How to Choose Profitable Keywords Using the Adapted RICE Framework for Google Ads
Introduction: Why Your Keywords Are Bleeding Money “I spent $47,000 last year on Google Ads and got 12 new clients. Something’s deeply wrong.” This was Sarah, a skilled family therapist from London, when she first reached out. Beautiful website, active on social media, glowing testimonials—but her Google Ads were a black hole for money. Sound familiar? You pour thousands into keywords that “seem relevant,” chase high search volumes, and wonder why your bank account shrinks while your calendar stays empty. Here’s the brutal truth: most helping professionals choose keywords like throwing darts blindfolded. You’re not failing because Google Ads don’t work—you’re failing because you’re guessing instead of measuring. Today I’ll show you exactly how to stop the guesswork. In the next 15 minutes, you’ll learn a systematic approach that turns keyword selection from gambling into science. No more hoping. No more bleeding money. Just clear, profitable choices. Quick example: Using this method, Sarah cut her keyword list from 847 to 23 words, reduced her monthly spend by 60%, and doubled her new client bookings. Ready to see how? 📌 What is RICE and Why It’s Perfect for Google Ads? RICE is a prioritization framework originally created for product teams. It stands for: Reach — how many people you can impact Impact — how much value you create Confidence — how sure you are about your prediction Effort — how much work it takes The magic formula: (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort Why does RICE crush “gut feeling” methods? Because it forces you to evaluate every keyword across four dimensions simultaneously. No more “this keyword looks good”—you get concrete numbers that predict profitability. I’ve adapted each component specifically for Google Ads and helping professionals. Instead of abstract scores, you’ll use real metrics from Keyword Planner and your actual experience. 🎯 Complete RICE Guide for Google Ads Keywords 📈 1. R – REACH (How Many People You Can Actually Reach) Reach shows your true potential audience for each keyword. But raw search volume tells only half the story—you need to adjust for reality. Here’s how to calculate real Reach: Start with: Monthly Search Volume from Google Keyword Planner Then multiply by these adjustments: Seasonal patterns — because therapy demand changes throughout the year Steady year-round: 1.0 Winter boost (family issues, relationship stress): 1.2 Summer dip: 0.8 Growth trend — is this keyword getting more or less popular? Growing (+20% yearly): 1.2 Stable: 1.0 Declining: 0.8 Device reality — helping professionals search differently Desktop-heavy searches: 1.1 Mobile-heavy: 0.9 Simple calculation: Real Reach = Search Volume × Season × Trend × Device Example: “family psychologists” Search Volume: 570 Season: 1.1 (stable with slight winter increase) Trend: 1.2 (growing – family therapy gaining popularity) Device: 1.1 (desktop preference for serious queries) Real Reach = 570 × 1.1 × 1.2 × 1.1 = 832 💰 2. I – IMPACT (Commercial Value of Each Click) Impact determines how likely each click is to become money in your bank account. Remember: 1,000 clicks from “what is family therapy” are worth less than 100 clicks from “book family therapy session today.” Three parts of Impact: 1. Search Intent (1-10 points): Information seeking (2-3): “what is family therapy”, “family therapy benefits” Researching options (6-7): “family therapy cost”, “best family therapist reviews” Ready to book (9-10): “book family therapy session”, “family therapist appointment now” 2. Location signals (bonus points): “near me” in search: +3 points City/area mentioned: +2 points “online” specified: +1 point No location: 0 points 3. Buyer readiness (1-10 scale): Just learning (“what is family counseling”): 1-3 Comparing options (“family therapy vs marriage counseling”): 4-6 Ready to decide (“book family therapist today”): 7-10 Simple calculation: Impact = (Intent Points + Location Bonus + Readiness) ÷ 3 Example: “book family psychologist appointment” Intent: 10 (transactional – ready to book) Location: 0 (no geographic binding) Readiness: 9 (maximum readiness for action) Impact = (10 + 0 + 9) ÷ 3 = 6.3 🎯 3. C – CONFIDENCE (How Sure You Can Be About Results) Confidence shows how much you can trust your prediction for this keyword. More data and experience = higher confidence = better decisions. Three confidence factors: 1. Historical data quality (40% weight): 12+ months of data: 10 points 6-12 months: 7 points 3-6 months: 5 points Less than 3 months: 2 points Brand new keyword: 1 point 2. Data reliability (30% weight): Exact match historical data: 10 points Phrase match data: 7 points Broad match estimates: 4 points Keyword Planner guesses only: 2 points 3. Your experience (30% weight): Deep helping professions experience: 10 points Some relevant experience: 6 points New to this field: 3 points Calculation: Confidence = (Historical × 0.4) + (Data Type × 0.3) + (Experience × 0.3) Example: You have 8 months of exact match data, strong family therapy niche experience Historical: 7 × 0.4 = 2.8 Data Type: 10 × 0.3 = 3.0 Experience: 10 × 0.3 = 3.0 Confidence = 2.8 + 3.0 + 3.0 = 8.8 ⚙️ 4. E – EFFORT (What It Really Takes to Win) Effort measures how much work and money you need to make this keyword profitable. High effort keywords eat your budget—even if they look attractive. Three effort components: 1. Competition reality (50% weight): Low competition: 2 points Medium: 5 points High: 8 points Extremely high: 10 points 2. Cost reality (30% weight): $0.50-2.00 per click: 2 points $2.00-5.00 per click: 5 points $5.00-10.00 per click: 8 points $10.00+ per click: 10 points 3. Creative requirements (20% weight): Current ads work fine: 1 point Need minor tweaks: 3 points Need new ad copy: 6 points Need dedicated landing page: 10 points Calculation: Effort = (Competition × 0.5) + (Cost × 0.3) + (Creative × 0.2) Example: “best family psychologists” Competition: High (difficulty 100) = 10 Cost: $4.00 per click = 5 Creative: need new ad copy = 6 Effort = (10 × 0.5) + (5 × 0.3) + (6 × 0.2) = 5.0 + 1.5 + 1.2 = 7.7 📊 Putting It All
