Solved: Wasted Ad Spend in Stockholm (Intent-Based Fix)

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your Stockholm campaigns. Tbh, struggling with negative keywords is a really common headache, but it's usually a symptom of a bigger problem. It sounds like you're stuck in a reactive loop, constantly trying to block irrelevant searches after you've already paid for the clicks. The real fix isn't just about finding more words to exclude; it's about fundamentally changing how you attract clicks in the first place.

We need to flip the script from defence to attack. Instead of asking "How do I block bad traffic?", we need to ask "How do I only attract good traffic?". It's a subtle shift but it makes all the difference. Let's get into it.

You're probably looking at this the wrong way...

Right now, you're playing a game of whack-a-mole. A rubbish search term pops up, you add it as a negative, and two new ones appear tomorrow. It's exhausting and expensive. This happens when your core keyword strategy is too broad. You've essentially told Google, "show my ads to anyone searching for something vaguely related to my business in Stockholm," and Google has happily obliged, taking your money in the process.

The solution is to get incredibly specific about who you want to reach. The foundation of any successful search campaign, and I mean *any* campaign, is a deep understanding of search intent. This is the 'why' behind the search. If you don't nail this, you'll just keep burning cash, no matter how long your negative keyword list gets.

Think of it like fishing. A broad keyword strategy is like throwing a massive net into the middle of the Baltic Sea. You'll catch a few of the fish you want, but you'll also catch old boots, seaweed, and a load of other junk you have to sort through and discard (your negative keywords). A strategy built on intent is like using the exact right bait and casting your line directly into a school of the specific fish you want to catch. It's more precise, more efficient, and far less wasteful.

We'll need to look at search intent first...

Search intent isn't some fluffy marketing concept; it's the single most important factor for profitability in Google Ads. We can generally break it down into four main types. Let's imagine you're a company that installs solar panels in Stockholm to make this concrete.

1. Informational Intent: The user is looking for information. They're at the very top of the funnel, not ready to buy anything yet.
Examples: "how do solar panels work", "benefits of solar energy", "sweden solar panel grants"

2. Navigational Intent: The user is trying to get to a specific website. They already know the brand.
Examples: "otovo login", "svea solar contact"

3. Commercial Investigation: The user is in the research and comparison phase. They know they have a problem and are weighing up their options. They're getting warmer.
Examples: "best solar panel installers stockholm", "otovo vs svea solar reviews", "solar panel cost calculator sweden"

4. Transactional Intent: The user is ready to buy or take action. These are the golden keywords you want to capture. They are actively looking for a solution *right now*.
Examples: "get a quote for solar panels stockholm", "solar panel installation company near me", "emergency solar panel repair södermalm"

Your current problem is almost certainly that your campaigns are mixing all these intents together. You're probably bidding on broad keywords that catch a lot of "informational" searchers who are just curious and have zero intention of buying. These are the clicks that feel wasteful, because they are. Your job is to structure your campaigns to specifically target users with Commercial Investigation and Transactional Intent, while actively excluding those with Informational Intent.

Here’s a simple flowchart to visualise how a user might move through this journey. Your goal is to intercept them at the bottom two stages.

I'd say you need to get your match types right...

Once you understand intent, the next tool to enforce it is your keyword match types. This is where most DIY advertisers get it wrong. They hear "Broad Match" and think it means "broad reach," so they use it for everything. This is what's filling your search terms report with junk.

Let's quickly break them down:

• Broad Match: (e.g., solar panels stockholm) - Google can show your ad for anything it deems related, like "renewable energy sweden," "cost of electricity," or "environmentally friendly homes." It gives Google maximum control and is the primary cause of your negative keyword problem. It has its uses in discovery campaigns with smart bidding, but it should not be the foundation of your account.
• Phrase Match: (e.g., "solar panels stockholm") - Your ad will show for searches that include the meaning of your keyword. It's more flexible than Exact match but far more controlled than Broad. It might show for "best solar panels company in stockholm" or "stockholm price for solar panels". This is often the sweet spot for control and volume.
• Exact Match: (e.g., [solar panels stockholm]) - Your ad will only show for searches that have the same meaning or intent as the keyword. It might show for "stockholm solar panels" or "solar panels in stockholm." This gives you the most control and typically attracts the highest-intent traffic, but with lower volume.

A simple, powerful change is to build your core ad groups using ONLY Phrase and Exact match keywords. By doing this, you are telling Google from the start that you are only interested in users who type in searches that are *very* close to your chosen keywords. This one change will likely cut out 80% of the irrelevant traffic you're seeing. You instantly reduce the need for a massive negative keyword list because you're preventing the junk from ever triggering your ads in the first place.

Here’s a table to illustrate the difference. Notice how quickly the relevance drops off with Broad Match.

You probably should restructure your campaigns around intent...

Now we combine the concepts of intent and match types into a campaign structure that actually works. Instead of lumping everything into one campaign, you should seperate them based on the user's position in the funnel. This allows you to control your budget and bidding far more effectively.

Here's a simple, powerful structure I'd recommend:

Campaign 1: Transactional / "Bottom of Funnel"

• Goal: Capture users who are ready to buy now.
• Keywords: Use high-intent, transactional keywords with "buying" words. For our solar example: "get quote", "installer", "company", "near me", "for my home". Also include specific Stockholm districts like "södermalm", "gamla stan", etc.
• Match Types: Almost exclusively Phrase and Exact Match.
• Budget: Allocate the majority of your budget here (e.g., 60-70%). These are your most valuable clicks.

Campaign 2: Commercial Investigation / "Middle of Funnel"

• Goal: Target users who are actively comparing options.
• Keywords: Use keywords that show comparison or research. For our solar example: "best", "reviews", "cost", "how much", "comparison".
• Match Types: Mostly Phrase Match, maybe some very specific Exact Match.
• Budget: Allocate a smaller portion of your budget here (e.g., 20-30%). These leads need more nurturing but can be very valuable.

(Optional) Campaign 3: Discovery / "Top of Funnel"

• Goal: Discover new, relevant search terms.
• Keywords: A very small, curated list of your top-performing keywords on Broad Match.
• Match Types: Broad Match only.
• Budget: A very small, controlled budget (e.g., 10%).
• Crucial step: You MUST have an extensive negative keyword list applied to this campaign from day one, built from your other campaigns and from brainstorming. This campaign's job is to find new ideas, and you then take the winning search terms and add them as Phrase/Exact keywords to your main campaigns.

This structure puts you in control. You're telling Google exactly where to spend your most valuable budget (on the transactional campaign) and you're protecting that budget by using tight match types. The junk traffic gets minimised from the outset.

You'll need a systematic approach to finding negatives...

Okay, now that we've fixed the foundation, we can talk about negative keywords. With the new structure, you'll have far fewer to deal with, but it's still a crucial part of ongoing optimisation. Your approach should be proactive, not just reactive.

Source 1: The Search Terms Report (Your Goldmine)

This is where you see what people *actually* typed to trigger your ads. You should be living in this report. Every week, without fail, you need to go through it. Here's how:

1. Navigate to 'Keywords' -> 'Search terms' in your Google Ads account.
2. Set the date range for the last 7 or 14 days.
3. Sort the data by 'Cost' or 'Impressions' to see what's spending your money.
4. Scan down the list and ask one question for each term: "If someone searches this, are they a potential customer for me right now?"
5. If the answer is no, tick the box next to the search term and click 'Add as negative keyword'.

You'll start seeing patterns. These patterns form the basis of your pre-emptive lists.

Source 2: Pre-emptive Brainstorming (The Proactive Bit)

Based on what you see in the search terms report and just common sense, you can build lists of negative keywords to apply to campaigns from day one. This saves you money immediately.

Here are the most common categories:

• Job/Career Related: job, jobs, career, salary, hiring, vacancy, cv, resume
• DIY/Informational: how to, diy, guide, tutorial, training, course, learn, diagram, free, video
• Academic/Research: university, study, research, statistics, definition, example
• Cheap/Low Quality: free, cheap, cheapest, bargain, discount (unless this is part of your offer, but be careful).
• Irrelevant Geographies: Even within Stockholm, there might be areas you don't serve. You could also add other Swedish cities like gothenburg, malmö, uppsala to prevent any ambiguity.

I would create a seperate shared 'Negative Keyword List' for each of these themes in your account's 'Tools & Settings'. Then you can apply these lists to your campaigns. For example, the 'Jobs' list can be applied to all campaigns. This is much more efficient than adding single keywords one by one.

The whole point is to think about the *intent* you want to exclude, not just the words. You don't want job seekers. You don't want students. You don't want people looking for a free DIY solution. By proactively blocking the terms they use, you protect your budget for genuine customers.

Before you do any of this, it's worth seeing just how much money might be slipping through the cracks. This simple calculator can give you a rough idea of the financial impact of irrelevant clicks.

This is the main advice I have for you:

Reading through all of this can feel a bit overwhelming, I get it. Paid advertising seems simple on the surface but there are a lot of moving parts to get right. If you want to stop wasting money and start generating profitable leads in Stockholm, you need to move from a reactive to a proactive strategy. It requires a bit more work up front to restructure, but it will pay for itself many times over in the long run by saving you from paying for worthless clicks.

Here’s a table summarising the exact, actionable plan I would implement if I were in your shoes. This is the blueprint for fixing your account.

Following this structured process is what separates professional advertisers from amateurs. It's not about secret hacks or tricks; it's about a disciplined, logical approach built on the fundamental principles of how people search.

Doing this yourself is definitly possible, but it takes time, focus, and experience to know what to look for. This is what we do all day, every day. We can typically carry out a full restructure like this and get a client's account on the right track far faster and more effectively than they could on their own, simply because we've done it hundreds of times before.

If you'd like to have an expert pair of eyes on your account, we offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation where we can walk through your specific campaigns and give you a tailored version of this action plan. It's a great way to get clarity and see what's truly possible.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh