{"id":704,"date":"2017-09-20T15:54:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T15:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/09\/20\/common-ppc-keyword-mistakes-understanding-broad-match-vs-phrase-match-vs-exact-match\/"},"modified":"2020-02-07T18:08:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T18:08:33","slug":"common-ppc-keyword-mistakes-understanding-broad-match-vs-phrase-match-vs-exact-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/09\/20\/common-ppc-keyword-mistakes-understanding-broad-match-vs-phrase-match-vs-exact-match\/","title":{"rendered":"Common PPC keyword mistakes (Understanding broad match vs. phrase match vs. exact match)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google AdWords offers three major keyword match types \u2013 broad match, phrase match, and exact match.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe to say that if not you don\u2019t know how to use each correctly, you could be wasting your PPC<\/a> budget.<\/p>\n

Choosing the right keyword match types <\/a>can help you target your ads better so you get higher-quality traffic to your site. Match types are simple to understand, so it\u2019s important to take time to learn about them before you do anything else with your PPC<\/a> campaigns.<\/p>\n

What are match types for PPC<\/a> advertising?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first question is easy: What does match type mean? In short, the match type you choose for each keyword specifies which searches Google can show your ad. Your match type determines whether a wide audience will see your ads or whether your ads will only show for a few highly targeted searchers.<\/p>\n

Your first step is to create a keyword<\/a> to track by navigating to the \u201ckeywords\u201d tab and clicking the red \u201c+Keywords\u201d button, as shown below:<\/p>\n

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After clicking the red button you will be taken to a page where you can add multiple keywords<\/a>, as shown below:<\/p>\n

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Once you save that keyword, you can select the keyword to change the match type. Consider the specific differences below:<\/p>\n

Broad match<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Of all the keyword match types, broad match<\/a> casts the widest net. When you choose broad match for a keyword Google will show your ad to people who type in all kinds of variations of your keyword, as well as the keyword itself.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say your keyword is ceramic pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong>. If you set this keyword to broad match, your ad won\u2019t just show up for people who type ceramic pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong> into the search bar. Google will also show it to people looking for blue ceramic pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong>, ceramic cooking pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong>, and cooking pot ceramic<\/u><\/em><\/strong>. Your ad can even show up when people type in synonyms of your keyword, like pottery cookware<\/u><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Simply click in the keyword to change the match type:<\/p>\n

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Broad match is the default match type for keywords, so if you haven\u2019t adjusted your keywords\u2019 match type, they\u2019re currently set to broad match. You don\u2019t need to use any special symbols to set a keyword to broad match, although you do need to use symbols for other match types \u2013 more on that in a minute.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good idea to use broad match keywords when you want to reach the widest audience possible. Depending on what you\u2019re trying to achieve, though, this strength could become a weakness. The impressions you get from broad match keywords aren\u2019t very targeted, and that could mean you\u2019re paying for clicks from people who weren\u2019t interested in your offer to begin with.<\/p>\n

Modified broad match<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You can get around some of the downsides of broad match keywords by using a modified broad match type instead. This lets you specify which words must <\/em>be in a search query for your ad to show.<\/p>\n

If you do this, your keyword still falls under the broad match umbrella, but you have a little more control over who sees your ads. Modified broad match is a powerful tool for keeping your keywords flexible while cutting down on irrelevant traffic.<\/p>\n

To modify a broad match keyword, place a + sign directly in front of any word that must be in a query for your ad to display. For instance, to re-use our example above, you could modify your keyword by changing it to +ceramic pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This tells Google not to show your ad unless \u201cceramic\u201d is somewhere in the query. For instance, your ad could show up for ceramic bakeware<\/u><\/em><\/strong> and stockpot ceramic<\/u><\/em><\/strong>, but not for pottery cookware<\/u><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You can also insert a \u201c+\u201d before more than one word in your keyword. If you wanted your ad to show only for queries that included both the words \u201cceramic\u201d and \u201cpots,\u201d you could modify your keyword to +ceramic +pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Phrase match<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Phrase match lets you specify an exact phrase that must be in a searcher\u2019s query for your ad to appear. It lets you hone in on your intended audience more than the broad match type, but isn\u2019t as restrictive as exact match.<\/p>\n

To set a keyword to phrase match, put quotation marks around it. This lets Google know to only show your ad to people who used your exact keyword (or close variations of it) somewhere in their query. If your phrase match keyword is \u201cceramic pots\u201d<\/u><\/em><\/strong>, your ad can show up for the searches \u201cheavy-duty ceramic pots\u201d<\/u><\/em><\/strong> and \u201cceramic pot with lid\u201d<\/u><\/em><\/strong> but not \u201cceramic cooking pots.\u201d<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Exact match<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you use an exact match keyword, your ad will show up for people who type in that exact keyword (or close variations of it) and nothing else. This match type will limit your impressions the most, so use it with caution. The impressions you do get, however, will be highly targeted, so they\u2019ll be more valuable than the impressions you\u2019d get from a broad match keyword.<\/p>\n

Set a keyword to exact match by putting it in square brackets \u2013 for example, [ceramic pots]<\/u><\/em><\/strong>. Only people who type ceramic pots<\/u><\/em><\/strong> or close variations of it into the search bar will see your ad. There\u2019s no way to turn off close variation matching in Google, so your ad will still show for people who search for ceramic pot<\/u><\/em><\/strong> or another very similar term.<\/p>\n

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Negative match<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Negative match isn\u2019t a keyword match type in the same way as the ones above. Rather, it lets you specify words you don\u2019t <\/em>want your ad to show for. If you know your ad won\u2019t be relevant if a certain word is in a search query, set that word as a negative match. Google won\u2019t show your ads to any of those searchers.<\/p>\n

For instance, if ceramic pot<\/u><\/em><\/strong> is your keyword and you\u2019re selling cooking pots, you might want to set \u201cvase\u201d as a negative match. Otherwise, people looking for ceramic vases might stumble upon your site and then leave right away, which only wastes your advertising dollars.<\/p>\n

Set a word as a negative keyword by including a \u201c-\u201d in front of it, like this: -vase<\/u><\/em><\/strong>. Below shows you how to navigate to the negative keyword tab. You simply click the red button once again, and here you have a choice if you want these negative keywords<\/a> to be for one campaign or your entire ad group, as you can see below:<\/p>\n

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What counts as a close variation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve mentioned a couple of times that Google automatically lumps very similar terms in with your keyword. At this point, you might be wondering what a close variation actually is. According to Google\u2019s page on keyword matching options<\/a>, close variations include all of the following:<\/p>\n