Keyword match type tool

Keywords are one of the building blocks of a PPC search campaign and determine whether or not an ad will be displayed for a given search query. A keyword can be made up of one or more words.

We do not want our ad to be shown to 100% of users. The goal of PPC advertising is to show your ad only to relevant users, i.e. potential customers, and keywords help us achieve this.

The choice of keywords for a PPC campaign can have a major impact on its performance.

• Don’t use generic keywords. Your budget can quickly disappear without getting results.
• Don't use too specific keywords. The system may not be able to recognize them and few people may search for them. You need to strike a balance between generality and specificity.
• Use keywords related to your business.
• Use slang terms that your customers may use. Even terms that are not in the dictionary of the written language, but are used nonetheless.

Broad Match

When you choose a keyword match type, your advertisement will appear on searches that are relevant to the meaning of your phrase, which may include searches that don't specifically mention the keyword words. Compared to precise and phrase matches, this enables you to access more searches.

All of your terms are given the default match type, which is broad match. This enables you to advertise to a larger audience without having to create a lengthy keyword list. Consider the broad match keyword "garden equipment sale" as an illustration. Despite not using any of the terms in your keyword, this term can be found in searches like "lawn mower rental" since it is related to the inquiry.

In order to deliver relevant matches, this match type can also take into account the following: The user’s recent searches, the content of the landing page, and other keywords in an ad group to reach a better understanding of the keyword intent.

Broad match uses no specific syntax.

Phrase Match

Phrase match is a keyword match type that enables you to display your adverts on queries that contain your term's definition. The keyword's meaning may be implicit, and user searches may reveal the keyword's meaning in a more detailed manner. With fewer searches than with broad matches and more searches than with precise matches, you can now reach more users.

Let’s state an example – say the user searches for “izakaya pub New York”. With phrase match, even if your keywords are “Japanese restaurant NYC”, your ad will still show up. With phrase match, you can target the relevant consumers with your advertising without having to compile a long list of keywords and phrases.

Phrase match uses the “quotation marks” syntax.

Exact Match

An exact match is a form of keyword match that enables you to display your adverts on queries with the same purpose or meaning as your term. Although it reaches fewer queries than both phrase and wide match, the exact match provides you with the greatest control over who sees your advertisement. By doing this, you may only connect with users who conduct searches that have the same meaning as your terms, such as misspellings, singular or plural forms, stemming, abbreviations, or accents.

Whoever is Googling for cat food is the same person who is looking for "cat food" or "food for cats." Despite minor variances in how they search, exact-match keywords enable you to connect with customers who are searching for your organization, which eliminates the need to create extensive keyword lists to reach these clients.

Exact match uses the [square brackets] syntax.

Modified Broad Match

As of July 2021, Modified Broad Match is no longer used in Google Ads. Nevertheless, it’s good to say a few things about it. The modified broad match in Google Ads sits between broad match and phrase match. It stands out from broad concordance and sentence concordance in that it offers more freedom and control. When the chosen match type is wide, it operates by placing a "+" sign in front of one or more words in a phrase made up of keywords.

Modified broad match used to use plus symbols in front of the keywords.

Broad Match

Your keywords can trigger ads for virtually anything associated with that keyword, even remotely.

• Your keyword: Door handle
• Search queries that show your ad: Door handle, handle for doors, interior doors handle, door frame, hinge

Phrase Match

In the case of a phrase match, the ad is activated if the search query contains the keyword in the same order and may contain words before or after the keyword.

• Your keyword: “Door handle”
• Search queries that show your ad: Cheap door handle, door handle from brass, round door handle from brass

Exact Match

The ad is only activated if the search query matches the keyword exactly. This is the most accurate type of keyword match.

• Your keyword: [Door handle]
• Search queries that show your ad: Door handle, door handle

Modified Broad Match

In the case of a modified broad match, the ad is only activated if the search query contains a mandatory keyword. The order does not matter, but the keyword must appear in the query.

• Your keyword: +Door +Handle
• Search queries that show your ad: Door handle, Handles for doors, Copper handles for doors

The actively used match types - broad match, phrase match and exact match - can also be created with a negative meaning. This means that your ad will not run when you enter the query. What does this look like for each type?

Negative Broach Match

The keyword must not appear in the same form in the search query at all.

• Your keyword: -“Handle”
• Forbidden search queries: Door handle, handle for doors
• Acceptable search queries that show your ad: Door handles, handles for doors

Negative Phrase Match

A negative keyword in a phrase match will exclude ad activation for queries that contain that keyword in the same order and form.

• Your keyword: -“Door handle”
• Forbidden search queries: Door handle, interior door handle
• Acceptable search queries that show your ad: Handles for doors, copper handle door”

Negative Exact Match

If you add a word in a negative exact match, the ad will never appear on that word or phrase in the exact same form.

• Your keyword: -[Door handle]
• Forbidden search queries: Door handle
• Acceptable search queries that show your ad: Door handles

If you want to create the match types yourself in Excel, no problem - now we'll show you how to do it. You can also download our Google Spreadsheet  which already has everything you need. Open the Spreadsheet, click on "File" and "Create a copy".

Broad Match

As broad matches require no syntax, you don’t need Excel for its creation.

Phrase Match

Phrase match wraps your keyword into quotation marks. To use it in Excel, use this formula:

=""""&CELL&""""

… where CELL is the link to the cell that contains your keyword.

Exact Match

The exact match wraps your keyword into square brackets. To use it in Excel, use this formula:

="["&CELL&"]"

… where CELL is the link to the cell that contains your keyword.

Modified Broad Match

Modified broad match puts a plus symbol in front of every keyword. To use it in Excel, use this formula:

="+"&SUBSTITUTE(CELL," "," +")

… where CELL is the link to the cell that contains your keyword.

Note that the SUBSTITUTE function may be different for your language variant of Excel.