What are keyword match types?
Keyword match types are settings within Google Ads that determine how closely the keywords you choose should match the terms people enter into the search engine. These match types help you control who sees your ads, allowing you to advertise more effectively and use your budget more effectively. There are four main types of keyword match types: broad search, custom broad search, word group and exact search. Each type offers varying degrees of control over how your keywords are matched with searches.
Broad Search (Broad Match): This is the default setting for keywords in Google Ads. With broad search, your ad is displayed for searches that contain not only your exact keyword, but also synonyms, related search terms and other variations. This type of match offers the greatest reach, but can also mean that your ads are shown to a wider audience, which may not always be relevant.
Custom Broad Match Modifier: This type gives you more control than broad search. You can add plus signs (+) for the words that absolutely must appear in the search. This will only target searches that contain these specific words, but there is still room for variations and other words around the terms.
Word Group (Phrase Match): With this option, your ad will be displayed only for searches that contain the exact phrase in the order you specify, although words may be added before or after the phrase. For example, if your keyword is "buy red shoes," your ad may be shown for searches such as "buy cheap red shoes" or "buy red shoes online."
Exact Search (Exact Match): This is the most specific option. Your ad will be displayed only if someone enters exactly the keyword or a very narrow variant of it. This gives you the greatest control, but also limits the reach of your ad. Exact match is ideal if you want to make sure your ad is only shown to people who are specifically searching for your product or service.
In practice, it is important to use the right mix of keyword match types to optimize your Search Engine Advertising (SEA) campaigns. A best practice is to start with a combination of customized broad search and word group to maintain good reach while still having some control over the relevance of the searches. Then, based on the performance of your campaigns, you can refine certain keywords to exact match for even more precision, or expand to broad search to increase your reach. By making smart use of keyword match types, you can target your ads more effectively to the right audience, leading to better performance and a higher return on your ad spend.
