Three Types of Google Ads Keyword Match and Four Matching Strategies

 Have you ever had this experience: You type in different keywords, but the search results page that pops up is almost the same, and they all solve your problem. What lies behind this situation is the ""keyword matching"" mechanism. Simply put, after Google understands the keywords you set, it matches them to the user's keyword search page.

For advertisers, if ads appear in irrelevant search results, it will not only reduce the quality score of the ads and the conversion rate of potential customers, but also waste the budget due to accidental clicks. Therefore, mastering the settings of keyword match types is conducive to ensuring precise ad delivery and improving ad effectiveness.

In the following content, I will give you a detailed introduction. I hope everyone will keep it.

PART.01 

What are the types of Google Ads keyword matching?

The keyword match types in Google Ads are chosen by the advertisers, mainly determining which search queries can trigger the display of these ads. The match type directly affects the potential coverage and relevance of the paid search results. There are three main types: broad match, phrase match, and exact match.

1. Broad Match: Broad match allows your ads to appear in any search that contains any word in the keyword (regardless of order) or is related to the keyword. For example, if your keyword is ""luxury car"", your ad might appear in search results for ""luxury car"", ""high - end car"", or even ""luxury home"".

Use Cases: Broad match is the default option for Google Ads and can bring you more exposure. It takes into account other keywords in the ad group, the user's search history, geographic information, and your landing page content.

However, broad match can also introduce some less relevant traffic, and you need to regularly check and adjust it. To optimize the display results, you can set negative keywords to ensure that your ads do not appear in searches unrelated to your business.

2. Phrase Match: Phrase match is a keyword matching method in Google Ads that balances exposure and relevance. Your ad will be displayed only when the user's search query completely contains your keyword in the same order as you entered it (other words can be attached before or after the keyword).

For example, if your phrase match keyword is ""interior wall paint"", your ad may appear in searches like ""buy interior wall paint"" or ""paint for interior wall decoration"", but not in searches like ""lavender paint"" or ""interior design tips"" that are not directly related.

Use Cases: This match type is suitable for those who want to ensure that the search query contains a specific keyword. It is particularly applicable for brand - related promotions and activities related to competitors.

3. Exact Match: Exact match allows your ads to be displayed only in searches that are exactly the same or very close to the keyword. For example, if your exact match keyword is ""women's shoes"", your ad will only be displayed for the search ""women's shoes"", and will not appear in broader or related searches like ""running shoes"" or ""women's clothing"".

Use Cases: Google Ads' exact match is very strict and only displays ads that are highly relevant to specific searches, ensuring high content relevance. Although this may reduce the number of impressions, it usually brings a higher click - through rate. Exact match is particularly suitable for ads targeting specific products or services, as it can accurately find users who are searching for these products.

PART.02 

What are the differences between Google keyword match types?

The choice of match type in Google Ads affects the performance of your search ads. They act like regulators in your ad strategy, precisely guiding which search queries you bid on. Next, let's talk about how these match types affect your ad performance from different perspectives:

1. Ad Relevance: The match type determines the degree of fit between the user's search term and your ad keyword. For example, ""exact match"" can ensure that the ad is highly consistent with the user's search intent, which may bring a higher click - through rate and conversion rate.

2. Coverage: Different match types determine the potential audience that your ad can reach. Broad match allows your ad to cover a wider range of similar searches. Although it increases exposure, it may also introduce some less relevant traffic.

In comparison, phrase match targets specific phrases or their variants, further narrowing the coverage. Exact match is the strictest, displaying ads only for exact keywords.

3. Cost and Efficiency: Match types also directly affect the cost - effectiveness of ads. Broad match may bring a large number of clicks, but may also increase ad spending due to less precise traffic. In contrast, exact match has relatively fewer clicks, but usually brings a higher conversion rate, thus achieving more efficient use of funds.

4. Control and Optimization: By flexibly using various match types, you can better control ad targeting and delivery strategies. Based on the performance feedback of each match type, you can adjust budget allocation and bidding strategies to continuously optimize ad performance and achieve the best return on investment.

In general, the choice of match types in Google Ads is not only related to traffic quality and cost - efficiency, but also directly affects your overall control and optimization capabilities for ad campaigns. These decisions are crucial for the success of ad campaigns.

PART.04 

How to Set Keyword Match Types in Google Ads?

During the process of building an ad campaign, there are two main ways to add match types to keywords:

Firstly, when you conduct keyword research and plan your ad campaign in Google Keyword Planner, you have the opportunity to choose the match type while adding keywords to your ad group. Broad match is usually set as the default option, but you can easily change it according to your actual needs.

Secondly, when you start creating individual ad campaigns and ad groups, you can use a specific format to explicitly specify the match type for each keyword. If you are not familiar with this format, do not worry, as Google provides clear format instructions below the keyword input field.

Now, you can review and adjust both match types and keywords at any time. Simply go into each ad group, and you can easily view and modify each keyword and its corresponding match type.

PART.05 

4 Practical Google Keyword Matching Strategies

Generally speaking, I usually start with the exact match strategy, and then gradually relax the matching conditions. During the continuous monitoring and evaluation of ad performance, I try more flexible matching options. However, in the process of creating and managing ad accounts, there are still many other keyword matching strategies that we need to understand. Let's take a look together:

1. Using Broad Match to Discover High - Intent Search Terms: Sometimes, we find that some keywords can have a significant impact on ad campaigns. Broad match keywords can help us uncover new keywords and find display opportunities that we may have overlooked before.

Especially in text ads and shopping ads, once you find these keywords for the ads, you can further refine the targeting by using them as phrase match or exact match keywords and adding them directly to the corresponding ad groups.

2. Combining Broad Match with Specific Audience Targeting: Some advertisers like to use broad match keywords combined with other audience targeting methods to enhance the relevance of ad display while still maintaining some flexibility in the keywords.

To achieve this, they incorporate demographic, interest, and online behavior characteristics into the ads to more accurately reach the target audience.

3. Combining Broad Match with Smart Bidding: Combining broad match keywords with smart bidding can sometimes produce unexpected results. If your ad campaign or account has accumulated sufficient conversion data to support the implementation of smart bidding strategies, you can add broad match keywords to existing ad campaigns and ad groups to accelerate the efficiency of optimization.

4. Increasing Bids on Exact Match Keywords: To fully unleash the potential of high - value keywords, you can boldly increase their bids. Although this means you may need to invest more money in exact match keywords, many cross - border brands understand the value behind these keywords and are willing to do so.

In addition, we can also use some lower - cost broad match keywords to increase ad exposure and improve ad performance by reducing the cost per click.

With these keyword strategies mastered, you will be able to more effectively reach your target audience and efficiently manage your ad budget, thus gaining greater control over Google Ads campaigns and achieving business growth.