How do keywords affect ad targeting in Google Ads?

Keywords play a crucial role in ad targeting in Google Ads, as they are used to determine which search queries will trigger your ads to appear. When you create a keyword list for your ad campaign, you are telling Google which search terms you want your ads to appear for.

For example, let's say you own a business that sells running shoes and you create a Google Ads campaign with the keyword "running shoes." When someone searches for the term "running shoes" on Google, your ad may be eligible to appear in the search results.

The relevance of your keywords to the search query is an important factor in ad targeting. If your keywords are closely related to the search query, your ad is more likely to be relevant and useful to the searcher. This can help improve the performance of your ad campaign and increase the chances that people will click on your ad and convert.

In addition to relevance, the competitiveness and search volume of your keywords can also affect ad targeting. If your keywords are highly competitive, you may need to bid a higher maximum cost-per-click (CPC) to have your ad appear in the search results. If your keywords have low search volumes, your ad may not be shown as frequently, as there may be fewer people searching for those terms.

Overall, the keywords you choose for your ad campaign can have a significant impact on ad targeting and the performance of your campaign. It's important to choose relevant, targeted keywords and to monitor and adjust your keywords as needed to improve your results.