Google Ads Keyword Research Workshop
Google Ads Keyword Research Workshop · Module 1
Lesson 3
Two searches can relate to exactly the same subject while carrying radically different commercial value. Understanding that distinction can protect substantial amounts of advertising budget.
03
Lesson objective
Identify commercial-intent signals and distinguish them from searches that are mainly educational, exploratory or research-led.
Commercial intent is not simply on or off.
Learn
Information
“what is PPC management”
Explore
Options
“Google Ads agency vs freelancer”
Compare
Providers
“best PPC agencies Cambridge”
Act
Purchase intent
“hire Google Ads agency Cambridge”
Informational
The searcher wants knowledge.
Examples can include phrases such as what is, how does, guide, examples or tutorial.
Commercial
The searcher is evaluating action.
Examples can include price, quote, company, agency, near me, buy or a specific product/service requirement.
Some words provide useful clues.
buy
price
quote
service
company
near me
Modifiers are clues, not absolute rules.
Intent should be interpreted from the full search. A phrase containing “price” may still be research-led, while a search without an obvious buying word may still carry very strong commercial intent.
But the economics must make sense.
An informational keyword may be strategically useful where the business has a longer buying cycle, strong lead nurturing or valuable remarketing opportunities.
However, informational traffic should not automatically receive the same priority as high-intent searches merely because search volume is larger.
Workshop Task
Score your seed list.
Take the 15 seed keywords from Lesson 2 and rate each from 1 to 5 for commercial intent, where 1 represents primarily informational intent and 5 represents a strong likelihood of commercial action.
Key takeaway
Commercial intent is about what the search suggests the customer is likely to do next. Search volume alone does not make a keyword valuable; the strongest keywords connect relevance with meaningful commercial intent.