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Google Ads Ad Group Structure: How to Organise Your Keywords

Tight thematic ad groups vs SKAGs, how many keywords to use, and why matching keywords to ads to landing pages is the real engine of relevance.

VDBy Vikas Disale·7 min read
Quick answer

An ad group holds a tight, themed set of keywords and the ads that match them. Aim for 5–15 closely related keywords per group, so a single set of ads stays relevant to all of them. The key is the relevance triangle: keyword, ad and landing page should all say the same thing. If two keywords would need different ad copy, split them into separate ad groups.

1Where relevance is won or lost

The ad group is the engine of relevance

A campaign sets the budget and targeting; the ad group is where keywords meet ads. Get this layer right and your ads feel hand-written for each search. Get it wrong and one generic ad tries to answer every query — badly.

2The relevance triangle

Keyword, ad and landing page must agree

The goal of every ad group is alignment between three things:

ElementShould say
Keywordbuy running shoes
Adheadline mentions running shoes
Landing pageopens on the running-shoes page, not the homepage

When all three agree, the searcher gets exactly what they asked for, and Google rewards that agreement with a higher Quality Score and cheaper clicks.

💡
Rule of thumbIf two keywords would need different ad copy to feel relevant, they belong in different ad groups.
3Thematic vs SKAG

How tightly should you split?

Thematic ad groups — a small set of closely related keywords (5–15) sharing one theme and one set of ads. This is the modern default: tight enough to be relevant, loose enough to give automation room.

SKAGs (Single Keyword Ad Groups) — one keyword per ad group for maximum control. Once popular, now mostly overkill since match types match by meaning. Reserve them for your highest-value terms.

🎯
Practical adviceStart with tight thematic ad groups. Keep SKAGs for the two or three keywords that drive most of your revenue and deserve their own dedicated ad.
4How many keywords per ad group

Tight, not crowded

Aim for 5–15 closely related keywords per ad group. Fewer than that and you’re probably over-fragmenting; many more and the single set of ads can’t stay relevant to all of them. If a keyword pulls the theme in a new direction, that’s your signal to spin up a new ad group.

⚠️
The mistake to avoidDumping every keyword into one ad group with one generic ad. Relevance and Quality Score collapse, and you can never tell which keyword actually worked.
Key takeaways
  1. The ad group is where keywords meet ads — the layer that decides relevance.
  2. Keyword, ad and landing page should all say the same thing.
  3. If two keywords need different ad copy, split them into separate ad groups.
  4. Aim for 5–15 closely related keywords per ad group.
  5. Tight thematic ad groups are the modern default; reserve SKAGs for top terms.
?Frequently asked

Ad group structure FAQs

How many keywords should an ad group have?
A tight theme of roughly five to fifteen closely related keywords that can all share the same set of ads.
What is a single keyword ad group (SKAG)?
An ad group built around one keyword for maximum control. It is mostly reserved now for your highest-value terms rather than the whole account.
What is the relevance triangle?
The alignment between keyword, ad and landing page. When all three say the same thing, relevance and Quality Score rise and clicks cost less.
Should I still use SKAGs?
Usually only for a few top revenue-driving keywords. Tight thematic ad groups are the modern default since match types now match by meaning.
Why split keywords into multiple ad groups?
So each ad can closely match the search. If two keywords would need different ad copy to feel relevant, they belong in separate ad groups.
How do I structure ad groups in Google Ads?
Group keywords by tight theme, give each group one matching set of ads pointing to a relevant landing page, and create a new group whenever a keyword pulls the theme in a new direction.
→Keep learning

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Keyword Match Types
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Quality Score Deep Dive
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VD
Vikas Disale
Author · Digital Marketing

Vikas Disale is a digital marketer with around a decade of hands-on experience running and teaching paid search. He builds practical, example-led Google Ads training for business owners and marketers. More about Vikas →

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