A guide to keyword match types in Google Ads

Whether you pick them yourself or with the help of the Keyword Planner, keywords are used to match your ads with the terms that people are searching for online.

In your Google Ads campaign, you can determine how close a user’s query needs to be to your chosen keywords in order for your ad to be eligible to appear. This is called keyword matching — and thanks to advancements in Google AI, we understand human language and intent better than ever before.

There are three different keyword matching options to choose from: exact match, phrase match, and broad match. We recommend using broad match if you are using Smart Bidding, as it’ll give you the best reach and performance within your goals. We recommend phrase and exact match if you have specific needs you need to adhere to (i.e. sensitive verticals, etc.).

By selecting the right keyword match types for your business, you can drive better quality, more relevant traffic to your website — while avoiding unnecessary spend on irrelevant clicks.

They’re a great tool for improving your account’s performance and capturing all the different kinds of search query — and consumer demand — that relate to your business.

It’s recommended that you use Smart Bidding, which uses Google AI to  optimize for your campaigns for your performance objectives.