Creating a Keyword Campaign

Keyword campaigns show text ads (in a 3-line format) to users searching for the specific terms you choose. Because you reach people based on intent, this format is great for capturing high-quality, ready-to-act traffic.

To start, go to Campaigns → Create Campaign and choose Keyword as your campaign type.

Keyword campaigns are billed on a CPC basis — you pay for each click.

Step 1 — Basic Info

Name your campaign and add your destination.

Campaign details

• Campaign name (required) — A clear name you'll recognize later (3–200 characters).
• Description (optional) — A short note about the campaign (up to 1,000 characters).
• Ad vertical (required) — Pick the category that best matches your offer.
• Schedule (optional) — Set a start and end date. Leave blank to start today and run until you pause.
• Campaign goal (optional) — What you're optimizing for. Conversion-based goals ask for a target cost per action.

Creative

Keyword ads use a simple text format that's generated for you — you only provide the landing page:

Tip: Make sure your landing page clearly matches the keywords you target — relevance improves both your results and the quality of your traffic.

Step 2 — Keywords

This step is unique to keyword campaigns. Here you add the search terms that should trigger your ad.

• Add the keywords and phrases that match what your audience is searching for.
• Mix broad terms (more reach) with specific terms (more relevant, often cheaper).
• Think like your customer — include the words they'd actually type.

Tip: Start with a focused list of your strongest, most relevant keywords. You can always expand once you see which terms bring in clicks that convert.

Step 3 — Targeting

Decide who sees your ads. Everything here is optional — leave a section empty to keep it broad.

• Geographic targeting — Choose countries (and regions). Empty = worldwide. Countries are grouped into tiers, which set the minimum bid.
• Device & technology — Device type, operating system, browser, connection type, and mobile carrier.
• Schedule (dayparting) — Pick the days and hours your ads run. Default is all the time.
• IP & domain lists — Use allowlists or blocklists to control where ads appear.

Tip: Pair keyword targeting with geo and device targeting to zero in on the exact audience most likely to act on your offer.

Step 4 — Budget & Launch

Set your spending and review everything before going live.

• Bid (CPC) (required) — What you'll pay per click. The minimum is $0.10 across all country tiers.
• Total budget (optional) — Lifetime spend cap. If set, at least $50. Blank = no limit.
• Daily cap (optional) — Most you'll spend per day. If set, at least $10.
• Pacing — Spend as fast as possible (ASAP) or spread evenly across the day.
• Frequency cap (optional) — Limit how often the same person sees your ad (1–100).

The final step shows a readiness checklist. Once everything checks out, click Create Campaign to launch.

Tip: On competitive keywords, a higher bid helps you win more often. Watch which keywords drive results and adjust your list and bid accordingly.

Quick checklist before you launch

• [ ] Campaign type set to Keyword
• [ ] Campaign named and ad vertical selected
• [ ] A valid destination URL
• [ ] At least one keyword added
• [ ] Targeting reviewed (or intentionally left broad)
• [ ] Bid at or above the $0.10 minimum
• [ ] Budget and/or daily cap set (or left unlimited on purpose)

Updated on: 03/06/2026