How to Choose the Right Keyword Match Type for Your Google Ads Campaign

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Understanding keyword match types are vital to running a lucrative Google Ads campaign. With the plethora of variables, your marketing effort should not neglect the opportunity to distinguish the best keyword for your brand.

Entrepreneurs should learn how to work efficiently with keywords, but many are oblivious of the various match types. Often, questions emerge, such as, what is a keyword match type? How to determine the best one to use? For some, this can become quite daunting, particularly for Baby Boomer entrepreneurs. Recognizing how to use keywords effectively can direct us in designing the right keyword match type that can drive a successful marketing campaign.

How do you choose the right type?

This article will help you understand the various keyword match types so you can make the right choice effectively.

Understanding the Keyword Match Types

What is a Broad Match Type?

These are keywords with several variations, including synonyms, misspellings, or related searches in a search term. What does that mean? When an individual searches for a keyword, your ad will trigger anything that is deemed relevant to that keyword. For example, letter openers will yield, among other related searches, the best letter opener, engraved letter opener, auto letter opener, letter, pen letter opener, letter pen.

Broad match type can let you precipitately deplete your campaign budget.  While it reaches a wide audience,  it may not be the best choice for your ad spend.  However, you may want to consider initiating your campaign with a broad match, to get a peek at the search terms consumers are using.  That will help you fine-tune your keywords with queries that trigger your ads.

What is a Broad Match Modifier Type?

The broad match modifier gives you more flexibility than a broad match.  It is a modifier to your keyword, which makes the search query more targeted and is created by simply adding a plus sign in front of the keyword. Your ads will only populate in the search that includes the keywords with the plus sign along with any other variations.  For example, let’s use a mini notepad holder as the keyword, adding +mini +notepad +holder will eliminate queries for notepad holder. Why?  Because mini is not in the search term. However, if the search term comprises a pocket mini notepad holder, then it will trigger your ad for a mini notepad holder. Sounds confusing?

Let’s look at two other examples:

Keyword: zipper pouch

Broad Match Modifier: zipper +pouch.  That will trigger the following keywords:

• zipper pouch
• black zipper pouch
• zipper pouch for adults

However, it will not trigger a zipper bag, black zipper bag, zipper bag for students. 

Keyword: pen pouches

Broad Match Modifier: +pen +pouches will trigger:

• pen pouches
• black pen pouches
• zipper pen pouches for adults

Nonetheless, it will not trigger:

• pen bags
• black pouches with zip
• pen bags for students

Do you now grasp the idea? The + sign means that the keywords to activate the ads must be present in the search query. Correspondingly, to show your ad, you will need to add the + before each applicable word so that the search term will trigger the ad.

“Whiles modified broad matching increases the quality of your keywords, and relevancy of your impressions/traffic, it also tends to reduce the impression volume.” 

What is a Phrase Match Type?

With phrase match, your ad will appear when an individual searches for your exact phrase, close variations, or a sequence of words that are in your keywords. That is created by placing quotation marks around the keywords.  For example, if the keyword phrase is “business card,” this will trigger your ads to display when an individual searches for a “business card holder.” Unlike a broad match or broad match modifier, your ad will not show if the individual searches for a business card for desk.

It is essential to note that phrase match will drive more targeted traffic to your ads campaign but may also limit your impressions.

What is an Exact Match Type?

Your ads will display only if the search term matches the keyword precisely. It can also include similar variants, synonyms, plural, and misspellings, and generated by putting a bracket around the keyword. For example,  [letter openers].

While the exact match brings the most targeted and relevant traffic, it can restrict your ad potential in reaching a wider audience. Nevertheless, it helps you to effectively plan your budget and gain a higher return on your investment if appropriately executed. However, your sales volume may be less because you’re restricting traffic that could potentially see your ad and make a purchase. 

What is a Negative Match Type?

It is also essential to understand the concept of negative keyword types when designing your match type. Negative match type prevents your ad from showing in the search results. “If the keywords are irrelevant and useless, then they qualify as negative keywords. But if you don’t declare them within your negative keywords list, then Google is going to show your ads for those searches.” 

 As revealed in Google ads help, “Negative keywords let you exclude search terms from your campaigns and help you focus on only the keywords that matter to your customers. Better targeting can put your ad in front of interested users and increase your return on investment (ROI).”

Conclusion

There are advantages and disadvantages for every keyword match types, but don’t waffle to get started.  It is important to remember that the outcome for each match type will be different.  While the exact match type is more focused, it will bring you less traffic, and you may lose a sale from a broader audience, but your ad spend is sustainable. On the other hand, broad match type reaches a larger audience, but the traffic may not be optimal, and you may not achieve your marketing goals as desired; however, it may help you find a search term that you have not thought of to help you optimize.  As revealed, broad match modifiers help you to eliminate the undesirable, but the result may yield lower impressions.

In the long run, it would be more useful to allocate the necessary time and learn the depths of how to use the choose keyword match type efficiently. Though, there may be several attempts to learn the ins and outs while refining your strategy.

Remember, “Marketing takes a day to learn and a lifetime to master.” – Phil Kolter

Now with what you have learned, you can design the best keyword match type by starting with a broad match. The secret is to have your ad shown on related searches to see what triggers your ad. After that, you can narrow your focus on the segments that are likely to yield the best results and choose the right match type, deciding which one is best for your ad campaign. 

Final Thought

The key is to monitor and evaluate the search terms, add negative match type as you see fit to your brand’s benefit.

Learn more about how negative keywords can help you weed out the nuisances.  

Please see my last article on how digital marketing is a critical integrated marketing communication effort in the customer journey and master how keyword match type can be incorporated into your digital activities.

Please share your thoughts and comments.