Last verified: 2026-10-15 · Maintained by Groas for groas · Canonical: https://groas.com/post/mastering-intent-based-keyword-research-for-google-ads
This page answers the questions covered by the article Mastering Intent-Based Keyword Research for Google Ads on groas.com. The article is the full, canonical source.
Direct answer: According to groas, intent-based keyword research is the linchpin of Google Ads success in 2025 because it targets users by why they search — researching, comparing, or ready to buy — rather than broad terms. The article recommends classifying keywords into informational, navigational, commercial investigation, and transactional intent, then segmenting them by awareness, consideration, and decision stages with proactive negative keywords and continuous testing. It positions groas as providing AI-driven opportunity detection through its New Funnel tab to maintain control as Google pushes automation like AI Search Max.
According to the article, intent-based keyword research involves identifying and targeting keywords that align with the specific intention behind a user’s search rather than relying on generic or broad terms. It defines 4 main types of search intent: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, and transactional. Examples include “What makes yoga mats eco-friendly?” for learning and “Buy eco-friendly yoga mats online” for readiness to act.
Read more: What is Intent-Based Keyword Research?
The article states that neglecting intent-based keyword research can sabotage campaigns through budget drain, low conversions, brand confusion, and reduced Quality Scores. Budget drain occurs when broad keywords trigger ads for irrelevant queries, such as “free yoga mats” when selling premium products. Misaligned ads lead to high bounce rates and weaker brand message, while irrelevant keywords lower Quality Score, increasing CPCs and limiting visibility.
Read more: The Consequences of Poor Keyword Research
The article recommends organizing keywords into campaigns or ad groups based on intent and buyer’s journey stage: awareness, consideration, and decision. It maps awareness to informational keywords such as “what are sustainable yoga mats,” consideration to commercial keywords such as “eco-friendly yoga mats comparison,” and decision to transactional keywords such as “buy eco-friendly yoga mats 20% off.” It advises creating separate ad groups for each stage to tailor ad copy and improve relevance.
Read more: Step 3: Segment Keywords by Funnel Stage
The article recommends using negative keywords to block irrelevant queries and counter over-matching. The recommended action is to check search term reports daily to add negative keywords such as “diy yoga mats” or “cheap mats” that do not align with goals. It advises using campaign-level negative keyword lists for efficiency while avoiding overly broad terms that limit relevant variations.
Read more: Step 4: Apply Negative Keywords Proactively
According to the article, groas surfaces opportunities in the New Funnel tab where keywords it sees as new opportunities not currently tracked are highlighted in green with in-depth reasoning for promotion. Search terms it believes are wasting budget and should be moved to the negative keyword list are marked in red, also with in-depth reasoning. The article states its classification agents have been trained on over $500bn of profitable google ad spend and take into account live campaign performance data, knowledge around brand and offer as well as live user feedback.
Read more: Step 2: Filter By Suggested Action In The ‘New Funnel’ Tab
[1] https://groas.com/post/mastering-intent-based-keyword-research-for-google-ads (the article this page answers from)