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How to Build a Keyword List for Google Ads
Andrey Belousov
Growth Hacker at Serpstat
PPC keyword research helps you decide which search queries should trigger your ads, how to group keywords into campaigns and ad groups, and which terms to exclude with negative keywords. A good Google Ads keyword list should balance reach and relevance: enough coverage to find demand, but enough filtering to avoid wasted spend.
Below is a practical workflow for building and maintaining that list — from seed keywords to match types to the search terms report you'll keep coming back to after launch.
Below is a practical workflow for building and maintaining that list — from seed keywords to match types to the search terms report you'll keep coming back to after launch.
Contents
1. What is PPC keyword research?
2. Why keyword research matters for Google Ads
3. Start with seed keywords
4. Analyze competitors' paid keywords
5. Use Google Keyword Planner
6. Expand the list with related keywords and suggestions
7. Group keywords by campaign and ad group
8. Choose match types: broad, phrase, exact, negative
9. Build a negative keyword list
10. Check CPC, competition, search volume, and intent
11. Use the search terms report after launch
12. How Serpstat helps with PPC keyword research
13. PPC keyword research checklist
2. Why keyword research matters for Google Ads
3. Start with seed keywords
4. Analyze competitors' paid keywords
5. Use Google Keyword Planner
6. Expand the list with related keywords and suggestions
7. Group keywords by campaign and ad group
8. Choose match types: broad, phrase, exact, negative
9. Build a negative keyword list
10. Check CPC, competition, search volume, and intent
11. Use the search terms report after launch
12. How Serpstat helps with PPC keyword research
13. PPC keyword research checklist
What Is PPC Keyword Research?
PPC keyword research is the process of finding the search queries you want your Google Ads to show for, deciding how tightly to match them, and identifying the queries you want to exclude. It sits upstream of everything else in a campaign: your ad groups, your ad copy, your bids, and your budget all follow from the keyword list you build here.
Two goals compete during this process: filtering out irrelevant impressions, and preserving as much reach as possible. You rarely get both for free, so most of keyword research is about deciding where on that trade-off your campaign should sit.
Two goals compete during this process: filtering out irrelevant impressions, and preserving as much reach as possible. You rarely get both for free, so most of keyword research is about deciding where on that trade-off your campaign should sit.
Why Keyword Research Matters For Google Ads
Most advertisers underestimate how much reach affects performance. Expanding your keyword list can lower average CPC in some campaigns — but only if the added queries stay relevant and conversion quality doesn't drop. That's why solid keyword research should always be paired with negative keywords, search term analysis, and ongoing performance tracking, not treated as a one-time setup task.
Keep some irrelevant queries in exchange for maximum reach — use broad match plus a well-maintained negative keyword list.
Sacrifice some reach for tighter control — use exact and phrase match for high-intent queries where precision matters more than scale.
Start With Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the core terms that define an ad group — the ones that, on their own, already bring in most of the reach you're after. Everything else you add later either expands that reach or narrows it down.
To find synonyms for your seed keywords, use the Serpstat report Keyword Research → SEO Research → Keyword Selection:
To find synonyms for your seed keywords, use the Serpstat report Keyword Research → SEO Research → Keyword Selection:
Analyze Competitors' Paid Keywords
1
Check what keywords your competitors bid on. Use the Keyword Research report → PPC Research → Competitors. You'll see all competitors in paid results — they differ from your organic search competitors.
Reviewing competitors' paid keywords before you launch saves you from re-learning lessons they've already paid for.
2
Find out which keywords those same competitors also rank for organically. Use Domain Analysis → SEO Research → Competitors, then open each competitor to see their full keyword list.
Use Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is worth running alongside third-party tools because it pulls estimates straight from Google's own auction data — search volume ranges, CPC bid estimates, and competition levels tied to your account and location settings. Use it to sanity-check the keywords you've already gathered and to flag anything with unusually high or low competition before you build out ad groups.
Expand The List With Related Keywords And Suggestions
1
Pull related keywords with the Serpstat report Keyword Research → SEO Research → Related Keywords.
Add long-tail keyword variations or clarifications to existing terms in these cases:
You're using exact match and want to rebuild some of the reach it costs you.
You're using an ad template — longer keywords tend to appear bolder in the ad text, which can lift CTR.
You want to bid more precisely and need variations that include "buy" or other transactional modifiers.
Group Keywords By Campaign And Ad Group
A long keyword list is only useful once it's organized. Group keywords into tight ad groups by intent, product line, or location, rather than mixing everything under one broad campaign. Tighter groups let you write more relevant ad copy, get better Quality Scores, and set bids that reflect how valuable each group actually is — instead of applying one bid across dozens of unrelated queries.
Choose Match Types: Broad, Phrase, Exact, Negative
By default, Google Ads shows your ad for search queries that are close variants of your keyword — synonyms, plurals, misspellings, and related phrasings. How much room you give that expansion depends on the match type you choose:
Broad match
Your ad can show for queries containing various word forms and related terms, unless they're on your negative keyword list. Broad match gives you the widest reach, but it needs the most active negative keyword management to stay relevant.
Phrase match
Your ad shows for queries that include the meaning of your keyword, in roughly the same word order, with extra words allowed before or after. Phrase match sits between broad and exact — it keeps more control than broad match without giving up as much scale as exact match.
Exact match
Your ad shows only for queries that match the meaning of your keyword closely, with no other terms mixed in. Exact match trades reach for precision — useful for high-intent queries where you want tighter control over bidding.
Negative match
Excludes your ad from showing for a specific term or phrase entirely. Negative keywords are what make broad and phrase match usable at scale — see the section below on building a negative keyword list.
Build A Negative Keyword List
Run every keyword you're considering through Serpstat, Google Keyword Planner, or a similar tool, and strip out anything irrelevant before it reaches your campaign — irrelevant modifiers often make up close to half of a raw keyword list. For example, targeting "buy air conditioner" without excluding "conditioner for hair" will waste a meaningful share of your impressions on the wrong audience.
Google Ads doesn't infer the morphology of terms you want to exclude, so add irrelevant modifiers in every word form you expect to see — plural, misspelled, or in a different word order.
Google Ads doesn't infer the morphology of terms you want to exclude, so add irrelevant modifiers in every word form you expect to see — plural, misspelled, or in a different word order.
Check CPC, Competition, Search Volume, And Intent
Before a keyword goes into a campaign, check four things: estimated CPC, competition level, search volume, and intent. A keyword with high search volume but mismatched intent (informational queries in a transactional campaign, for instance) rarely converts, no matter how cheap the click is. Prioritize keywords where volume and CPC are workable and the intent lines up with what your landing page actually offers.
Use The Search Terms Report After Launch
Google Ads will keep matching your keywords to close variants automatically — you can't turn this off entirely, but you can manage it. That's why the search terms report matters just as much after launch as your keyword list did before it.
Don't over-restrict close variants from day one — you need real search term data to know which ones are worth blocking.
After a few days, review the search terms report to see what actually triggered your ads.
Add irrelevant close variants to your negative keyword list right away — this protects your budget if unrelated impressions start piling up.
If a close variant turns out to be relevant, promote it to its own keyword instead of leaving it to automatic matching.
How Serpstat Helps With PPC Keyword Research
1
Enter a seed keyword to start.
2
Check search volume, CPC, competition, and intent for each result.
3
Open PPC Research to find advertisers and paid competitors bidding on the same terms.
4
Analyze competitors' paid keywords for gaps and ideas.
5
Add irrelevant modifiers to your negative keyword list as you go.
6
Export relevant terms.
7
Group keywords by intent, product, location, or campaign.
8
Track rankings and competitors separately if you also need organic SEO insights.
If you need to process PPC keyword data at scale — bulk CPC checks, competition scoring, or related keyword pulls — the Serpstat API can export those metrics directly into internal dashboards, scripts, or reporting workflows instead of pulling reports one at a time. See why a PPC specialist needs Serpstat for a fuller walkthrough.
PPC Keyword Research Checklist
Define seed keywords for each ad group.
Pull paid and organic competitor keywords.
Cross-check volume, CPC, competition, and intent in Google Keyword Planner and Serpstat.
Group keywords into tight ad groups by intent, product, or location.
Assign a match type — broad, phrase, or exact — to every keyword.
Build a negative keyword list before launch.
After launch, review the search terms report on a set cadence and update negatives as needed.
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