget to keywords that actually drive business results.

There's no rush to build massive keyword lists. Google's auction dynamics mean that having more keywords doesn't guarantee more visibility or better performance. Quality beats quantity every time.

A focused campaign with 15 well-performing keywords will consistently outperform a scattered campaign with 150 mediocre ones. Your quality scores will be higher, your click-through rates will improve, and your cost per conversion will drop.

Start small, measure precisely, and expand strategically. Your initial keyword list should be narrow enough to generate meaningful data quickly, but broad enough to capture your core audience. From there, let performance data guide your expansion decisions.

This disciplined approach might feel conservative, but it's the fastest path to profitable Google Ads campaigns. Focus on doing fewer things better, and you'll see dramatically improved results across all your key metrics.