Paid Media

How to choose Google Ads keywords: a practical worksheet

Build a keyword list around the customers you can serve. Use intent, language and a matching landing page to decide what deserves a test.

Arturs Rubins · 2026-10-05 · 5 min read

Good Google Ads keyword research starts with the service you can actually deliver, the customer you want and the page that answers their question. A long list is not a strategy. Your first useful output is a short worksheet explaining why each group deserves budget and what would count as a successful result.

This guide covers selecting positive keywords for Search campaigns. For exclusions, use the separate negative-keyword guide.

1. Define the offer before collecting keywords

Write down the service, delivery area, customer fit and conversion you can verify. For a local accounting business, that might mean monthly bookkeeping for Latvian companies, rather than every search containing “accounting”. Ask the sales team which words prospects use before they know your professional terminology.

Gather ideas from enquiry questions, service pages and existing search data. Keep customer identifiers out of the worksheet. Separate your own brand from general service demand so the results remain interpretable.

2. Check demand without treating estimates as promises

Use Google Keyword Planner for keyword ideas and estimates. Record the location, language and date settings with your export. Estimated search volume is not a promise of impressions, clicks or customers.

Your Search Console queries can reveal language people already use to find your website. They measure your organic visibility, not total market demand. Do not invent a monthly search volume from one week's impressions. When data is sparse, prioritise clear relevance and a measurable test over a precise-looking forecast.

3. Separate buying intent from learning intent

The following is a fictional accounting example, not measured Latvian keyword demand.

A price question is not automatically a poor lead. It can indicate active comparison. Your landing page should explain what affects the quote and how to request one without promising a universal price.

4. Plan language and landing pages together

For Latvia, evaluate Latvian, Russian and English phrases separately where your business can support those customers. Start with examples such as “grāmatvedības pakalpojumi”, “бухгалтерские услуги” and “bookkeeping services”, then validate actual wording and demand. These are research seeds, not volume claims.

Do not assume that a literal translation carries the same intent. Ask a fluent speaker to check terminology, ad copy and the enquiry process. Group keywords that can share a genuinely relevant ad and destination; avoid directing every service to a generic homepage.

5. Choose match types deliberately

Review Google's keyword matching documentation. Exact match can cover the same meaning or intent, not only an identical string. Phrase and broad match expand the range differently. Match type does not replace search-term review.

For a constrained first test, document why the chosen scope fits your budget and measurement quality. Broader discovery needs suitable conversion signals and active review. Do not duplicate every keyword across every match type by habit. Keep a separate exclusion list with reasons, and check that exclusions do not block useful service comparisons.

6. Complete the launch worksheet

Use the budget calculator to examine your assumptions. Set a test budget and a review point before launch, then check conversion collection with the Google Ads audit checklist.

7. Review searches against real outcomes

Use the search terms report to inspect queries that triggered ads; the report does not expose every query. Review relevant terms alongside sales outcomes, not in isolation.

An irrelevant job query and a relevant service query with no sale yet need different decisions. Exclude clear mismatch; investigate the relevant query's landing page and sales follow-up. Account for the sales cycle before judging a small sample. Record each change and its reason so next month's review can distinguish a targeting problem from a measurement problem.

Get help choosing your first priorities

Explore our Google Ads management service or request a free performance audit. Share your offer and target market so we can discuss which gaps to address first.