Keyword-centric Google Ads management is actively hurting performance in 2026. Smart Bidding does not optimize at the keyword level, match types have collapsed, and large keyword lists fragment the conversion data algorithms need to perform. This article breaks down why obsessing over keywords, match types, and ad group granularity is the wrong strategy, and what to focus on instead: conversion signal quality, creative relevance, landing page optimization, and letting AI-native execution do what it was built for.
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