Keyword match types dictate how closely a user's search query must align with your chosen keywords to trigger your ads. Understanding these match types enables you to balance the trade-off between reaching a broad audience and targeting specific search intents, thereby optimizing your advertising spend and enhancing conversion rates.

Broad Match Keywords

Broad match is the default and most expansive keyword match type in Google Ads. When you use broad match, your ads can appear for searches that include any word in your key phrase, in any order, as well as synonyms and related variations. This means your ad might be displayed for searches that don't contain the exact terms in your keyword but are deemed relevant by Google's algorithms. ​

Example: If your broad match keyword is "luxury car," your ad could show up for searches like "luxury cars," "fast cars," or even "luxury apartments," as well as "expensive vehicles," which doesn't include any of the terms in your keyword. ​

Advantages of Broad Match:

• Wider Reach: Broad match allows your ads to reach a larger audience by matching to a wide variety of search queries, including those you might not have anticipated.​
• Less Time-Consuming: It reduces the need for exhaustive keyword lists, as Google's algorithms match your ads to relevant searches automatically.​

Potential Drawbacks:

• Lower Precision: The expansive nature of broad match can lead to your ads appearing for irrelevant searches, potentially resulting in lower click-through rates (CTR) and wasted ad spend.​
• Higher Costs: Due to the broader reach, there's a possibility of accruing costs from clicks that don't convert into valuable actions.​

To mitigate these drawbacks, it's advisable to use broad match keywords in conjunction with negative keywords and Smart Bidding strategies. Negative keywords help exclude specific search terms that aren't relevant to your business, while Smart Bidding adjusts your bids based on the likelihood of a conversion, ensuring more efficient use of your advertising budget. ​

By strategically implementing broad match keywords, you can cast a wide net to attract potential customers while maintaining control over ad relevance and spend efficiency.

Phrase Match Keywords

Phrase match is a keyword match type in Google Ads that allows your ads to appear for searches that include the meaning of your keyword phrase. This means your ad can show when a user's search query contains your exact keyword phrase, or close variations, with additional words before or after. However, the meaning of the keyword must be preserved, and word order can be important if it changes the meaning of the phrase. ​

Example: If your phrase match keyword is "moving services NYC to Boston," your ad could appear for searches like "affordable moving services NYC to Boston" or "NYC corporate moving services to Boston." However, it would not show for searches like "moving services Boston to NYC," as the word order changes the meaning. ​

Advantages of Phrase Match:

• Balanced Control and Reach: Phrase match offers a middle ground between broad and exact match types, providing a balance of control over who sees your ad and the ability to reach a larger audience. 
• Relevant Traffic: By ensuring that the keyword phrase is present in the search query, phrase match helps attract users who are more likely to be interested in your product or service.​

Potential Drawbacks:

• Less Precision: While more targeted than broad match, phrase match can still attract irrelevant traffic if the search query includes your keyword phrase but is not focused on your offering. ​
• Missed Opportunities: Over-reliance on phrase match may lead to missing out on relevant searches that don't include your exact keyword phrase but have the same intent.

Exact Match Keywords

Exact match is a keyword match type that allows your ads to appear only for searches that have the same meaning or intent as your specified keyword. This match type offers the highest level of control over who sees your ad but reaches fewer searches compared to broad and phrase match types. ​

Example: If your exact match keyword is [men's running shoes], your ad could appear for searches like "men's running shoes" or "running shoes for men." However, it would not show for broader searches like "best running shoes" or "men's athletic footwear."​

Advantages of Exact Match:

• High Precision: Ads are shown only for searches that closely match your keyword, leading to more relevant traffic.​
• Lower Costs: Potentially lower costs due to fewer, but more targeted, clicks, which can lead to a higher return on investment.​
• Better for Specific Campaigns: Ideal for targeting users searching for a very specific product, service, or information.​

Potential Drawbacks:

• Limited Reach: Might miss out on potential customers who use variations of your keyword that you haven’t accounted for.​
• Rigidity: The specificity of exact match can sometimes be too limiting, especially if users don’t search using the exact terms you’ve predicted.​
• Requires Precise Knowledge of Audience: You need a very good understanding of exactly how your audience is searching for your products or services.

Key Differences Between Broad Match and Phrase Match

Unless you have a decent selection of exact match keywords to target, you will be mostly using broad match and phrase match keywords in your ads. Let’s compare these 2 variations in detail.

• Reach vs. Precision: Broad match casts a wider net, showing ads for a broad range of related searches, which can include synonyms and related variations. Phrase match is more restrictive, showing ads only when the search query includes the meaning of your keyword phrase, thus offering more precision. ​
• Control Over Search Queries: Phrase match provides more control over the search queries that trigger your ads, reducing the likelihood of appearing for irrelevant searches compared to broad match.​
• Cost Implications: Broad match can lead to higher costs due to a larger number of impressions and potential clicks from irrelevant searches. Phrase match can help manage costs by targeting more relevant queries, potentially leading to a higher return on investment.​

Strategies for Effective Use of Broad and Phrase Match Keywords

• Combine Match Types: Use a combination of broad and phrase match keywords to balance reach and precision. Broad match can help you discover new search terms, while phrase match can target more specific queries.​
• Implement Negative Keywords: Regularly review your search terms report to identify irrelevant queries and add them as negative keywords. This practice is crucial, especially when using broad match, to prevent your ads from showing for unrelated searches. ​
• Leverage Smart Bidding: Utilize Google's Smart Bidding strategies, which use machine learning to optimize bids for each auction, helping to maximize conversions and control costs. ​
• Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your campaign performance and adjust your keyword match types, bids, and negative keywords to align with your advertising goals.​

Recent Changes and Best Practices in Keyword Matching

Google Ads has implemented significant changes to keyword match types in recent years:​

• Phrase Match Expansion: Phrase match now includes behaviors of the former broad match modifier, allowing ads to show on searches that include the meaning of your keyword, even if the word order varies. This change aims to align your ads with user intent more effectively. ​
• Broad Match Modifier Deprecation: The broad match modifier has been phased out, with its functionality incorporated into the updated phrase match. Advertisers are encouraged to transition their broad match modifier keywords to phrase match to maintain control over their campaigns. ​

Best Practices:

• Adapt to Changes: Update your keyword strategies to reflect the recent changes in match types. Replace broad match modifier keywords with phrase match and monitor their performance.​
• Focus on Intent: Group keywords by themes based on user intent rather than relying solely on specific match types. This approach can enhance ad relevance and campaign performance. 
• ​Utilize Brand Controls: Leverage Google's brand inclusion and exclusion controls to ensure your ads appear for relevant searches and avoid associations with unrelated brands. ​

👉The Best Google Ads Strategy for 2025 

By understanding and adapting to these changes, you can optimize your Google Ads campaigns to effectively reach your target audience while managing costs and improving return on investment.​