Google Ads Keyword Research: How to Find Keywords That Actually Convert

Google Ads keyword research is often treated as a technical task – open a tool, sort keywords by volume, check CPC, and build a list. In reality, this approach is one of the most common reasons why Search campaigns fail to scale profitably.

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Keywords don’t just determine what you pay per click. They define who you attract, where users are in their decision journey, and how likely they are to convert. A campaign with lower CPC but weak intent can easily underperform compared to one built on fewer, more expensive keywords with stronger buying signals. In this article, you’ll learn what high-intent keywords mean in Google Ads, why search volume is often a misleading metric, and how to do keyword research for scalable results.

What High-Intent Keywords Mean in Google Ads

High-intent keywords in Google Ads are terms that signal a user is close to taking action. These users are not browsing out of curiosity or gathering general information. They’re actively evaluating products, solutions, providers, and offers. High-intent keywords often include words or phrases related to pricing, comparisons, alternatives, solutions, or specific product or service terms. 

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The exact wording can vary, but what matters most is the underlying intent. Two keywords with similar search volume can behave very differently depending on what the user is trying to achieve.

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Understanding this is essential, because Search campaigns are built around demand capture – you’re not creating demand, but trying to capture it at the right moment. Keyword research helps you decide which terms to target to achieve this.

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While keyword research is most relevant in Search campaigns, its insights extend beyond Search. How users phrase their problems and solutions can inform messaging, audience signals, and creative decisions across other Google Ads campaign types as well.

High-Intent Keywords vs. High-Volume Keywords

Keyword research in SEO often prioritizes search volume. However, in Google Ads, this approach can be misleading. Even though high-volume keywords promise reach and traffic, volume itself doesn’t indicate readiness to convert. Many high-volume searches reflect early stages of the decision journey, where users are still exploring options.

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High-intent keywords usually have lower search volume – but they carry much stronger commercial signals. These terms usually come from users who are actively searching for a solution to their problem. As a result, they typically convert better, even if their CPC might be higher. Prioritizing high-intent keywords often leads to better and more predictable performance outcomes, especially for bottom-of-funnel campaigns focused on immediate results.

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At the same time, focusing exclusively on high-intent keywords can create a competitive “Red Ocean", where many advertisers bid on the same limited set of terms. This leaves an opportunity to complement bottom-of-funnel targeting with higher-volume, lower-competition keywords earlier in the user journey. Informational or problem-aware searches, such as “benefits of collagen” or “how to improve gut health” often come with significantly lower CPCs (sometimes a fraction of bottom-of-funnel terms) and, when paired with the right landing page and strategy, can contribute to profitable conversions at much lower cost.

Search Intent vs. Commercial Intent

Being able to recognize and separate keywords that reflect search versus commercial intent is essential for effective Google Ads keyword research. Users in the early stages of their decision journey are often learning and researching without an immediate intent to buy.

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When search suggests evaluation or decision-making, we start talking about commercial intent. These queries imply that the user is already considering options and may convert if the right offer appears at the right time. Distinguishing between general search intent and commercial intent is what separates campaigns that drive traffic from campaigns that drive revenue.

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How to Do Keyword Research for Google Ads Strategically

Strategic keyword research in Google Ads depends less on the tools you use and more on how you frame the problem you’re trying to solve. Instead of asking “What keywords should we target?”, try to ask “What problem is the user trying to solve at this point of their decision process?”. 

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Tools and data are absolutely necessary – but they don’t replace judgment, experience, or business context. Without that context, keyword research often turns into list-building rather than decision-making.

Start From the Conversion, Not From the Tool

Most keyword research workflows begin inside Google Keyword Planner or a third-party tool. From a paid search strategy perspective, that’s often already one step too late. A more reliable starting point should be the conversion itself.

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When you work backwards from the conversion, keywords stop being isolated search terms and start becoming signals of readiness within a search context. The goal is to identify queries that align with a realistic decision moment rather than to find and target all the possible keywords.

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This mindset should also inform how campaigns are structured. Grouping keywords around winning landing pages helps maintain alignment between search intent, ad messaging, and on-page experience. This often leads to smaller, more focused keywords lists – but that’s not a drawback. It usually indicates that the research is intentional and aligned with how buying decisions actually happen. It also tends to improve relevance, Quality Score, and overall performance.

Read Between the Lines of Search Queries

Search queries rarely describe intent explicitly. Users reduce complex decisions into a few words, and those need to be interpreted in context rather than in isolation. For example, two keywords might look similar on the surface but point towards very different stages of awareness. A query like “running shoes” often reflects general category exploration, while “Nike Zoom Fly 6 men’s size 9” suggests an active comparison and a much higher likelihood of conversion.

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To read between the lines of search queries means to ask the right questions. Analyze what assumptions the user has, what alternatives they are likely considering, and what outcome they are trying to achieve. The answers matter more than volume or suggested CPC, and they determine whether a click is exploratory or transactional.

Analyze Competitors Without Copying Them

Competitor analysis can be useful, but it has to be approached carefully. Seeing which keywords competitors bid on can highlight patterns and gaps, but it shouldn’t be a shortcut to decision-making. Copying competitors’ keywords list can often lead to misaligned traffic or inflated costs without clear value.

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Instead, competitor analysis should be used to understand which parts of the funnel competitors are actively bidding for, where they rely on broad category terms versus more specific, high-intent queries, and which searches appear to be core to the market.

Understand Problem-Aware vs Solution-Aware Keywords

A critical distinction in Google Ads keyword research is whether a user is problem-aware or solution-aware. Both are high-intent – but they serve different roles in the decision process. Problem-aware searches signal urgency to resolve an issue, but they still leave room for education and positioning. Solution-aware keywords indicate that the user has already defined the problem and is now actively evaluating specific solutions, providers, or approaches.

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Both can convert, but they tend to behave differently. Problem-aware searches often require stronger message alignment and clearer value articulation to move the user forward. Solution-aware queries typically convert faster, but they’re often more competitive and come with higher costs. Understanding where your keywords are on the spectrum helps set realistic expectations around targeting, messaging, and performance across the funnel.

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In some strategies, advertisers choose to extend keyword coverage further up the funnel by targeting informational queries. These target users at the earliest stage of awareness, before they’ve fully defined their problem or begun evaluating solutions. They tend to have higher search volume, lower competition from other advertisers, and significantly lower CPCs. Informational keywords require a different messaging and landing page approach, as intent is still being formed rather than acted on. When executed properly, campaigns with informational keywords can support profitable conversions while building trust with users earlier in their buying journey.

Identify Brand-Adjacent and Alternative Searches

High-intent demand exists around your own brand. Brand-adjacent and alternative searches also often represent users who are already deep in the decision process, but still open to switching. These queries often include competitor names or well-known solutions. When handled carefully, they can be efficient to capture demand without relying solely on generic category keywords.

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However, they are also quite restrictive. Not every alternative search is worth pursuing, and not every brand-adjacent keyword aligns with your positioning. Strategic keyword research evaluates these opportunities based on fit, intent, and potential business impact.

Use Match Types to Shape Intent, Not Just Reach

Match types are often discussed in terms of control and reach. However, they’re more useful when viewed as a way to shape how search intent is interpreted and expanded. The important question is how much ambiguity you’re willing to introduce into your demand capture.

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Broad match can be effective when paired with Smart Bidding strategies and sufficient performance history – specifically in accounts with a high number of conversions. In these scenarios, Google’s machine learning has enough data to guide expansion effectively. However, broad match tends to expand the intent you feed into the system, which often leads to automation scaling into vagueness when conversion data is limited.

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Exact and phrase match offer more predictability, especially in accounts where clarity matters more than volume or when testing new keyword themes. For brand campaigns specifically, broad match is generally best avoided, as it allows Google to show ads for irrelevant variations and competitor searches, wasting budget on low-intent traffic. Since brand searchers already have high purchase intent, exact or phrase match captures this valuable traffic more efficiently while eliminating irrelevant spend and reducing CPCs.

The choice of match type should reflect how well-defined your demand already is and whether you have sufficient conversion volume to support automation. Match types magnify the strengths and weaknesses of a keyword strategy, rather than fixing a weak one.

"More keywords don’t create more performance. Understanding user intent does."

The Bottom Line: Keyword Research as a Strategic Advantage

Treating keyword research in Google Ads like a checklist task is a common mistake. In reality, it’s a strategic decision that shapes who enters your funnel and under what conditions.

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High-performing Search campaigns are rarely built on extensive keyword lists. What’s more important is a clear understanding of intent, context, and business goals. As automation continues to play a larger role in campaign execution, the ability to interpret intent and align it with meaningful business outcomes becomes more important than ever. When keyword research is treated as a strategic input, it can become a strong competitive advantage.

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