Keyword clustering means grouping related keywords by what the searcher wants, so 1 page or 1 ad group covers each group. Paste your list into the keyword clustering tool above, and it sorts the keywords by the words they share. Every group shows its total search volume, so you can see which page or ad group to build first.
Our clustering tool also builds Google Ads ad groups. Pick broad, phrase, or exact match, and it copies the groups in the columns Google Ads Editor takes. It points out close variants, like “exhaust fan for garage” and “garage exhaust fan”, that Google Ads already treats as the same search.
The tool groups by words, and it doesn’t check Google’s search results. If 2 keywords share no words, like “make up air unit” and “MAU”, the tool can’t tell they mean the same thing. SERP clustering tools can, and they charge for it.
If each keyword has its own page, those pages compete with each other in Google, and none of them ranks as well as 1 strong page would.
What is keyword clustering?
Keyword clustering is grouping related keywords that share the same search intent, so 1 page or 1 ad group can target each group. Search intent is what the searcher wants to find.
“Roof exhaust fan”, “roof mounted exhaust fan”, and “commercial roof exhaust fan” are 1 group, because a buyer typing any of the 3 wants the same product. “Fire damper” and “fire suppression system” share a word, but they’re different products, so they’re 2 groups.
For SEO, each group becomes 1 page. Google’s spam policies call near-duplicate pages built to rank for similar searches doorway abuse (Google Search Central on doorway abuse). 1 page that answers the whole group is safer, and it collects all the links and clicks in 1 place.
For Google Ads, each group becomes 1 ad group. Google asks for ad groups built around 1 narrow theme, with keywords that match the ad text (Google Ads Help on ad group structure). When every keyword in a group fits the same ad, that ad can repeat the words the searcher typed.
Our keyword clustering tool vs SERP clustering tools
There are 2 ways to cluster keywords. Word-based clustering groups keywords that share words. SERP clustering, used by Semrush’s Keyword Strategy Builder, SE Ranking’s Keyword Grouper, and Keyword Insights, groups keywords that bring up the same pages in Google’s top 10 results (Semrush on its keyword clustering tool).
| SERP clustering tools | Our keyword clustering tool | |
|---|---|---|
| How it groups | Shared pages in Google’s top 10 results | Shared words and word roots |
| Catches synonyms | Yes, like “MAU” and “make up air unit” | No, the keywords need a word in common |
| Account | Sign-up, paid plan or trial | None |
| Your list | Sent to their servers to check each keyword | Stays in your browser |
| Speed | Minutes, 1 search per keyword | Instant, as you paste |
| Google Ads output | Groups without match types | Ad groups with match types, ready for Google Ads Editor |
Use our tool for a first pass, for Google Ads ad groups, and for lists you’d rather not upload. Use a SERP tool when 2 groups look like they might be 1 page and you want Google’s answer before you write.
What a keyword group looks like
Once you paste your list, each group shows up as a card under the results. For example, the Try an example list button gives this group:
inline duct fan
Shared: inline + duct · 4 keywords · 3,890 searches
inline duct fan 1,900
6 inch inline duct fan 880
inline duct fans 720
inline fan with speed controller 390| Part of the group | What it means |
|---|---|
| inline duct fan | The group name, taken from its highest-volume keyword. Use it as the page topic or ad group name |
| Shared: inline + duct | The words the group was built on |
| 4 keywords | How many keywords the page or ad group covers |
| 3,890 searches | Monthly searches added up for the group, when you paste volume |
| The list | Each keyword, highest volume first |
“Inline fan with speed controller” doesn’t contain “duct”. It joined the group in the last pass, because it shares “inline” and wasn’t in any other group. A group can also show an intent label, like Buying or Learning, when at least half its keywords use buying or question words.
The settings
Step 1 needs only your keyword list. Step 2 is optional and changes the groups as you go.
| Setting | Required | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword list | Yes | 1 keyword per line, with or without a volume column | roof exhaust fan, 1000 |
| Use the groups for | No | SEO pages or Google Ads ad groups. Ad groups add match type and campaign name | Google Ads ad groups |
| Group by | No | Tight matches 2 shared words first, then 1. Loose matches 1 word | Tight |
| Match type | No, ad groups only | Shows each keyword as broad, “phrase”, or [exact] | Phrase |
| Campaign name | No, ad groups only | Fills the Campaign column for Google Ads Editor | Roof Fans |
| Smallest group | No | Groups smaller than this go to Ungrouped | 2 |
| Words to ignore | No | Words that shouldn’t decide a group, like your brand or city | acme, chicago |
| Plurals and -ing words | No | On by default. “Fans” groups with “fan” | On |
Tight is the default because it keeps different products apart. On the example list, Loose puts fire dampers and fire suppression systems in 1 group, because both share “fire”. Tight splits them into 2.
The volume column works with a 2-column paste from Google Sheets or Excel, a Keyword Planner export, or a comma after each keyword.
How to read your groups
Each group is 1 page or 1 ad group, and the group with the most searches goes first. Start at the top of the list and work down.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| A group with 1 strong keyword and a few longer ones | 1 page or ad group. Write for the top keyword and answer the longer ones on the same page |
| 2 groups that might be 1, like “industrial ceiling fan” and “hvls fan” | Search both in Google. If the same pages rank for both, merge them into 1 page |
| A group that covers more than 1 product | Check Group by is on Tight, or add the shared word to Words to ignore |
| An Ungrouped keyword with high volume | Give it its own page, or set Smallest group to 1 |
| A word in more than a third of your list, like “fan” | The tool sets it aside and groups by the other words. It says so under step 1 |
For example, a common mistake is building separate pages for plural and singular versions of the same keyword:
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | /industrial-exhaust-fan/ and /industrial-exhaust-fans/ | /industrial-exhaust-fans/ |
| What Google sees | 2 pages competing for the same search | 1 page for the whole group |
| Links and clicks | Split between the 2 | All on 1 page |
Close variants and match types
Google Ads matches close variants, like plurals, misspellings, reordered words, and added or dropped small words, in every match type. There’s no way to turn close variants off (Google Ads Help on close variants).
So “exhaust fan for garage” and “garage exhaust fan” in the same ad group are 1 keyword doing the same job twice. When the tool finds close variants in your list, a line under the groups names them, and the Keep 1 of each button removes the extras, keeping the one with the most searches.
| Match type | How it looks | What it matches |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | roof exhaust fan | Searches related to the keyword’s meaning, even without its words. Google recommends it with Smart Bidding |
| Phrase | "roof exhaust fan" | Searches that include the meaning of the keyword |
| Exact | [roof exhaust fan] | Searches with the same meaning as the keyword |
Broad match can show your ad for searches that don’t contain your keyword at all (Google Ads Help on keyword match types). Phrase and exact keep the ad closer to the words in each group, which is why the tool starts on Phrase.
Negative keywords work differently. A negative keyword doesn’t match close variants, so “fan” as a negative doesn’t block “fans” (Google Ads Help on negative keywords). Add both forms when you add negatives. To wrap a list you’ve already grouped in every match type at once, with negatives and plural forms, use our keyword wrapper.
How to build ad groups in Google Ads Editor
The Copy for Google Ads Editor button copies 4 columns: Campaign, Ad group, Keyword, and Keyword match type. These steps match Google Ads Editor as of late 2026, but Google moves its menus around a lot, so the names may differ in your version.
- In the clustering tool, choose Google Ads ad groups, pick a match type, and type your campaign name.
- Click Copy for Google Ads Editor.
- In Google Ads Editor, select Keywords in the type list, then click Make multiple changes.
- Check the box that says your list has campaign and ad group columns, paste, and click Process.
- If Editor asks, match each column to its heading, then click Process again.
- Review the changes and click Keep proposed changes (Google Ads Editor Help on adding multiple keywords).
Google Ads allows up to 10 words in a keyword (Google Ads Help on adding keywords). The tool lists any longer keywords under the groups so you can shorten them first.
How we grouped keywords for our own tools
We grouped keywords this way before we built the Google Ads tools on this site. We pulled monthly US search volume for every way people search for each tool, then added up each group.
The keyword grouping group came to about 1,000 searches a month, and most of it was “keyword clustering tool”. That’s why this page uses that name and not “keyword grouping tool”. The same pass showed the UTM builder at about 21,600 searches a month, so we built it first.
Rules for clustering keywords
| Rule | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 1 group, 1 page or ad group | /roof-exhaust-fans/ for every roof fan keyword | A page for each version of the keyword |
| Name the group after its top keyword | Roof Exhaust Fans | Group 7 |
| Set aside words that are in your whole list | Let the tool set aside “fan” in a fan list, and add your brand to Words to ignore | Letting “fan” put unrelated products in 1 group |
| Keep 1 of each close variant in Google Ads | [garage exhaust fan] | [garage exhaust fan] and [exhaust fan for garage] |
| Check uncertain groups in Google | Search both keywords, compare the top 10 | Guessing on 2 groups with your biggest volume |
| Add volume before you decide | A 2-column paste with searches | Building pages in the order you thought of them |
How the keyword clustering tool works
The keyword clustering tool works in 2 steps, and step 2 is optional.
- In step 1, paste your keyword list, with a volume column if you have one. The groups show right away.
- In step 2, choose SEO pages or Google Ads ad groups, Tight or Loose, a match type, the smallest group size, and words to ignore.
- Copy 1 group, copy every group as text, or copy them as a spreadsheet or for Google Ads Editor.
| What it does | How |
|---|---|
| Reads your list | 1 keyword per line. A tab-separated paste with a Keyword header uses the column named for searches or volume. Ranges like 1K to 10K are skipped |
| Merges repeats | Keywords with the same words, ignoring capitals and punctuation, become 1, keeping the higher volume |
| Finds word roots | Drops a plural ending (-s, -es, -ies), then an -ing ending, so “ceilings” and “ceiling” match |
| Sets words aside | Small words (for, the, with), intent words (best, price, how, near me), your ignored words, and any word in more than a third of a list of 10 or more |
| Builds groups | The word, or pair of words in Tight, shared by the most ungrouped keywords becomes the next group. Ties go to the higher volume. It stops when no word is shared by enough keywords to reach your smallest group size |
| Adds leftovers | An ungrouped keyword joins a group that shares one of its words |
| Names groups | The highest-volume keyword in the group, or the shortest one without volume |
| Labels intent | Buying, Comparing, Learning, or Local, when at least half the group uses those words |
| Finds close variants | The same words in any order, with plurals and small words set aside |
The tool groups keywords by the words people type. It can’t read meaning, so check any 2 big groups that look alike in Google before you build 2 pages.
Don’t want to deal with any of this? Take a look at our Google Ads management service, and we’ll build the ad groups and run the ads for you. For pages, our SEO service turns each group into a page built to rank.
Questions we get
How many keywords should go in 1 ad group?
Google Ads doesn't set a number of keywords per ad group. Google asks for ad groups built around 1 narrow theme, with keywords that match the ads in that group. If a group from the keyword clustering tool covers more than 1 product, check Group by is on Tight, or add the shared word to Words to ignore.
Does the keyword clustering tool work in other languages?
The keyword clustering tool works in any language that separates words with spaces. That includes Spanish, French, and German. The plural and -ing rules are English only, so turn them off for other languages and the tool groups by exact spelling.
Is my keyword list saved or sent anywhere?
Your keyword list isn't saved or sent anywhere, because the keyword clustering tool runs in your browser. The list is gone when you close the page. Use Copy results or Copy as a spreadsheet to keep it.
Why does the volume column show a dash?
The volume column shows a dash when Keyword Planner gives a range instead of a number. A range looks like 1K to 10K. Keyword Planner shows ranges for some accounts, and the tool skips them because it can't add them up. Paste exact numbers from Keyword Planner, Semrush, or Ahrefs to see volume for each group.