Organizing Keywords into Ad Groups for Better Campaign Structure

To organize keywords into ad groups for better campaign structure, group keywords by narrow, specific themes or topics so that each ad group contains tightly related keywords reflecting a single product, service, or intent. This improves ad relevance, click-through rates, and Quality Scores, ultimately lowering costs and boosting performance.

Key best practices include:

• Create ad groups around a single, narrow theme: For example, if selling shoes, have separate ad groups for “running shoes” and “formal shoes,” each with keywords closely related to that theme.

• Limit keywords per ad group: Stick to about 10-20 closely related keywords to maintain focus and avoid diluting ad relevance.

• Match ads to keywords: Write ad copy that directly reflects the keywords in the ad group to increase relevance and user engagement.

• Use keyword match types strategically: Use exact, phrase, and broad match types within ad groups to control reach and relevance, keeping similar match types grouped together for consistency.

• Use naming conventions: For large campaigns, adopt clear naming conventions for campaigns, ad groups, and keywords to keep the structure organized and easy to manage.

• Avoid overstuffing ad groups: Including unrelated keywords in one ad group reduces relevance and Quality Score, increasing costs.

• Consider campaign-level settings: When different budgets or targeting settings are needed, create separate campaigns; otherwise, group related ad groups under one campaign to share budget and targeting.

• Use tools and manual review: Keyword planners and spreadsheet columns for campaigns and ad groups can help organize keywords efficiently, but manual refinement ensures the best fit.

This structured approach ensures your ads are highly relevant to search queries, improving performance metrics and simplifying campaign management.