Keyword Research and Match Types

How to find relevant keywords

How to Find Keyword Research & Match Types
Finding the right keywords ensures your ads reach users who are actively searching for what you offer. It’s the foundation of any successful campaign.

Step 1: Understand Your Audience & Offer

Before diving into tools, clarify:

  • What are you selling or promoting?
  • Who is your ideal customer?
  • What problems are they trying to solve?

Example: If you’re selling organic skincare, your audience might search for “natural face cream,” “paraben-free lotion,” or “best skincare for sensitive skin.”

Step 2: Brainstorm Initial Keyword Ideas

Start with a list of terms your customers might use. Include:

  • Product/service names
  • Features or benefits
  • Problems your offer solves
  • Brand-specific terms (yours or competitors’)

Example:

organic face cream
natural moisturizer
vegan skincare
paraben-free lotion
eczema cream

Step 3: Use Keyword Research Tools

Now expand your list using tools. These show real search queries, search volumes, competition, and related terms.

Google Keyword Planner (Free)

  • Go to Google Ads → Tools & Settings → Keyword Planner
  • Choose Discover new keywords
  • Enter your brainstormed terms or website URL
  • Review keyword ideas, volume, competition, and CPC estimates

Other Free Tools:

  • Ubersuggest
  • AnswerThePublic
  • [Google Search Suggestions** (type keywords and see auto-complete)
  • Google Trends

Tip: Focus on keywords with high relevance, decent volume, and medium/low competition for best ROI.

Step 4: Analyze Competitors’ Keywords

Use competitor research tools:

  • SpyFu, SEMrush, Ahrefs, or SimilarWeb
  • Enter a competitor’s URL
  • View the keywords they rank for or bid on in paid search
  • Look for gaps or opportunities they missed

Step 5: Group Keywords by Intent

Organize your list based on user intent to align with campaigns and ad groups.

Intent Categories:

  • Informational (e.g., “how to treat dry skin”)
  • Navigational (e.g., “Neutrogena face cream”)
  • Transactional (e.g., “buy natural face cream”)

Focus on commercial & transactional intent keywords for PPC.

Step 6: Filter and Finalize Keyword List

Keep only keywords that are:

  • Highly relevant to your offer
  • Have reasonable search volume
  • Match the user’s buying intent
  • Not too broad or generic (to avoid wasted spend)

Step 7: Add Negative Keywords

To avoid irrelevant clicks, brainstorm what you don’t want your ad to show for.

Examples:

  • “DIY skincare” (if you sell products, not recipes)
  • “free samples” (if you don’t offer them)
  • “jobs” (if you don’t offer employment)

Add these as negative keywords in Google Ads to save money and boost CTR.

Bonus Tip:

Use Search Terms Report in Google Ads (once your campaign is running) to see actual user queries that triggered your ads — and refine from there.

Keyword tools (Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest)

1. Google Keyword Planner (Free – Inside Google Ads)

Purpose:

Find new keyword ideas, view search volume, and get cost estimates for your Google Ads campaigns.

How to Use:

  • Go to Google Ads
  • Click Tools & Settings → Keyword Planner

Choose:

  • “Discover new keywords” – enter keywords or your website to get ideas
  • “Get search volume and forecasts” – see metrics for a specific list

Analyze:

  • Avg. monthly searches
  • Competition level
  • Top of page bid (low & high)

Pros:

  • Direct from Google – very accurate
  • Great for PPC (shows CPC)
  • Organizes keywords into relevant groups

Cons:

  • Requires Google Ads account
  • Data ranges can be vague if you don’t run active ads

Best For:

Google Ads keyword planning, cost estimation, and ad group structuring

2. Ubersuggest by Neil Patel (Free + Paid Options)

Purpose:

  • Find keywords, analyze competitors, get content ideas, and perform basic SEO audits.

How to Use:

  • Go to Ubersuggest
  • Enter a keyword or domain name

View:

  • Keyword suggestions
  • Search volume
  • SEO difficulty (SD) and Paid difficulty (PD)
  • CPC (Cost per Click)
  • Click any keyword to see trends, related phrases, and content suggestions

Pros:

  • Super easy UI for beginners
  • Includes related keywords, questions, comparisons
  • Good for both SEO and PPC
  • Tracks competitors and backlinks (on paid plans)

Cons:

  • Limited daily searches on free version
  • CPC/volume may not be as precise as Google’s data

Best For:

Exploring keyword ideas, content strategy, and quick PPC keyword discovery

Summary:

Tool Best Use Case Strength Weakness
Google Keyword Planner Google Ads PPC campaigns CPC accuracy, grouping by theme Requires Google Ads account
Ubersuggest Quick keyword + SEO analysis User-friendly, related suggestions Limited free access

Would you like help comparing more tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or KeywordTool.io? Or want a side-by-side recommendation based on your business niche?

Match types: Broad, Phrase, Exact, Negative

Each match type determines how closely a user’s search query must match your keyword to trigger your ad.

1. Broad Match (Default)

  • Format: Just type the keyword (e.g., face cream)
  • How it works: Shows your ad for searches that include related words, synonyms, misspellings, or relevant variations

Example:

  • Keyword: face cream
  • Your ad may show for: “skincare lotion”, “best moisturizer”, “natural face products”

Pros:

  • Reaches a wide audience
  • Good for discovering new search terms

Cons:

  • Can trigger irrelevant traffic
  • Needs negative keywords to control spend

2. Phrase Match

  • Format: Use quotation marks (e.g., “face cream”)
  • How it works: Shows your ad when the search includes the exact phrase (in the same order), possibly with words before or after

Example:

  • Keyword: “face cream”
  • Your ad may show for: “best face cream for dry skin”, “cheap face cream”
  • Won’t show for: “cream for face acne” (phrase order changed)

Pros:

  • More control than broad match
  • Still reaches relevant long-tail queries

Cons:

  • Less reach than broad match

3. Exact Match

  • Format: Use square brackets (e.g., [face cream])
  • How it works: Triggers your ad only when the search has the exact keyword or close variant

Example:

  • Keyword: [face cream]
  • Your ad may show for: “face cream”, “face creams”, “facecream”
  • Won’t show for: “best face cream”, “cream for face”

Pros:

  • Most precise targeting
  • High relevance and CTR

Cons:

  • Lowest reach
  • You may miss variations unless added separately

4. Negative Match

  • Format: Add minus sign (e.g., -free, -DIY)
  • How it works: Prevents your ad from showing if the query contains that word or phrase

Example:

  • Keyword: face cream, Negative keyword: -free
  • Your ad won’t show for: “free face cream”, “face cream samples free”

Pros:

  • Eliminates wasted ad spend
  • Increases quality of traffic

Cons:

Needs regular updates based on real search term reports

Pro Tip:

  • Use a mix of match types to test performance:
  • Broad match for discovery
  • Phrase match for control
  • Exact match for high-intent terms
  • Negative match to clean up traffic

Learn more PPC course: