Key takeways
- Keyword research is essential for targeting your audience effectively and driving qualified leads.
- Long-tail keywords are less competitive and can result in higher conversions for B2B campaigns.
- Using negative keywords and appropriate keyword match types helps optimize your campaign and reduce costs.
- Competitor analysis can uncover valuable keyword opportunities that you might miss otherwise.
Introduction
Keyword research is one of the most crucial aspects of running effective B2B Google Ads campaigns. If you want to reach the right audience and maximize your campaign’s success, understanding your target audience’s needs and how they search for solutions is essential. This guide takes a closer look at how B2B Google Ads keyword research can make your ads more effective, reduce costs, and drive higher-quality leads.
In this article, you’ll learn about intent-driven keyword selection, long-tail keywords, and competitor analysis, all of which play a significant role in successful B2B marketing. Whether you’re new to PPC or looking to improve your campaigns, this guide is packed with actionable strategies to help you optimize your B2B Google Ads.
Understanding B2B Audience Intent
The Role of Intent in Keyword Selection
When creating a keyword list for B2B Google Ads, you first need to understand your target audience’s intent. This means identifying what problems they are trying to solve and how your product or service fits into their journey.
Think about intent-oriented keywords that capture your audience at different stages, such as “custom CRM software for manufacturers” or “B2B cybersecurity solutions for small businesses.” These types of keywords directly speak to what your customers are actively searching for.
Intent-Based Keyword Examples for B2B CRM Software for Small Business
| Intent Type | Keyword | Description |
| Informational | “What is the best CRM for small business?” | Users are looking for information about CRM options for small businesses. |
| Informational | “How does CRM help small businesses?” | Users want to learn about CRM benefits for small businesses. |
| Navigational | “Zoho CRM pricing” | Users are trying to find specific information about Zoho CRM’s pricing. |
| Navigational | “HubSpot CRM features” | Users are looking for specific information about HubSpot CRM. |
| Commercial | “Best CRM for small business” | Users are comparing different CRM software options before purchasing. |
| Commercial | “Reviews of CRM software for SMBs” | Users are researching CRM software and looking for reviews. |
| Transactional | “Buy CRM software for small business” | Users are ready to make a purchase and looking for CRM solutions to buy. |
| Transactional | “Subscribe to Zoho CRM” | Users are interested in subscribing to a specific CRM product. |
Using intent-driven keywords ensures that your ads are displayed to the people who need your product or service the most. This approach increases the chances that a click will turn into a lead, making your campaign more cost-effective.
Summary: Understanding audience intent helps make your ads more relevant, ensuring they are seen by those who are most likely to convert.
Leveraging Long-Tail Keywords
Why Long-Tail Keywords Work in B2B
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that typically see less competition than short keywords. In B2B marketing, this specificity means that you’re reaching people who are closer to making a decision. For example, “best CRM for small business” will attract a more qualified lead than simply targeting “CRM software.”
Tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush are ideal for finding these long-tail terms. By using these tools, you can discover keywords that focus on the exact problems your audience faces. Long-tail keywords tend to be less expensive, giving you a better ROI.
Popular Keyword Research Tools
| Tool Name | Description |
| Google Keyword Planner | Foundational tool for discovering new keywords, estimating search volume, and competition levels. |
| Ahrefs | Comprehensive SEO tool offering detailed metrics, keyword ideas, and competitor keyword analysis. |
| Semrush | All-in-one SEO tool with keyword research features, competitor analysis, and content marketing tools. |
| SpyFu | Competitive intelligence tool focused on analyzing competitors’ keyword strategies and PPC performance. |
| Microsoft Advertising Planner | Tool for finding keywords for Bing Ads, offering insights also relevant to Google Ads campaigns. |
Summary: Long-tail keywords help attract more qualified traffic and often lead to higher conversions because they target specific needs.
Conducting Competitor Analysis
Tools and Techniques for Competitor Keyword Research
Understanding what keywords your competitors are targeting can provide valuable insights into your B2B Google Ads strategy. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush mentioned before can help you uncover what competitors are bidding on, and how they’re structuring their ads. This allows you to spot opportunities that they may be missing or replicate successful strategies.
Another effective and free way to conduct keyword research is by using the official Google Keyword Planner tool available within the Google Ads interface. Simply enter your website or a competitor’s website, and review the keywords suggested by Google. It’s an excellent starting point for identifying valuable keywords and refining your strategy further.
When conducting competitor analysis, pay attention to the keywords they use for high-performing ads. This information can be crucial in shaping your keyword strategy and outbidding your competition.
Summary: Competitor analysis helps reveal keyword opportunities and strategies that might not be obvious initially.
Building a Negative Keyword List
Enhancing ROI with Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are terms that you exclude from triggering your ads. For B2B campaigns, you might want to exclude terms like “free,” which might not apply to your offerings. By doing this, you prevent wasting money on clicks that have little to no chance of converting into leads.
Here are 10 examples of negative keywords for a company selling CRM SaaS for small businesses:
- Free CRM
- Open source CRM
- CRM for personal use
- Enterprise CRM
- Large business CRM
- CRM tutorial
- CRM training
- How to build CRM
- CRM developer
- CRM certification
Adding negative keywords is straightforward in Google Ads. It helps refine your traffic and ensures your ads only reach relevant audiences, making your campaign spend more efficient.
Summary: Using negative keywords helps eliminate irrelevant traffic, thereby focusing your ad spend on higher-quality leads.
Utilizing Keyword Match Types Effectively
Choosing the Right Match Type for Your Campaign Goals
Keyword match types in Google Ads control which searches trigger your ads. The main match types include exact match, phrase match, and broad match:
- Exact Match: Shows your ad when someone types in your exact keyword.
- Phrase Match: Triggers your ad when the search includes your keyword phrase.
- Broad Match: Displays ads for searches related to your keywords.
Using a mix of these match types allows you to balance between highly specific ads and discovering new keywords.
| Match Type | Use Case |
| Exact Match | High-intent searches, narrow targeting |
| Phrase Match | More flexibility, still targeted |
| Broad Match | Keyword discovery, reach new potential leads |
Currently, Google often expands phrase match, and even exact match is not as strict as it once was. This is why monitoring keywords and regularly adding negative keywords is crucial.
Summary: Selecting the right match type can greatly impact who sees your ad and how effectively your budget is spent.
Structuring Ad Groups with Thematic Keywords
Organizing Keywords for Better Ad Relevance
Ad group structuring involves creating tightly themed keyword groups related to specific parts of the buyer’s journey. This makes your ads more relevant, which can lead to a higher Quality Score, reducing your costs and improving ad performance.
For example, grouping keywords by the buyer’s journey—such as awareness (“business software solutions for marketing agencies”), consideration (“best CRM for small businesses”), and decision (“CRM pricing for small business”)—helps create specific ad messages tailored to each stage.
Summary: Thematic ad group structuring leads to better ad relevance, which can boost quality scores and improve overall ad performance.
FAQ
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs are highly effective for identifying both broad and niche keywords relevant to B2B campaigns.
Long-tail keywords are important because they are more specific, leading to less competition and more qualified leads that are likely to convert.
Negative keywords help by excluding irrelevant searches, ensuring your ad spend focuses only on potential leads who are likely to be interested in your offering.
Conclusion
Effective keyword research for B2B Google Ads is about understanding your audience’s needs and using the right tools and strategies to reach them. By focusing on intent-driven keywords, leveraging long-tail keywords, conducting thorough competitor analysis, implementing negative keywords, and structuring ad groups effectively, you can significantly enhance your campaign’s performance and drive high-quality leads to your business.
For more information, check out our other articles on best practices for B2B Google Ads campaigns or learn more about my B2B Google Ads services.
