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When you give Google a keyword, you aren't just telling it what to target; you are telling it how strict to be.
Think of it like fishing:
| Broad Match | A giant commercial trawler net. You catch everything—tuna, boots, sharks, and tin cans. Great for volume, bad for precision. |
| Phrase Match | A smaller, targeted net. You catch specific schools of fish, but might still get a few unexpected ones. |
| Exact Match | A speargun. You aim at one specific fish. You rarely miss, but you won't catch anything you didn't see coming. |
Symbol: [brackets] (e.g., [red tennis shoes])
This tells Google: "Only show my ad if the user searches for exactly this meaning." It gives you the highest relevance, which often means a higher conversion rate and can help keep your Cost Per Click (CPC) in check.
✅ Use this for:
Your highest value keywords: Terms you know lead to sales (e.g., "buy leather boots size 10").
Low Budget Campaigns: When you can't afford to waste a single penny on irrelevant clicks.
⚠️ The "Close Variant" Trap: Even Exact Match isn't 100% exact anymore. Google will still show your ad for misspellings or "same intent" variations (e.g.,
[lawn mowing]might match "cut grass").
Symbol: "quotes" (e.g., "red tennis shoes")
This tells Google: "The user's search must include the meaning of my phrase, but they can add words before or after."
| Example | Keyword: "moving services" |
| Will Match | "Cheap moving services," "Moving services near me," "Best moving services for pianos." |
| Won't Match | "Moving house checklist" (doesn't include the core service). |
✅ Use this for:
Core Keywords: When you want to capture long-tail variations without opening the floodgates to junk traffic.
Most Service Businesses: Great for catching "Plumber in [City]" or "[City] Plumber."
Symbol: None (just text, e.g., red tennis shoes)
This tells Google: "Show my ad for anything related to this topic." If you aren't careful, Google might show your "tennis shoes" ad to someone searching for "tennis racket" or "repair shoes."
✅ Use this ONLY if:
| You use Smart Bidding | With "Maximize conversions," Google uses your conversion data to prioritize searches that are more likely to convert. |
| You have a large Negative Keyword list | You need to actively block bad terms. |
| You want to find NEW keywords | It's great for discovering search terms you never thought of. |
💡 Tip: Because Broad Match casts the widest net, it is the most exposed to accidental clicks and low-quality traffic coming from loosely related search terms. If you run Broad Match, review your search terms regularly and keep click fraud protection active.
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