Google Ads can be a powerful tool for reaching your target audience, but the strategies you use can significantly impact your results. If you’re relying on product-focused, keyword-only campaigns, it might be time to rethink your approach. In this article, we explore how an audience-focused strategy can optimize your Google Ads performance and align better with your business goals.

The Traditional Approach: Product-Focused, Keyword-Only Campaigns

Many businesses, especially in the B2C space, utilize product-focused, keyword-only campaigns to drive sales. For example, if you sell vintage T-shirts for women, you might run a campaign centered around the keyword “vintage T-shirts women.” This method works well for many retailers but might not be the best option for every business.

In the case of a B2B client, we inherited a Google Ads account with campaigns entirely based on product-focused keywords. While this strategy was familiar, it wasn’t delivering the best results for their new and growing product lines. After a careful evaluation, we decided to take a different approach—one that would ultimately outperform their previous strategy.

Start with Business Goals

The first step in reimagining any Google Ads strategy is to align it with your business goals. This may seem obvious, but it’s a crucial step that is often overlooked.

In our client’s case, their Google Ads account was organized by regions and housed thousands of product-based keywords. Brand and non-brand keywords were mixed together, making it hard to track meaningful metrics such as cost per lead or campaign performance for different sectors.

The company had also expanded beyond farming equipment into construction equipment, a key business goal that their existing campaign structure didn’t support. As a result, we restructured their account to align with these business objectives.

Restructuring to Support Business Goals

Instead of organizing the campaigns by region, we set them up by product categories and separated brand and non-brand campaigns. This allowed us to measure and compare metrics, such as cost per lead for farming versus construction sectors.

This structure not only gave us a clear view of how each campaign was performing but also allowed for better decision-making. For example, although the cost per lead in the construction sector was higher, the client understood that this was necessary to grow a new product line.

Focusing on High-Value Keywords

Alongside restructuring, we significantly reduced the number of keywords in each ad group. We shifted from thousands of low-value keywords to a handful of high-value, top-converting ones. This “less is more” approach helped us focus on what really mattered, improving both performance and budget efficiency.

Shifting to an Audience-Focused Strategy

The real game-changer came when we moved beyond product-focused, keyword-only campaigns and embraced an audience-focused strategy. This shift wasn’t about abandoning keywords altogether, but rather supplementing them with more targeted approaches.

Remarketing for Better Engagement

Our first step in this new strategy was to enhance remarketing efforts. While the previous agency had implemented some remarketing campaigns, their scope was narrow, leading to limited impressions.

We broadened the scope by testing audiences based on different timeframes—people who had visited the website within the last 7, 14, 90, and 365 days. By avoiding overlap between these audiences, we could compare conversion rates and identify the most engaged users.

Leveraging First-Party Data: Customer Lists

Additionally, we introduced customer lists using the client’s rich first-party data. This allowed us to target prior and existing customers by product category, creating a highly personalized and cost-effective marketing strategy.

This use of first-party data enabled us to go beyond the reach of keyword-only campaigns, tapping into an audience that was already familiar with the client’s products.

Obsess Over Your Customers, Not Your Products

By revising the account structure, utilizing remarketing, and leveraging customer lists, we increased reach, conversions, and revenue—all while staying within the client’s original advertising budget. More importantly, we gave the client the tools to future-proof their business with deeper insights into performance and buyer behavior.

The Takeaway: Time to Rethink Your Google Ads Strategy?

If your current Google Ads strategy is primarily keyword-focused, especially in product-based campaigns, it might be time to consider an audience-focused approach. By paying more attention to your customers’ behavior and leveraging first-party data, you can significantly improve your ad performance and budget efficiency.

While keyword-only campaigns still have their place, especially when audience data is lacking, shifting to an audience-first strategy can unlock new opportunities. Now is the time to test and see if this approach can work for your business.