Google Ads Keyword Research, Customer Journey

Course: Google Ads Complete Course
Lecture: 2 of 15
Level: Beginner → Intermediate
Format: Theory + Practical + Assignment
Recommended Duration: 2–3 hours

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lecture, students will be able to:

• Explain the role of Google Ads in digital marketing.
• Understand the marketing funnel and customer journey.
• Identify a target audience and create a basic buyer persona.
• Understand search intent.
• Differentiate informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional searches.
• Identify short-tail and long-tail keywords.
• Use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research.
• Understand search volume and competition.
• Group keywords according to intent and relevance.
• Perform basic competitor keyword research.

1. What Is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is the promotion of products, services, or brands through digital channels.

Major digital marketing channels include:

• Search engines
• Social media
• Email
• Websites
• Content marketing
• SEO
• Paid advertising
• Video platforms
• Mobile apps

Example

Suppose CodeCraft Web Development Institute wants to attract students.

It could use:

• SEO → rank for web development course searches
• Google Ads → advertise its courses
• Facebook/Instagram → build awareness
• YouTube → publish educational videos
• Email → communicate with potential students
• Website → provide course information and collect registrations

Google Ads is therefore one component of a broader digital marketing strategy.

2. Where Google Ads Fits Into Digital Marketing

Google Ads can support several stages of the customer journey.

1. Awareness
2. Interest
3. Consideration
4. Conversion
5. Retention

Example

A person sees an advertisement for a web development course.

Awareness:
They discover the institute.

Interest:
They visit the website.

Consideration:
They compare the course with alternatives.

Conversion:
They submit an inquiry or register.

Retention:
They continue learning and may later purchase another course.

3. Marketing Funnel

The marketing funnel helps marketers understand how people move from discovering a business to taking an action.

Top of Funnel Awareness

The customer is becoming aware of a problem, product, service, or brand.

Example:

“How can I learn web development?”

Possible marketing channels:

• YouTube
• Display advertising
• Social media
• Blog content

Middle of Funnel Consideration

The customer is researching possible solutions.

Example:

“Best web development course”

The customer may compare:

• Course content
• Duration
• Price
• Reviews
• Location
• Certification
• Training format

Bottom of Funnel Conversion

The customer is close to taking action.

Example searches:

“web development course admission”

“web development course near me”

“enroll web development course”

These searches can indicate stronger commercial or transactional intent.

4. Customer Journey

A customer journey describes the stages a person goes through before and after interacting with a business.

A simplified journey:

1. Problem
2. Research
3. Solutions
4. Comparison
5. Decision
6. Purchase
7. Experience
8. Repeat / Referral

Example — CodeCraft

Problem:

“I need a skill for a technology career.”

↓

Research:

“How to learn web development?”

↓

Comparison:

“Best web development course”

↓

Decision:

“CodeCraft web development course”

↓

Conversion:

Student submits registration form.

5. Target Audience

A target audience is the group of people a business wants to reach.

For CodeCraft:

Possible Audience

• Age: 18–35
• Students
• Job seekers
• Freelancers
• Beginners
• Technology learners

But simply knowing demographics is not enough.

We should also understand:

• Goals
• Problems
• Motivations
• Search behavior
• Budget
• Level of knowledge
• Buying intent

6. Buyer Persona

A buyer persona is a simplified representation of an ideal customer.

Example

Name: Ahmed
Age: 22
Occupation: University student
Goal: Learn web development
Problem: Has limited programming experience
Motivation: Wants freelance or employment opportunities
Searches:

• web development course
• learn HTML CSS
• PHP course
• full stack course

Why Personas Matter

Personas help advertisers create:

• Better keywords
• Better advertisements
• Better landing pages
• Better offers
• More relevant messaging

7. Pain Points

A pain point is a problem or difficulty experienced by the customer.

For our fictional institute:

Pain Point 1

“I don’t know where to start learning web development.”

Pain Point 2

“Most tutorials are too theoretical.”

Pain Point 3

“I need practical projects.”

Pain Point 4

“I want training that fits my schedule.”

These pain points can influence advertising messages.

Example Ad Message

Instead of:

Learn Web Development

We could communicate:

Build Real Websites With Practical Web Development Training

The second message addresses the customer’s desire for practical skills.

8. What Is Search Intent?

Search intent is the reason behind a user’s search query.

Understanding intent is one of the most important skills in Google Ads keyword research.

Consider these searches:

what is web development

best web development courses

web development course near me

CodeCraft web development course

They don’t necessarily represent the same intent.

9. Four Common Search Intent Categories

1. Informational Intent

The user wants information.

Examples:

• what is web development
• how does HTML work
• what is JavaScript
• how to learn coding

The user is primarily looking for knowledge.

2. Navigational Intent

The user wants to reach a particular website, brand, or destination.

Examples:

• CodeCraft Institute
• CodeCraft web development course
• Google Ads login

The user may already know the destination.

3. Commercial Investigation

The user is researching options before making a decision.

Examples:

• best web development course
• web development courses comparison
• best coding institute
• web development course reviews

The user is considering different options.

4. Transactional Intent

The user is ready or relatively close to taking an action.

Examples:

• enroll web development course
• buy web development course
• web development course admission
• web development course price

The desired action could be:

• Purchase
• Registration
• Booking
• Enrollment
• Lead submission

10. Search Intent Exercise

Classify the following keywords:

Key Lesson

Never assume that all keywords related to the same topic have the same intent.

11. What Is a Keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase used by an advertiser to help target relevant searches in Search advertising.

Examples:

• web development course
• SEO course
• Python training
• WordPress course
• digital marketing training

Keywords help advertisers connect advertising with relevant search demand.

12. Keyword vs Search Term

These two terms are extremely important.

Keyword

The targeting term selected by the advertiser.

Example:

web development course

Search Term

The actual query entered by the user.

Example:

best practical web development course for beginners

A user’s search term can differ from the keyword selected by the advertiser.

Later, we will use the Search Terms Report to analyze actual searches.

13. Short Tail Keywords

Short-tail keywords are generally broad and relatively short phrases.

Examples:

• web development
• SEO
• coding
• WordPress
• programming

Advantages

• Broad reach
• Potentially larger search demand

Challenges

• Less specific
• Can have mixed search intent
• May attract irrelevant searches
• Can be highly competitive

14. Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are generally more specific phrases.

Examples:

• web development course for beginners
• online web development course with certificate
• PHP web development course for beginners

Advantages

• More specific
• Often clearer intent
• Can better match specialized offers

Example

Compare:

Short:

web development

Long-tail:

web development course for beginners

The second keyword gives us considerably more information about what the user may want.

15. Branded Keywords

Branded keywords contain a brand name.

Examples:

• CodeCraft Institute
• CodeCraft web development course
• CodeCraft admission

Why They Matter

Branded searches can represent users who already know the business.

Advertisers may analyze branded and non-branded search activity separately.

16. Non-Branded Keywords

Non-branded keywords don’t contain the business name.

Examples:

• web development course
• web development training
• coding institute
• programming classes

These can help businesses reach people who may not yet know their brand.

17. Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of discovering and evaluating search terms relevant to a business, product, service, or content topic.

A basic workflow:

• Business
  • Products / Services
  • Target Audience
  • Customer Problems
  • Keyword Ideas
  • Search Intent
  • Search Volume
  • Competition
  • Keyword Grouping
  • Campaign Structure

18. Start With Seed Keywords

A seed keyword is an initial idea used to discover additional keyword opportunities.

For CodeCraft:

Seed Keywords

• web development course
• web development training
• coding course
• programming course
• full stack course

These can be expanded into more specific keywords.

19.Google Ads Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a Google Ads tool that can help advertisers discover keyword ideas and estimate search-related information.

It can be used to:

• Discover keyword ideas
• Explore search demand
• Review historical metrics
• Group keyword ideas
• Develop campaign plans

Basic Workflow

Google Ads

    ↓

Keyword Planner

    ↓

Discover New Keywords

    ↓

Enter Seed Keyword

    ↓

Review Keyword Ideas

    ↓

Evaluate Relevance

    ↓

Select Useful Keywords

20. Keyword Relevance

Not every keyword suggested by a keyword tool is useful.

Suppose CodeCraft offers:

Web Development Course

A tool may produce:

• web development course
• web development jobs
• web development salary
• web development company
• web developer resume
• web development tutorial

All are related to web development.

But are they all relevant to a training institute?

No.

Relevant

web development course

Potentially irrelevant

web development jobs

web development company

web developer salary

The advertiser needs to evaluate the actual business intent behind each keyword.

21. Search Volume

Search volume is an estimate of how frequently a keyword is searched during a particular period.

Example:

These numbers are fictional and are being used only to demonstrate the concept.

Important

Higher search volume does not automatically mean better keyword.

A keyword should also be evaluated for:

• Relevance
• Search intent
• Competition
• Business value
• Landing-page relevance

22. Keyword Competition

Keyword tools can provide competition-related information.

However, students should understand an important distinction:

Keyword Planner Competition

This generally relates to advertiser competition in Google Ads.

SEO Keyword Difficulty

This is a different concept used by many SEO tools to estimate organic ranking difficulty.

Don’t confuse:

Google Ads competition

with

SEO keyword difficulty.

23. Keyword Grouping

Once keywords have been researched, organize them into closely related groups.

Example

Group 1 — Web Development Course

• web development course
• web development courses
• web development course online

Group 2 — Web Development Training

• web development training
• web development training institute
• web development classes

Group 3 — Full Stack

• full stack development course
• full stack web development training
• full stack course

Grouping makes it easier to create relevant ads and landing pages.

24. Why Keyword Grouping Matters

Imagine one ad group contains:

web development course

python course

graphic design course

digital marketing course

SEO course

This is too broad.

The advertiser would struggle to write one highly relevant ad for all these searches.

Instead:

Web Development Course

        ↓

Relevant Keywords

        ↓

Relevant Ads

        ↓

Relevant Landing Page

This creates stronger message alignment.

25. Keyword-to-Ad-to-Landing-Page Relevance

One of the most important concepts in Google Ads is:

Keyword → Ad → Landing Page

Example:

Keyword

web development course

Ad

Practical Web Development Course

Landing Page

Web Development Course — Course Details & Registration

All three communicate essentially the same offer.

This is called message relevance/alignment.

26. Competitor Research

Competitor research helps advertisers understand the market.

You can investigate:

• Competitor brands
• Their offers
• Ad messaging
• Landing pages
• Course names
• Calls to action
• Pricing information
• Unique selling points

Example Competitors

For the fictional CodeCraft institute:

• Competitor A — Online coding academy
• Competitor B — Local IT institute
• Competitor C — Online learning platform

The goal is to understand the market and identify opportunities—not simply copy competitors.

27. Customer Journey + Keyword Research

The customer journey can help us organize keywords.

This helps advertisers understand where the user is in the decision process.

28. Practical Keyword Research Example

Business:

CodeCraft Web Development Institute

Seed Keyword

web development course

Keyword Ideas

web development course

web development classes

web development training

web development course online

web development course for beginners

full stack web development course

PHP web development course

front end development course

web development institute

web development training institute

Now classify them.

Course Intent

• web development course
• web development course online
• web development course for beginners

Training Intent

• web development training
• web development training institute
• web development classes

Specialized Course Intent

• PHP web development course
• full stack web development course
• front end development course

29. Keyword Research Checklist

Before adding a keyword, ask:

Question 1

Is it relevant to my business?

Question 2

What is the search intent?

Question 3

Can my ad satisfy this search?

Question 4

Does my landing page satisfy the search?

Question 5

Is the keyword commercially valuable?

Question 6

Could it attract irrelevant searches?

This checklist will become especially important when we study negative keywords.

30. Common Keyword Research Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Choosing Only High-Volume Keywords

High search volume doesn’t automatically mean high business value.

Mistake 2 — Ignoring Search Intent

A keyword may have significant search volume but the wrong intent.

Mistake 3 — Using Irrelevant Keywords

A web development institute shouldn’t automatically target every keyword containing “web development.”

Mistake 4 — Mixing Different Intent Types

For example:

what is web development

web development course price

web development course admission

These represent different stages of the customer journey.

Mistake 5 — Ignoring Long-Tail Keywords

Specific searches can provide valuable opportunities.

Mistake 6 — Copying Competitors

Competitor research should inform strategy, not replace independent research.

31. Practical Exercise

Business

CodeCraft Web Development Institute

Task 1 — Identify the Audience

Create 3 customer personas.

For each persona, define:

• Age
• Occupation
• Goal
• Problem
• Motivation
• Possible Google searches

Task 2 — Create Seed Keywords

Find 10 seed keywords for the institute.

Example:

web development course

Task 3 — Expand Keywords

Expand your seed keywords into at least 50 keyword ideas.

Task 4 — Classify Search Intent

Classify your keywords as:

• Informational
• Navigational
• Commercial
• Transactional

Task 5 — Classify Keyword Type

Identify:

• Short-tail
• Long-tail
• Branded
• Non-branded

Task 6 — Create Keyword Groups

Organize your keywords into at least 5 closely related groups.

Example:

Group 1 — Web Development Course

Group 2 — Web Development Training

Group 3 — Full Stack Course

Group 4 — PHP Course

Group 5 — Front-End Course

32. Student Keyword Research Sheet

Students should complete this table with their own 50 keywords.

33. Knowledge Check

Q1. What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the promotion of products, services, or brands through digital channels.

Q2. What is search intent?

Search intent is the reason or purpose behind a user’s search query.

Q3. What are the four common search-intent categories?

• Informational
• Navigational
• Commercial
• Transactional

Q4. What is a long-tail keyword?

A more specific keyword phrase, often containing multiple words and communicating clearer intent.

Q5. What is a seed keyword?

An initial keyword idea used to discover additional keyword opportunities.

Q6. What is keyword grouping?

Organizing closely related keywords according to their topic, intent, or theme.

Q7. Is high search volume always better?

No. Relevance, intent, competition, and business value also matter.

Q8. What is the difference between a keyword and a search term?

A keyword is selected/targeted by the advertiser, while a search term is the actual query entered by the user.

34. Lecture 2 Summary

In this lecture, we covered:

• Digital marketing
• The role of Google Ads
• Marketing funnels
• Customer journeys
• Target audiences
• Buyer personas
• Customer pain points
• Search intent
• Informational searches
• Navigational searches
• Commercial searches
• Transactional searches
• Keywords
• Search terms
• Short-tail keywords
• Long-tail keywords
• Branded keywords
• Non-branded keywords
• Keyword research
• Google Keyword Planner
• Search volume
• Competition
• Keyword relevance
• Keyword grouping
• Competitor research
• Keyword → Ad → Landing Page alignment

Key Formula

Remember this process:

Business → Audience → Customer Problem → Search Intent → Keyword → Ad → Landing Page → Conversion

The next lecture builds on this foundation by turning keyword research into an actual Google Search campaign structure and campaign settings.

• Create the Lecture 2 student worksheet