In a recent article, I discussed common errors related to keyword selection and utilization in search campaigns. I hinted that campaign setup is just the beginning and regular upkeep is essential for maintaining a robust and effective keyword list. I promised a follow-up post with more information. Well, guess what? This is that post!

6 Keyword Maintenance Strategies for Every Advertiser

Here are six techniques to manage your search keywords and ensure continuous optimization for maximum campaign performance.

1. Routine Performance Evaluations for Pausing Keywords

This may seem obvious, but you’d be amazed how often Google Ads accounts are neglected, with numerous keywords operating since inception and underperforming compared to others. Consider the following scenario. This account typically has high CPAs, but some are exceptionally high. The top two keywords have CPAs exceeding $1,000, while others have CPAs in the low $200s. Additionally, the bottom keyword has spent over $700 without any conversions.

Although not catastrophic, it’s crucial to note that this campaign had a limited budget. Consequently, we’re exhausting our daily budget and missing out on additional queries. In this situation, these low-performing terms are consuming budget that could be allocated to more effective keywords. Assuming consistent performance metrics, here’s how these keywords would have fared if the underperforming ones had been identified and paused earlier.

A significant difference, right? In my example, which reflects the actual account, there’s ample volume for scaling even after pausing the underperforming keywords. By doing so, we save 12% of spend (discover more ways to save money in Google Ads here) and lose only 2% of conversions. Furthermore, with room to scale, spend will likely remain the same (penultimate row) while conversions increase, yielding an 11% conversion lift simply by pausing underperforming keywords and maintaining the same budget.

Recommendation:

Regardless of your account volume, establish a consistent schedule for reviewing performance across short and long timeframes and pause keywords based on their effectiveness. Analyze the past month, three months, and year to determine if a keyword consistently underperforms against your targets and reallocate funds accordingly. However, don’t solely focus on “underperformers” in isolation. While the aforementioned statistics are compelling, establish clear boundaries for your evaluations. For this analysis, I employ these filters:

• Converting keywords with a CPA exceeding 4 times our account goal.
• Non-converting keywords with total spend surpassing 3 times our account’s CPA goal. These filters provide keywords a chance to perform while allowing me to optimize them. However, if they consistently fall short, I pause them and revisit them later, which I’ll address at the end of this post.

2. Identify and Manage Low Search Volume Keywords

If you’re like me, you approach keyword research with optimism, eager to launch campaigns and observe their performance. However, this enthusiasm can lead to overpopulated campaigns with excessive keywords. Alternatively, your campaigns might target high-volume keywords initially, only to see their popularity decline. Search behavior constantly evolves, and past search trends don’t guarantee future interest. Keywords meeting a certain threshold are labeled as Low Search Volume by Google, as shown below.

Here’s what Google says about Low Search Volume terms: Keywords with minimal or no search history on Google receive this status. Note: The keyword remains inactive until its search traffic increases, allowing it to trigger your ads.

• “Low search volume” keywords indicate minimal Google search traffic and low relevance to most users’ searches.
• Even a slight increase in search queries reactivates these keywords, enabling them to trigger your ads. Our system regularly monitors and updates this status.

Recommendation:

Closely monitor your keyword status. In the image above, one keyword has both Low Search Volume and Below First Page Bid statuses. I recommend increasing its bids (within your budget) and reevaluating after a week or two to assess its performance. While other keywords might hold potential, pausing them after three months of inactivity can streamline your account. Otherwise, they clutter your campaigns without providing value due to their lack of impressions.

3. Track Performance Trends to Identify Opportunities

Keyword pauses aren’t the only aspect requiring attention. Regular reviews should also assess your competitive landscape and its impact on your strategy. Let’s examine a real-life example I recently encountered during an audit of a struggling account promoting a fitness tracker app. Their target CPA was $30. Initially, they achieved this target effortlessly. However, over the past year or so, their CPA has steadily risen, rendering it unprofitable. Despite the account’s sound structure and strategy, their efficiency had diminished.

The first concern is the blue line: Avg CPC (cost per click). In early 2021, CPCs were relatively low, averaging $0.89. However, they surged later that year and into 2022, reaching an average of $2.02 by year-end. While this might not seem significant, it represents a 127% increase, requiring improvements in other metrics to compensate. Before addressing the second concern, I investigated the soaring CPCs.

The influx of competitors during this period intensified competition for these keywords. While quarterly fluctuations are likely due to Auction Insights data issues rather than actual market changes, the overall trend indicates heightened competition. Faced with increased competition, we must decide whether to enhance performance or explore other avenues. This leads to the second issue: The red line representing Conversion Rate. Apart from an unusually high second quarter, the CVR mirrors the CPC increases in late 2021 but plummets in 2022. After examining factors like onsite behavior, traffic sources, and website modifications, we revisited the competitors. During this time, most introduced free versions of their apps. Now, we face competition not only from more companies but also from their free offerings, which this account lacked. This presents several options for their keyword strategy:

• Maintain existing keywords and introduce a free app version to compete.
• Retain existing keywords but tailor ad copy to highlight features and benefits justifying paid options.
• Target new keywords focusing on users seeking paid options.
• Identify new keywords emphasizing unique app features and benefits that warrant the cost.
• Explore the feasibility and economics of a freemium model to regain market share and upsell paid features. A combination of these approaches is likely necessary for sustained success. Perhaps they can emphasize their fitness tracker’s meal planning and workout routines or its superior integration with wearable tech. Regardless of the chosen path, monitoring trending statistics is crucial to avoid falling behind.

Recommendation:

Maintain a long-term perspective on your account’s trending data. Are your keywords becoming more or less expensive? Is traffic increasing or decreasing? How are competitors influencing your keyword strategy? Keywords can initially perform well, then decline over time. Even if they don’t warrant pausing, their performance might signal industry or competitive shifts requiring adjustments to your keyword strategy.

4. Conduct Regular Keyword Research

Keyword research is standard practice when initially creating campaigns to identify terms that resonate with your target audience. However, like other aspects of search engine marketing, this isn’t a one-time task. Queries constantly evolve, and new themes emerge that you can capitalize on. And no, this isn’t just my opinion.

Even Google acknowledges (and has repeatedly confirmed) that queries are ever-changing, with 15% of searches being entirely new.

Recommendation:

Set periodic reminders to utilize your preferred keyword research tools, ideally quarterly or biannually, to identify shifts in your core terms and potential areas for expanding your reach. Draw inspiration from your existing keyword list, common sense, or leverage the next optimization strategy for generating new seed ideas.

5. Analyze Search Term Reports for New Keywords and Negatives

Regularly reviewing your search term reports to understand the queries triggering your keywords is crucial. With the recent changes in match types, you might be surprised by the terms appearing in these reports. To access this report, navigate to the keywords section in the left-hand menu and select Search terms.

Here, you can analyze the performance of your search terms and their alignment with your keywords.

For High-Performing Terms: Add these directly to your existing ad groups by selecting the checkbox next to the search term and clicking “Add as a keyword” in the blue bar. Depending on your location within the account, you might need to specify the destination campaign and ad group, as well as the match type. Once saved, the keyword is added to your account. You can also use these as seeds for new keyword research, as previously mentioned. For Poor-Performing Terms: Adding negative keywords is just as straightforward. If certain terms fail to meet your performance standards, exclude them from your Ad Group or Campaign using Negative Keyword Lists to prevent your ads from appearing for those queries. However, understanding the nuances of negative keywords is crucial as they operate differently than regular keywords. Refer to Here’s a video for a detailed explanation to ensure their correct usage.

Recommendation:

While search term reviews should be conducted regularly, more frequent analysis is recommended when launching a new campaign due to the inherent uncertainties.

This is a typical cadence for scheduling search term reviews for a new account, transitioning to a less frequent schedule as it matures. However, volume plays a significant role. This cadence suits small to mid-sized accounts. Adjustments are necessary for very small or large accounts. Nevertheless, it provides a framework for developing your own cadence. During this process, document the new keywords you add to utilize as seeds for your quarterly or biannual keyword research.

6. Reassess Previously Paused Keywords for Reactivation

The keyword landscape is dynamic, just like other aspects of digital advertising. Performance fluctuates based on numerous factors, and staying informed is crucial for capitalizing on opportunities or at least avoiding costly mistakes. While we’ve discussed pausing keywords based on various factors, revisiting paused keywords for reactivation is often overlooked. This might seem counterintuitive to some. Why reactivate a previously unsuccessful or low-volume keyword? Because keyword trends can change unexpectedly, offering a second chance for success.

Recommendation:

Review all paused keywords in your account approximately every six months.

• How long have they been inactive?
• Why were they initially paused?
• Did they ever perform well, or were they consistently ineffective?

If your budget allows and performance is favorable, reactivate a few promising terms and apply a label for easy monitoring. While not always successful, I’ve encountered enough instances of resurrected keywords performing exceptionally well to make this a standard practice in my accounts.

Maintain Keyword Health for Google Ads Success

Just like other elements of your paid search accounts, your keyword strategy requires ongoing attention. Regularly review performance, analyze search term reports, and conduct consistent keyword research to maintain a dynamic and effective keyword strategy.