Broad Match vs Phrase Match vs Exact Match – Which is Best in Google Ads?

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Using proper keywords lays the foundation of modern SEO strategies. And continuous improvement and competition make them more than words. Instead, you must prioritize the meaning of those keywords.

Google Ads lets you catch up with your potential customers through PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns. And it exclusively gets you to your audience based on keyword matching. The three keyword match types used in Google Ads are – Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match.

Google Ads campaign can get you an impressive $8 return per $1 investment. It’s only possible when you implement the match perfectly. That’s why knowing the best one in terms of keyword matching is vital.

What is Broad Match?

It’s the most flexible keyword-matching type for any search advertisement. Your ads become eligible to show up whenever users search for related queries.

There are two fundamental concerns you must know –

• Broad matching keywords, associated with higher impressions, can significantly expand your overall product reach.
• Too broad keywords eventually cause your ads to appear on unrelated searches, irrelevant from the user\’s perspective.

A keyword matches any word(s) in random orders and/or words having similar meanings. It even includes misspelled keywords as well as varying phrases or word strings.

For example, your primary keyword is ‘cheap secondhand car’ for the ads. Expect your advertisement to show on the following search queries with a broad match –

• \’Secondhand cheap cars for sale\’
• \’Buy cheap secondhand cars\’
• \’Cheap secondhand cars near me\’

So, optimum keyword numbers will trigger your ads with broad matching. It’s the default in Google Ads, letting you reach the maximum number of audiences.

What is Phrase Match?

It’s a versatile version of a broad keyword match with superior control levels. The customer query must contain your original keyword with/without additional word(s).

The primary features of phrase matching for Google Ads include –

• Your target keyword must remain present in the same exact order in customer queries.
• Word(s) can come before or after your ultimate keyword to narrow down the meaning.

Google expanded the reach of phrase keyword match by allowing plurals, close variants, and synonyms. A later update eventually absorbed the ‘modified broad match’ into the phrasing type.

For example, the target keyword is ‘iPhone case’ for advertisement campaigns. You can expect Google ads to pop up in the following search results on phrase match –

• ‘Blue iPhone case’
• ‘top iPhone case’
• ‘iPhone case sales’

Phrase keyword matching is particularly useful when word order is important. It also suits your specific audience targeting based on campaign performance assessment.

What is Exact Match?

It’s the topmost matching type with the lowest number of customer reach. Your ads will be displayed only when the search query corroborates the exact same meaning.

The top considerations while looking into exact keyword match are –

• It’s the most restrictive and specific category for eligible Google ads for dedicated users.
• It reduces cost-per-click against high conversion rates for increased click-through rates.

Google strictly maintained the exact keyword policy up until some recent changes. It enabled searches with synonyms, close variants, and plurals to widen the extremely narrow reach.

For example, ‘Yellowstone camping’ is your ultimate keyword for Google Ads. You can expect your advertisement to hit the SERPs with the following search queries only –

• ‘Yellowstone Campsites’
• ‘Yellowstone National Park Campaign’
• ‘Camping in Yellowstone’
• ‘Campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park’

Somewhat tangential queries (like – ‘Yellowstone Camping Guide’ or ‘Yellowstone Campgrounds Map’) will miss out. Exact match for Google Ads lets you enjoy precise targeting of ideal consumers.

Broad vs Phrase vs Exact – The Differences

You can distinguish one from the other two types on various aspects – technical, strategic, financial, etc. It’s not necessary to dive deeper without knowing the sector or field you’re trying. So, sticking to the general distinctions can give you a reasonable insight into the three keyword match types at once.

• Broad keyword matching provides more exposure and reach to drive organic traffic. It also lets you develop new keyword ideas to attract potential customers. However, it lacks proper audience targeting in terms of exclusive users intended to purchase. You’ll have to spend a lot on ads with no satisfactory conversion rates.
• Phrase keyword matching enables considerable targeting of specific keywords. You’ll only work with relevant search queries, increasing the likelihood of high ranks. Still, your ads can draw unwanted and/or irrelevant clicks. It’s because the original phrase may match keywords related but not entirely close or similar in meaning.
• Exact keyword matching narrows down the customer targeting to absolute precision. It surely limits the reach but reaches out to desperate customers mostly. You have nothing to worry about garbage clicks to end up with no conversions. It comes with the highest ROI (return on investment) for Google PPC ad campaigns.

Precision in audience targeting, potential click-through rates, and relevance of search queries are the ultimate differentiating points. You’ll have to bid on a proper keyword-matching strategy for Google Ads to make the most of these concerning facts.

Negative Keywords: Broad, Phrase, Exact

Employing negative keywords is a great approach to avoid no-conversion clicks. They prohibit Google ads from showing on searches. Surprising or not, even negative keywords have three matching types.

• Negative Exact Match – Ads don’t pop up when the search query is the same as your keyword.
• Negative Phrase Match – Ads won’t show when the query has your keyword in a similar order.
• Negative Broad Match – Ads don’t appear when the search contains the keyword in any order.

Everything about advertisement campaigns, especially paid ones, revolves around conversion rates. More click-through rates mean success whereas less ROI or high cost-per-click indicate potential issues.

How to Choose Keyword Match for Google Ads?

The foremost criteria to determine the perfect keyword match for Google Ads involve –

• Goals: What are you trying to do? Are you looking for optimum audience reach or simply find more specific users?
• Budget: How much money you’re willing to invest in PPC? Do you want high initial returns or willing to wait patiently?
• Industry: What are the industry standards, requirements, statistics? How are the competitors making profits there?

Wrapping Up

Bidding on the right matching type is mandatory to drive more traffic to your products, offers, services. It requires you to understand the market as well as the audience. Knowing the different keyword matching types can certainly help you succeed in Google Ad campaigns by reaching out to the target users.

Contact Tectera for Google ads services.