How Keyword Match Types Affect Search Ad Results

Whenever you are creating an advertisement, your end goal is to always reach an audience and have people interact with what you’re trying to sell. The best way to get your ad out there is by using keywords that will show up in users’ search queries. Understanding keyword match types and how they can affect your search ad results is the key to attracting customers.

What Are Keyword Match Types?

Keyword matches tell Google and other search engines how you want your advertisements to be displayed based on user searches. There are three main keyword match types: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Each one can be used for a specific purpose and will bring different results based on what you’re looking for.

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Broad Match

Using a broad match will show your ad in search results that have any words that relate to your keyword. If your keyword is ‘women’s shoes,’ your ad could show up for any user who searched ‘running shoes for women,’ ‘socks for women,’ or ‘women’s clothing.’ Broad matches are the default keyword match type and can reach wider audiences because they are nonspecific.

However, this also means users might not interact with your ad because they are being shown so many different types of results—many of which do not fit their search intent. To combat this, you could also set up negative keywords so your ad will show up for searches that are more closely related to your business.

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing up in irrelevant search results. If you had ‘girls’ shoes’ as a negative keyword, any results with those words would stop your ad about ‘women’s shoes’ from appearing.

Phrase Match

Phrase matches are more particular and will show your ad in search results that contain similar meanings to your keyword. If your keyword is ‘women’s shoes,’ your ad could show up for users who searched ‘women’s running shoes,’ ‘women’s high heels,’ or ‘best shoes for women.’

Phrase matches give you more control and will reach audiences that are interested in what you’re offering. Google has also updated phrase matches to include any results that have synonyms and variants of your keyword, to help reach wider audiences.

Exact Match

Exact matches are the most specific of the keyword match types, as they will show your ad in searches that explicitly use your keyword. Users’ searches will have to include your keyword in the precise order as your ad to view it. While this is more restricted than the previous two keyword match types, there’s a higher chance of users interacting with your ad because the term used is what they’re looking for.

Google has updated exact matches to include ads that have plurals or variants of your keywords.

How Do Keyword Match Types Affect You?

Keyword match types are important to consider because they affect your ad’s reach. Figuring out the best keyword can help you attract users’ interests and then have them interact with your ad. Keyword matches can also help users find what you’re promoting based on similar searches, which can expand your market to wider audiences.

What to Consider When Picking Keyword Match Types

When picking a keyword match type, you should figure out what type of reach you want to achieve. For a larger audience, broad match types could be the best to get more people to see your ad. If you’re looking to reach people that could be more interested in interacting with your ad, try using a phrase match word. And for the most specific or niche audiences, exact matches are your best option.

If you’re looking to start an online advertising campaign, consider working with a trusted marketing agency. Contact Kraus Marketing to improve your ad search results today!