Google Ads Keyword Research: How to Find High-Intent Keywords

Most Google Ads accounts we look at in Bangladesh do not lose money because the ads are badly written. They lose money because they pay for the wrong searches. A furniture shop bidding on “sofa design” attracts thousands of people scrolling through pictures, while the person who types “3 seater sofa price in Bangladesh” is the one actually ready to buy.

Careful google ads keyword research fixes this before you spend a single taka. It shows you which searches carry buying intent, which ones only bring curious visitors, and which ones you should block completely.

This guide follows the process we use for small and mid-sized businesses: building a seed list, sorting keywords by intent, reading Keyword Planner numbers, working out what you can afford per click, choosing match types, building negative lists and checking real search terms once the campaign is live.

Why intent comes first in Google Ads keyword research

On Google Ads you pay for clicks, not views. A keyword with a huge monthly volume can perform worse than a small one if it brings people who are only learning or browsing. Every click from someone who was never going to buy is money gone.

It helps to sort every keyword into one of four intent groups:

• Informational: “how to”, “what is”, “ideas”, “design”, “meaning”. People are learning. With a small budget, these rarely pay back.
• Commercial research: “best”, “review”, “vs”, “which is better”. People are comparing. Often worth testing if your landing page answers the comparison well.
• Transactional: “price”, “buy”, “order”, “online”, “near me”, “home delivery”, “service”, “cost”. People are ready to act. These are your core keywords.
• Navigational: brand names, either yours or a competitor’s. These need a separate decision and a separate campaign.

In Bangladesh there is one more layer. Many people search in Banglish (“sofa er dam”) or in Bangla script, and these searches often have less competition. If your customers write to you in Banglish on Messenger, they probably search that way too.

Step 1: Build a seed list from your own customers

Before opening any tool, write down how your customers actually describe what you sell. The best source is your own inbox. Read through Facebook page messages, WhatsApp chats and notes from phone calls, and copy the exact words people use.

Then build seed phrases using a few simple patterns:

• Product or service + price: “ielts coaching fee”, “wedding photography package price”
• Product + location: “cake delivery Chattogram”, “AC servicing Sylhet”
• Product + buying word: “buy gaming laptop online”, “order birthday cake”
• Problem + solution: “AC not cooling repair”, “laptop screen replacement”

A coaching centre in Rajshahi, for example, might start with “HSC physics coaching Rajshahi”, “admission coaching fee”, “online batch for medical admission” and “best coaching for engineering admission”. Twenty to forty seeds like these are enough to begin.

Step 2: Expand the list and check numbers in Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner is free inside any Google Ads account. Use the “Discover new keywords” option, enter your seeds, set the location to Bangladesh (or the districts you serve) and add both English and Bengali as languages. Google explains the tool in its Keyword Planner help page.

Read the numbers with some caution:

• Monthly searches are shown as ranges, and for smaller Bangladesh markets they are rough. A keyword showing “10 to 100” can still bring steady sales.
• Top of page bid ranges give you an early idea of cost. Niche local terms can cost only a few taka per click, while crowded categories such as study abroad, real estate, loans or software can cost many times more.
• Competition refers to advertisers, not organic difficulty. High competition usually means the keyword makes money for someone.

Add a few other sources to catch phrases the tool misses. Type your main keyword into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions and the “People also ask” box. If you already have a website, check the Queries report in Google Search Console. You can also look up competitors in Google’s Ads Transparency Center to see which products they are pushing.

Step 3: Shortlist keywords and work out your maximum cost per click

Now put your list in a spreadsheet and mark each keyword with its intent, rough volume and a decision. Here is a simplified example for an online clothing shop selling panjabis before Eid:

Next, check whether a keyword can be profitable at all. A simple formula works well: maximum cost per click = profit per sale × conversion rate. If you make 600 BDT profit on an average order and your site turns about 2 out of every 100 visitors into buyers, you can afford up to 12 BDT per click to break even. If Keyword Planner suggests 25 BDT for that keyword, you either need a better landing page, a higher order value, or a cheaper, more specific keyword.

This small calculation stops many businesses from chasing keywords that look attractive but can never pay back.

Step 4: Choose match types with care

Match types decide how closely a real search must match your keyword before your ad appears.

• Broad match lets Google show your ad for related searches, sometimes very loosely related. It can work well when conversion tracking is accurate and the campaign has enough conversion data for smart bidding.
• Phrase match shows your ad when the search includes the meaning of your phrase. It is a good middle ground for most small accounts.
• Exact match shows your ad for searches with the same meaning as your keyword. It gives the most control and usually the cleanest traffic.

For a new account with a modest daily budget, we usually start with phrase and exact match only. Broad match comes later, once tracking is proven and you have a few weeks of real sales data. If your tracking is not set up yet, fix that first; our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking covers the basics.

Step 5: Build negative keyword lists before you launch

Negative keywords stop your ads from showing on searches you do not want. In our experience, a large share of wasted spend in small accounts comes from missing negatives. Build an account-level list before the first ad goes live.

Common negatives worth considering:

• Job seekers: job, jobs, circular, salary, vacancy, hiring
• Learners: course, training, tutorial, pdf, how to, meaning (unless you sell courses)
• Freebie hunters: free, download, crack, apk
• Wrong product type: used, second hand, rent (if you only sell new), or wholesale (if you only sell retail)
• Locations you do not serve: district names outside your delivery area

Also use negatives between your own ad groups. If one ad group targets “men’s panjabi” and another targets “kids panjabi”, add “kids” as a negative in the first so each search goes to the most relevant ad. If you would rather have these lists built and kept up to date for you, our Google Ads service includes them from the first day of a campaign.

Step 6: Group keywords into tight ad groups

Each ad group should cover one clear theme, usually five to twenty closely related keywords. The ad text should repeat the main phrase, and the landing page should show exactly what the ad promised. When keyword, ad and page match, Google rates the ad as more relevant and you usually pay less per click. Our article on Google Ads Quality Score explains how this works.

A practical structure for a small shop might be one campaign for the main product line, with ad groups split by product type, plus a separate campaign for brand searches. Avoid stuffing fifty unrelated keywords into one ad group, because no single ad can speak to all of them.

The landing page matters just as much as the keyword. Sending a “cotton panjabi online order” click to your homepage wastes it. Send it to the cotton panjabi collection with prices, sizes and a clear order button. See our guide on building a high converting landing page for details. If your site does not have pages like this yet, our custom website design team can build them around your main ad groups.

Step 7: Review the search terms report every week

Google Ads keyword research does not end at launch. The search terms report in Google Ads shows the actual searches that triggered your ads, and it often surprises people. A keyword like “laptop repair” might match searches for “laptop repair course” or “laptop repair job”.

During the first month, check the report two or three times a week. After that, once a week is usually enough. For each term, decide:

1. Did it bring a sale or lead? Add it as an exact match keyword if it is not already there.
2. Is it relevant but not converting yet? Leave it and watch.
3. Is it clearly irrelevant? Add it, or the problem word inside it, as a negative.

Over two or three months, this habit tightens the account and lowers your cost per sale steadily.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Bidding only on short, broad words like “laptop” or “cake” that attract every kind of searcher.
• Ignoring Banglish and Bangla searches that your real customers use.
• Leaving location targeting on the default option that includes people merely interested in Bangladesh, instead of people actually located there.
• Bidding on competitor brand names on day one, before your main keywords are profitable.
• Running ads without conversion tracking, so you cannot tell which keywords bring sales.
• Copying a keyword list from another business without checking your own margins.

FAQ

How many keywords should a small campaign start with?

For most small businesses, 15 to 40 carefully chosen keywords across a few ad groups is plenty. It is easier to manage a short list well and add winners from the search terms report than to start with hundreds.

Is Keyword Planner data accurate for Bangladesh?

Treat it as a rough guide. Volumes are shown as ranges and can be off for smaller local markets. Real clicks and conversions from your first few weeks of ads are far more reliable than any estimate.

Should I bid on Bangla and Banglish keywords?

Yes, if your customers search that way. These terms often cost less. Write matching ad text in the same style so the ad feels natural to the person searching.

How often should I repeat Google Ads keyword research?

Do a full review every few months, and a focused one before busy seasons such as Eid, Pohela Boishakh, winter or the start of an admission season, when people search for different things.

Need help with Google Ads keyword research?

Nexteio can do this groundwork for you: building the keyword list from the words your customers really use, checking it against your margins, setting up negative lists and reviewing search terms every week. You can see what is included on our Google Ads service page, or start a project and tell us what you sell and which parts of Bangladesh you serve.