Open your search terms report for a new Google Ads campaign and you might see this:
- "karate kid movie"
- "best martial arts for self defence reddit"
- "how long does it take to get a black belt"
- "karate"
Read that list again and pick out the parent looking for a class near you. It's not a targeting problem. It's a keyword problem, and you can fix it in an afternoon.
Which searches are worth paying for?
The searches you want to pay for look like this:
- karate for kids [town name]
- taekwondo near me
- children's martial arts [ZIP code]
- bjj classes [neighbourhood]
Those are parents who've already decided they want martial arts classes and are now picking which school. They're choosing between you and the school down the road.
"Karate" or "martial arts" on their own are different. Picture who else types those two words with nothing after them. The search volume looks appealing. But volume isn't bookings.
Google Ads is worth running for a martial arts school because those buyer searches have real intent behind them. It's a different situation from Facebook, where you interrupt a parent who wasn't thinking about you.
How do match types change what searches trigger your ad?
Pick a match type for every keyword you add. Each one controls how broadly your keyword behaves.
Exact match: wrap the keyword in square brackets: [karate classes for kids London]. Google shows your ad for searches with the same meaning or intent as that phrase. Of the three options it reaches the fewest searches and gives you the most steering over who sees your ad.
Phrase match: wrap the keyword in quotes: "karate classes for kids". Your ad appears on searches that include the meaning of your keyword. It reaches more searches than exact match and fewer than broad match.
Broad match: the syntax is the keyword on its own, no brackets and no quotes. It's Google's default. Broad match extends to searches "related to" your keyword, including searches that don't contain its meaning at all. Don't use it for a local school.
Smart campaigns. You choose keyword themes and a budget; Google uses your business information to create and test ads. Don't use them. Pick the words yourself.
Which keywords to target
Start with this list and fill in your specifics:
Style + location:
[karate for kids [town]]"karate classes [town]"[taekwondo [town]]"martial arts classes [town]"[bjj classes [town]]- etc. for every style you teach
Near me variants:
[karate near me]"karate for kids near me"[martial arts near me]
Your own name:
[your school name]"your school name"
Someone searching your name is already sold. Google's trademark policy does not restrict using a trademark as a keyword, so a rival is allowed to bid on your school's name. What the policy does restrict is a direct competitor using your trademark in the ad text itself.
Competitor names: Test with caution. Their name can be your keyword under that same policy. Keep your own ad text about your own school. Check the conversion rate before spending heavily.
The list starts short and you add what your search terms report shows is converting.
What to put on your negative keyword list
Negative keywords exclude your ads from showing on searches with that term. Here's a starting list you can add to your account today.
Negative keyword starter list
Add these as negative broad match, which is the default type. Your ad won't show if the search contains all of the terms, even in a different order:
movie
film
meme
history
wiki
wikipedia
how to
youtube
reddit
book
training at home
home
online
belt
supply
shop
store
equipment
uniform
free
adult
gif
cartoon
anime
game
video game
Put these on as negative phrase match, which won't show your ad if the search contains those terms in the same order, even with extra words around them:
"self defence reddit"
"learn karate"
"karate kid"
"the karate kid"
"history of karate"
"what is"
"how long"
"how hard"
"belt levels"
"grading system"
You'll keep adding to this.
How do I find more negative keywords?
Go to your Google Ads account, open Campaigns, then Search terms. The report shows the search terms a significant number of people used that triggered your impressions and clicks. Read it. Anything that's not someone looking for a class near them goes on your negative list.
Monday: open the search terms report, read the past month's searches, and add anything that looks like an information seeker. Do that every week for the first month, then once a month.
Does Google Ads suit every school?
For a mainstream style in a city or large suburb, Google can run alongside Facebook. Before you build anything, put the style you teach plus your town into Google's Keyword Planner, which lets you discover keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches they get and the cost of targeting them. Read what it says about your own area and decide from that, not from what worked for a school three cities away.
How far are families willing to travel to your school? Use that radius as the location target on the campaign, and nothing wider.
If you want to know whether Google makes sense for your area, start with a conversation about your school.
Questions owners ask
What keywords should I use for Google Ads for a martial arts school?
Bid on buyer keywords: the style of class plus your town, plus your ZIP or postcode, plus 'near me' variations. Add your own school name. You can test a competitor's name too. Leave out broad terms like 'karate' or 'martial arts' on their own, and use phrase match and exact match rather than broad match.
Should I bid on my own school's name in Google Ads?
Yes. Someone searching your name is already decided. Google's trademark policy does not restrict using a trademark as a keyword, so nothing stops a rival bidding on your school's name. Google does restrict a direct competitor using your trademark in the ad text itself.
Why are my Google Ads getting clicks but no bookings?
Start with the keywords. Open your search terms report, which shows the search terms that a significant number of people used and that triggered your impressions and clicks, and read what Google matched you to. Anything that is not someone looking for a class near them goes on your negative keyword list.
Should I bid on a competitor school's name?
It can be worth testing, and Google's policy does not restrict a trademark used as a keyword. Keep your ad text about your own school, because Google does restrict a direct competitor using a trademark in the ad itself. Check your conversion rate on those clicks before you spend heavily.
Do I still need Google Ads if my Facebook campaigns are working?
They reach different families. Facebook puts your school in front of a parent who wasn't searching; Google catches the one who went looking. A parent who Googled 'karate for kids near me' has already decided they want classes, and that is a different conversation from someone who saw your ad while scrolling.