How to pick the right keywords for a new Google Ads campaign

New campaign keyword selection is one of those tasks that looks straightforward and hides significant complexity. Most people start with keyword tools, generate a large list, filter by volume, and call it done. The list that results from that process contains a mixture of highly relevant, moderately relevant, and irrelevant terms that the campaign will spend months sorting through. Starting with a tighter, better-selected initial list saves budget and produces meaningful data faster.

Start with conversion, not with search volume

The most common mistake in keyword selection is prioritising search volume over conversion intent. A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches but low purchase intent generates expensive, poorly-converting traffic. A keyword with 500 monthly searches but very specific purchase intent generates qualified traffic that converts efficiently. For most businesses with limited budgets, a smaller set of high-intent keywords outperforms a large set of mixed-intent keywords every time.

The intent hierarchy for keyword selection

Sort your keyword candidates by intent quality before making final decisions. Highest priority: keywords containing explicit conversion signals - "hire", "buy", "book", "get a quote", "price", "cost", specific location combined with service. Second priority: keywords indicating active evaluation - "best", "top", "compare", "vs", "review". Third priority: broad service or product category terms. Only include third-priority terms if you have budget remaining after covering the first two tiers adequately.

Using existing data to validate

If you have any existing paid search data - even from a poorly-run previous campaign - the search term report is more valuable than any keyword tool. Real queries that real people typed and converted on are the most reliable indicators of what to target. If you have organic search data in Google Search Console, the queries driving conversions from organic traffic are also strong candidates for paid coverage - you know people searching those terms convert on your site.

The negative keyword list comes first

Before your campaign goes live, build your negative keyword list. Research the obvious irrelevant query types for your category - training, jobs, DIY versions of your professional service, geographic areas you do not serve, competitor brand names if you are not running competitor campaigns. Adding these as negatives before launch prevents wasted spend in the first days and weeks that would otherwise contaminate your early conversion data.

Match type decisions at launch

For a new campaign with no historical data, starting with phrase match on your core terms gives you enough flexibility to collect search term data while maintaining enough control to avoid entirely irrelevant traffic. Run for 30 days, review the search term report, convert the best-performing queries to exact match for better bid control, and expand cautiously based on what the data shows rather than assumptions about what will work.