3 Tricks to Get Cheap Clicks with Google AdWords

3 Ways to Find Profitable Keywords in Google Ads (2026 Update)

When it comes to Google Ads - and other PPC platforms like Meta Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Amazon Sponsored Products - it’s all about efficiency. You can’t go for keywords with too low a volume; even if the payout is high, one click per month isn’t going to get you anywhere. On the other hand, you can’t go for keywords with extremely high volumes; the cost per click can be outrageous. With average CPCs up roughly 15% year-over-year and some industries paying well over $50 per click, it’s more critical than ever to strike the right balance between cost per click and search volume. Nearly 76% of ad budgets are wasted on poorly optimized campaigns - and that number hasn’t improved much. Here are three ways you can exploit to find keywords in that balance.

1. Pick the Right Keyword Match Type

Match type is a specification you can make within your ad groups for your keywords. Picking the right one for your keyword choice is imperative - and Google has quietly evolved how these work over the years, so it’s worth revisiting even if you think you know them.

Method 1: Broad Match. Broad match keywords can trigger your ad for any query that Google deems relevant to your keyword - and as of recent years, Google has significantly expanded what “relevant” means. It now factors in search intent, related topics, and even your landing page content. This gives Google more control, which can be both a blessing and a curse. For example, if your keyword was “Targus Backpacks,” queries like these might trigger your ad:

• “Where to buy Targus backpacks”
• “Targus Black Backpacks”
• “Why do Targus Backpacks suck?”
• “Best laptop bags under $50”

As you can see, Google’s modern broad match interpretation can take you quite far from your original keyword. If you’re trying to sell a Targus backpack, only a couple of those queries are genuinely useful. Broad match has become more powerful in theory, but also more dangerous to your budget without proper negative keyword management.

Method 2: Phrase Match. Phrase match is a narrower form than broad match. The keyword phrase you use needs to appear with the same meaning and intent, though Google has loosened this up in recent years to allow for close variants and implied words. In the Targus backpacks example, queries like “buy Targus backpacks online” or “Targus backpacks for travel” would qualify, but something entirely off-topic would not.

Method 3: Exact Match. This is the most narrow option. If your phrase is “Targus backpacks,” only queries that match the meaning of that exact phrase will trigger your ad. Even exact match now allows for close variants in Google’s current framework - things like misspellings, singular/plural forms, and reordered words with the same intent - but it still gives you the tightest control of the three options.

How do you determine which match type to use? Consider the results. A broad match will get the most impressions but won’t always reach the right audience. Exact match may be too precise; a keyword might have solid potential volume as a phrase match but too little as an exact match.

Typically, it’s a good idea to start with exact match and expand upward as needed. If exact matching is too narrow, open the keyword up to phrase matching. If that’s still unsatisfactory, broad match might work - but pair it tightly with negative keywords (more on that below). If none of these prove profitable, it’s time to find a new keyword entirely.

2. Use Negative Keywords

For some people, the phrase “negative keywords” sounds like a shady SEO tactic. It’s not. Negative keywords are a Google Ads function that can be extremely beneficial to your broad and phrase matched keywords - and in 2026, with broad match eating up more of your budget than ever before, they’re not optional. They’re essential.

Going back to the backpacks example, notice that one query asks why Targus backpacks “suck.” You probably don’t want to serve your ad to people looking up that information, so you might add “suck” to your negative keyword list. This prevents your ad from showing up for queries involving that word.

You can and should use a wide variety of negative keywords, which come in two basic varieties.

Variety 1: General. General negative keywords are words like “suck,” “free,” “DIY,” or “how to” in contexts where you’re selling a product. They’re words that, in combination with your keyword, turn a query into something detrimental or irrelevant. You can find good lists of common negative keywords to block, helping you avoid wasted impressions on audiences who would never convert.

Variety 2: Keyword Specific. These are the negative keywords that only apply to your specific situation. Say you sell Targus backpacks, but you don’t carry any black ones. Rather than advertise to anyone looking for black backpacks - drawing them in only to find you don’t have what they want - you could add “black” to your negative keyword list. This is basic hygiene that too many advertisers skip, and it’s a big reason why nearly three-quarters of ad budgets get wasted.

3. Inch Your Bids Lower Using Quality Score

As you use Google Ads, Google compiles a Quality Score that attaches to your keywords and account. Each time you run an ad, Google evaluates it based on expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. Make sure your landing page is genuinely useful and relevant - that’s not just good advice, it directly affects what you pay.

Quality Score is rated on a scale of 1-10. A score of 7/10 is generally considered neutral territory. But here’s where it gets interesting: targeting Quality Scores of 8-10 can achieve up to a 50% reduction in your cost per click. In an environment where some industries are already paying $50+ per click, that’s not a minor optimization - that’s the difference between a profitable campaign and a money pit.

As you build a higher Quality Score, you can place in higher ad positions at lower bids. Unless your keyword has fierce competition, a strong Quality Score gives you real leverage over competitors who are simply outbidding their way to the top without the quality to back it up.

When your Quality Score improves, start to lower your bid incrementally each time you review the campaign. As long as you don’t dip below the threshold where your strongest competitors start outranking you, you can slowly drive down the price while maintaining your position.

The higher your overall Quality Score, the more you can push down your bid. A higher Quality Score helps keep your ad positioned well while allowing you to pay less for that position. Some advertisers have seen dramatic results from this approach - one example in the display network space saw average click prices drop from the 21-35¢ range down to 7-11¢, cutting monthly spend from $1,000 to $300 without sacrificing meaningful traffic. You can also learn more about getting the minimum bid and low click cost on AdWords to complement this strategy.

The one thing you need to watch while lowering your bids is volume. If your volume starts to suffer, so does your return. Saving a few cents per click isn’t worth the profit hit if your traffic drops significantly. Lower your bids gradually, monitor closely, and find the floor before you fall through it.