Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs)

What Are SKAGs?

SKAG stands for Single Keyword Ad Group — a Google Ads strategy where each ad group contains only one keyword (plus its match type variants and synonyms). This gives you maximum control over ad copy relevance, quality scores, and bid management.

Why SKAGs Matter

With SKAGs, every ad group has ads written specifically for that one keyword. This means higher ad relevance, better Quality Scores, lower CPC, and higher click-through rates. You also get cleaner data for optimization — each ad group maps to exactly one search intent.

How WonderAds Implements SKAGs

When you create keyword combinations in WonderAds, each unique keyword permutation becomes its own ad group. The combination's RSA assets (headlines and descriptions) are resolved with the specific keyword values via variables, creating truly individualized ads.

1. Each keyword combination permutation = one ad group.
2. The ad group name includes the keyword phrase for easy identification.
3. RSA assets use variables that resolve to the specific keywords, making each ad unique.
4. Synonyms of the main keyword are added as extra keyword rows within the same ad group.

Match Type Strategy with SKAGs

WonderAds supports three match types: Exact, Phrase, and Broad. With campaign-level match type splitting, you can assign different budgets and bid strategies to each match type. Broad match campaigns also automatically generate Negative Exact and Negative Phrase keywords to prevent overlap — see our dedicated Negative Keywords article for a full explanation of this logic.

When to Use SKAGs

SKAGs work best when you need tight control over ad relevance and bidding — such as competitive industries, high-CPC keywords, or accounts where Quality Score directly impacts profitability. For very broad awareness campaigns with thousands of low-CPC keywords, a looser structure may be more practical.