Are you a new startup? Do you want to build your online presence quickly? Are you tired of trying to reach the top of Google search results organically? Are you trying a mix of SEO and Google ads to extend your online reach? Are you trying to sell something? Are you a service provider? Are you trying to get more visits to your physical store/clinic? Are you looking to increase your YouTube subscriptions or get email/newsletter subscriptions?
If it’s a yes to any of these questions, that’s when Google ads come into being. But does placing your ad on top search results or web pages guarantee enough sales, subscriptions, visibility, or visits? Sadly, no! Even if you have a high budget for your Google ad campaign, in the end, you may find the strategy poorly performing with no leads or sales.
Who is to be blamed? Not the inefficiency of Google ads but the lack of knowledge to optimize your Google ads.
This is when keyword research and keyword match types come to the rescue. Keyword match types are key to which your Google ad works effectively. If you understand the math behind how Google Ads works, keyword match types are one of the many ways to do it. You can make the most of your Google ad even with a low marketing budget by optimizing keyword match types.
Here is a brief on how keyword match type work and how they can affect the performance of your Google Ad.
There are mainly three types of keyword match types:
Source: www.wordstream.com
Broad: As the name suggests, make your ad visible to a bigger audience.
Phrase: Make your ad visible to those to use a similar phrase in the search query as you want.
Exact: Make your ad visible to a limited audience that uses the exact keyword you want your audience to search you for.
How to add keyword match types in Google Ads?
Sign in to your Google ads account using ads.google.com.
Click on New Campaign. Scroll down to switch to Expert Mode.
Now, click ‘Keyword and Targeting’ to add a new keyword.
Click on the + button to add new. Enter your keyword with the right symbol in the ‘Add Keywords’ dialog box. Use the + sign for broad match, “ ”brackets for phrase match and [ ] for exact match, respectively, to make them behave accordingly.
Now, set the big amount by clicking the ‘Bid’ field.
Fill in other requirements as per the on-screen prompts.
Finally, click on Save before publishing your ad.
What to do in case keywords overlap in Google ads account?
This is to say, what if a search query keyword matches with all keyword match types? Here are some of the preferences set by Google when a search term coincides with multiple keywords:
When an exact match keyword is preferred over a phrase match
If a search term like “SEO course” is identical to your exact match keyword [SEO course] as well as the phrase match keyword “SEO course,” then Google will prefer the exact match over the phrase match. This helps you keep your budget to a minimum.
When Exact match is preferred over phrase and broad match for misspelled search terms
We all know how Google shows ‘showing results with [corrected search term]’ when a user enters a misspelled search term in the search query. We also know that broad match and phrase match keywords match with misspelled search queries.
However, if the search term is spell-corrected by Google and matches with the exact keyword, it won’t match with the broad match and phrase match (as usually happens in the case of misspelled words).
For instance, if the search term is “SEO corsue” and your Google ad caters to the exact match keyword [SEO course] and also broad match keyword “SEO corsue”, it will match with the exact match keyword and not broad match to keep the relevance of the ad intact.
Phrase match or broad match preferred over exact match
A phrase match or broad match would be preferred over an exact match keyword if the search term exactly matches the phrase or broad match instead of an exact match. This usually happens when the exact match keyword is longer than the broad and phrase match.
For example, if the search term “SEO course,” the exact match keyword is [SEO course training] and the phrase match keyword is “SEO course.” In such a situation, the search term will match with the phrase match and not the exact match because the search term is identical to the phrase match keyword and not the exact match.
When phrase match, or broad match is preferred over exact even after spell-corrected
This is again feasible if the exact match keyword is longer than the broad and phrase match keyword.
For instance, if the search term “SEO course” and the exact match keyword is [SEO course training], and the broad match keyword includes “SEO course.” Since the exact match keyword does not include either [SEO cosure] or [SEO course], a broad match keyword would be preferred over an exact match keyword.
In short, Google keyword match types are smart enough to match the search term with the best possible outcome. When multiple keywords are eligible for the search term, your ad will be displayed for the most relevant keywords.
Previously, in case of multiple identical keywords and none of it matched with the search query, your ad Rank (value of your ad) would determine the keyword match type. Though Ad rank still plays a huge role, the keyword’s relevance also determines when your ad will appear in response to a search query. This ensures that your ad shows up for the most relevant search query.
How is relevance determined? Is it determined by considering the meaning of search terms, landing pages within an ad group, and the meaning of keywords used in an ad group?
Keyword match type preferences are subject to some exceptions:
When the ad budget is limited. If the budget is low, it is impossible to accommodate the best possible traffic and would not trigger an ad for a given keyword even if it could.
Low search volume keywords used to trigger an ad. Low search volume keywords are those keywords that are rarely used by searchers in the search query. When such keywords are not used, it is impossible to get your ad to appear for the same. Instead, other relevant keywords are used to trigger your ad.
Keyword preferences do not work for Shopping ads.
Summary
Your Google ad visibility revolves around the use of keyword match types. Keyword match types determine the relevance of your ad and its visibility. While a broad match gives the most visibility, an exact match provides precise targeting.
Each one is important and should be used depending on your ad budget. Keyword match types work in Google ads through keyword research. It’s an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and optimization to ensure your Google Ad survives the ever-changing market trends.
Image source: freepik
