We recently audited a typical Google Search account: 1 Campaign, 3 Ad Groups, and a total of 500 keywords—all set to Broad Match. Most media buyers' immediate reaction would be: "That is way too many keywords."

However, with Google's modern algorithm, the question we should be asking is no longer how many keywords are in an ad group, but rather: How many distinct search intents do those 500 keywords represent?

Google does not enforce a strict limit of 20, 50, or 100 keywords per ad group. Instead, official best practices emphasize grouping similar products, services, and themes to maintain tight alignment between keywords, ad copy, and landing pages. Having 500 keywords in itself isn't the issue—but mixing 500 different search intents across just 3 ad groups is.

1. Broad Match is Not 500 Independent Traffic Sources

Modern Broad Match is no longer a simple keyword expansion tool. Google now evaluates user search context, landing pages, other keywords in the ad group, past search history, and various real-time signals to determine relevance. Broad Match naturally encompasses queries that Phrase and Exact match would cover.

This means that dumping hundreds of highly similar Broad Match keywords into one ad group won't magically generate 500 new streams of traffic. Instead, you are likely forcing your own keywords to compete for the same pool of search terms.

2. Don't Just Delete Keywords—Analyze Search Terms First

Before pausing keywords, pull a report of the last 30 days of impressions, cost, conversions, and actual search terms.

In many accounts with hundreds of keywords, 80% of the budget is actually spent on just a few dozen terms. The rest either get zero impressions or duplicate existing coverage. Clean up your keywords based on search intent and actual performance data, rather than adhering to an arbitrary rule like "maximum 50 keywords per ad group."

3. Structure Ad Groups by Intent, Not Keyword Count

Consider an Automation SaaS company as an example. Let's look at how different keywords represent entirely different stages of the funnel:

  • "Automation software" indicates general product demand.
  • "Make.com alternative" indicates competitor comparison.
  • "How to automate invoices" is a problem-solving query.
  • "Automation agency" represents a service-based demand.

If you lump all of these into a single ad group, a single Responsive Search Ad (RSA) and landing page cannot effectively address all four distinct user mindsets. Google explicitly recommends grouping similar keywords and ads by theme to ensure relevance.

The Golden Rule: Broad Match Requires Smart Bidding

Broad Match is designed to work hand-in-hand with Smart Bidding. While Broad Match expands your query reach, Smart Bidding evaluates which auctions are actually worth entering based on real-time conversion signals.

Broad Match finds the queries; Smart Bidding decides if the auction is worth the bid.

If your account lacks robust conversion tracking (e.g., tracking purchases, qualified leads, or high-value actions) and only drives raw traffic, 500 Broad Match keywords won't scale your business. Instead, they will simply drain your budget on undirected, low-intent traffic.

The Future of Search Campaign Management

As Google Search becomes increasingly automated—with tools like Performance Max leveraging keywords, assets, and landing pages to discover new search terms—the role of the media buyer is shifting. Success no longer depends on micromanaging keyword counts. Instead, modern performance marketers must focus on managing search intent, optimizing ad relevance, and feeding high-quality conversion data back into the algorithm.