Most digital marketing experts and all SEO specialists understand the importance of keywords. Integrating the right keywords into content in a digital marketing campaign makes the difference between ranking highly in search results and appearing on the second (or later) pages of results, where no one really ever looks. As marketers adjust to the constant changes Google and others make to search algorithms and platforms, it’s important to get a clear understanding of keyword use. Or at least as clear of an understanding as possible! This can lead many to wonder, just how many keywords are too many keywords?
How Many Keywords per Ad Group?
Google has limitations in place on the number of keywords you can use throughout digital marketing levels. For example, users can take advantage of 20,000 ad group targeting items per ad group, with keywords included within the scope of those “targeting items” alongside placements and audience lists. There is no ideal number, but many professionals prefer to keep the number of keywords per ad group in Google Ads to 10-20 keywords. The reasoning is simple and two-fold. First, a smaller list of keywords is easier to scan and track the performance. Secondly, a smaller list is easier to bid on and find the right keywords that deliver the best ROI.
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How Many Ad Groups per Campaign?
Here again, Google allows users of Google Ads to employ 20,000 ad groups per campaign. However, much like the number of keywords per ad group, it is best to be smart about the number of ad groups employed in a campaign. While Google offers users the ability to create thousands of ad groups, there’s no real need to push that maximum threshold. In fact, only the largest companies selling thousands of products would find a good reason to press that 20,000 ad group threshold. The best approach is to create as many ad groups as required to promote individual products or services without blowing up the marketing budget in the process.
How Many Ads per Group?
In this case, Google Ads actually offers an exact number for users to consider using and it’s based upon the systems optimization tools. Google suggests using at least three or more quality ads per group. Google Ads rotates the ads in a group to drive more qualified clicks and show consumers the most relevant ads to their searches. With at least three quality ads per group, Google can optimize the performance of a campaign and enable users to check the performance data on those ads to determine which ads, content, and images resonate the most with an audience.
Maximum and Minimum Keywords per Campaign
The toughest thing about mastering keyword usage is finding that sweet spot. Ditching keywords altogether in marketing content prevents Google algorithms from providing your content to users because it won’t find it to be the best answer for a query. Using too many keywords can, likewise, damage marketing efforts by dropping rankings as it appears the content is stuffed with keywords just to try and rise up searching rankings.
Many marketing analysts agree that content should focus on anywhere from 2 to 15 keywords overall for a campaign. The trick to using keywords effectively is finding the right combination of keywords and derivatives of those words/phrases to use throughout marketing content.
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Why Choosing the Right Keywords Matters!
Regardless of the number of keywords a brand settles on for marketing and advertising purposes, the role of those keywords remains vital to the success of campaigns. The right keywords and keyword phrases improve search engine optimization, boost traffic to a site, attract the right audience, and drive conversion rates higher.