Keyword Strategy

Exact match isn't exact anymore — Google includes "close variants" (plurals, misspellings, implied intent). Review search terms report weekly
Broad match needs smart bidding — without automated bidding, broad match burns budget on irrelevant queries
Long-tail keywords have lower CPC but need volume — 100 low-volume keywords won't spend, consolidate into phrase/broad with negatives
Competitor brand bidding is legal but expensive — CPCs are 2-5x higher and Quality Scores stay low. Budget accordingly
Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) are outdated — Google's algorithm works better with theme-based ad groups of 5-15 related keywords

Quality Score Impact

Quality Score affects CPC exponentially — QS 10 pays ~50% less than QS 5 for same position
Three components: expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience. Check diagnostics to know which to fix
Historical CTR matters most — new keywords inherit account-level history. Poor performers drag down new campaigns
Landing page speed is a ranking factor — compress images, remove unnecessary scripts before scaling spend
Ad relevance requires keyword in headline — dynamic keyword insertion ({KeyWord:Default}) is cheap but effective