What’s in a (Key)Word?

When you’re running a Search campaign on Google, keywords are the tool you use to connect your ads with the user on the other side of the screen. 

There are 3 different types of keywords: Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match.

• Exact match: This match type allows for your ads to be displayed exclusively for search queries that precisely match the chosen keyword.
• Phrase match: This match type allows your ads to show up for searches that include the exact phrase in your keyword or close variations of that phrase, with additional words around it.
• Broad match: This match type allows your ads to show for searches that include variations of your keyword, such as synonyms, related searches, and even misspellings, ultimately maximizing your reach.

When Would I Want to Use Each Match Type?

Exact match is the keyword setting to choose when you want to retain maximum control over your targeting and avoid any variations of the keyword being used. Unless you’re confident in the specific keyword’s strength and ability to match to users, this match type can be a more difficult match type to use because it might cause missed targeting opportunities. 

Image Source: Google Ads Help Center

Phrase match is the match type you want to use if you want to optimize reach while avoiding irrelevant clicks or when you want to focus on specific keywords and audiences. Effectively using phrase match keywords means you’ll have more control than you would with broad match but still improve your targeting and engagement results.

Broad match is the default keyword setting, so if you create a keyword without any match types to specify, it will become a broad match. The best times to use broad match are when your goal is to bring in the maximum amount of traffic to your website.

Tip: If you’re using broad match keywords, it’s important to keep a well maintained list of negative keywords so you’re not spending money on totally irrelevant searches.

It’s important to create a strategy that has a combination of all of these match types, as each of them will cause different results for each keyword.

What’s This About Negative Keywords? 

A negative keyword is a type of keyword that prevents your ad from being shown for the term or phrase that’s been excluded. These are a must for advertisers who run search campaigns because negative keywords will help to keep the various targeted keywords focused on the right audiences and searches.

Negative keywords are typically something that gets developed over the course of your campaign, unless you took the time to previously identify specific negative keywords to exclude. Many SEM platforms offer an easy way to add negative keywords to your exclusions lists while you’re doing your normal maintenance.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

I Have Keywords — Now What?

When it comes to search campaigns, keywords are only one part of achieving a positive ROAS. 

The other piece? Search Terms.

A search term is the actual, exact search that a user puts into Google that triggers your ad to show. You can review these and decide whether you want to add them as keywords of their own or exclude them.

The match types that you set for your targeted keywords are going to impact how relevant or irrelevant these search terms may be. If you’re using a lot of broad match keywords, it’s possible that you’ll have a large quantity of search terms but they might not be aligned with your content.

The full list of search terms that you’re aligned with at any given time can be found in your Google Ads portal, under Insights and Reports!

Understanding the Competition.

Although the phrase ‘buying a keyword’ might make you think otherwise, it actually is possible to have multiple ad accounts (and businesses) using the same targeted keywords.

Guess what? That’s okay!

The majority of search engine marketing platforms are an open auction for advertisers, so there has to be some competition in order to get results worth sharing.

So How Do I Outpace the Competition?

It’s very common for other businesses in your industry to use keywords that are similar to or the same as the ones you’re using, but that’s where strategy comes in.

Your ad’s placement on a user’s search results page is determined by Quality Score, relevance, and bid amount, not just by having the highest bid.

• Understanding Quality Score: Your keyword quality score is an estimate of how relevant your keywords are to a person who sees your ad. So the higher your score, the more likely Google is to give your ad + keyword combo a better ranking.
• Understanding Ad Relevance: The Ad Relevance measures how closely your keyword matches the message in your ads. A low ad relevance score means that your ads are too broad or specific to effectively match a user’s search.

Thoughtful strategy and optimization can help you rise in results and beat your competition without crossing any ethical or policy lines.

Tip: If you’re curious to know more about which competitors may be using keywords that you’re also using, check out the Report Editor section of Google Ads. There are several report options that can give you a comprehensive view of your competitors’ performance as well as organic results.

Looking for a Second Opinion on Your Keyword Strategy?

Whether you’ve got a keyword strategy ready to go or you need some help getting started, our SEM team is here to help your business rise to the top of the rankings.

For more than 15 years, we’ve helped businesses use digital tools to generate leads and sales, save time, and make the most of their marketing dollars.

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