Undoubtedly, you want to achieve greater success in marketing on search engines? In this article, we'll explore Keyword Match Types, and learn how using different match types can increase your control over the search terms that show your ads.
Keyword Match Types
Did you know that search engines may show your ads when people search for other terms that you didn't specifically choose? This is because search engines can show your ads when users search for terms similar to those you've selected, and this is called “broad match”.
Most of the time, broad match is useful, and means you don't have to add all the possible variations of the keyword you want to target, such as singular, plural, and misspelled variants.
However, this flexibility also means that search engines may sometimes show your ads when searching for keywords that are not relevant to your business.
So, what is the solution? Simply, you can use Keyword Match Types to fix this.
See: Reach local customers through their mobile
How do you use keyword match types
Let's say you are a portrait photographer, when you think of keywords for your ad campaign you might think of the phrase 'photographer in Dubai' for example.
If you include this keyword, a search for the term “photographer in Dubai” may result in one of your ads being shown, even if the user isn't searching for exactly what you're showing.
But, what if he is looking to buy pictures of Dubai? Or for someone to film an event in Dubai? Or about commercial photos for a magazine? Any of these search words may trigger your ad, but the searcher is often not your potential customer.
If you want to avoid your ads appearing in these searches, choose more specific keywords; Because your target customer often searches for terms like “selfie photographer in Dubai” or “family photos in Dubai”.
Besides, you can choose match types to better refine the results. Let's see how you can do that.
See: What works and what doesn't in advertising campaigns
How to choose match types
Keywords are generally subject to broad match. However, it is possible to choose other initial match types, such as phrase match and exact match.
To change broad match to phrase match, put quotes around the keyword, which means that the keyword will become “photographer in Dubai”.
A term match for \"Bing Ads\" or \"Google Adwords\" means that your ads can only be shown if the search includes the full term. So, if someone searches for the phrase “selfie photographer in Dubai”, they can see your ad!
Not only that, but it also includes secondary forms, such as plural, which means that a search for the phrase “selfie photographers in Dubai” will in turn show your ad.
However, if someone searches for a more general term like “photographer in Dubai”, your ad will not appear; Because there is no "selfie".
With phrase matching, the searcher can put words before and after the phrase, which means that the phrase “selfie photographer east Dubai” will also trigger your ad.
See: Search engine optimization process
Use exact keyword matches
If you want more precision, you can use exact keyword match by putting the word or phrase in square brackets. That is, the keyword “Dubai Selfie Photographer” will become [Dubai Selfie Photographer].
Therefore, if someone searches for a portrait photographer, your ad will not appear in front of them; Because it does not match the keyword accurately.
By the same token, searching for the term “photographer in Dubai” will not return your ad either.
In this case, unlike phrase matching, the ad is not shown if the searcher has added additional words, but secondary forms such as plural also allow the ad to be shown.
When you change your keywords from broad match to phrase match and exact match, your ad's chances of showing are limited.
What to do then? You can choose a balanced match feature that allows ads to appear in front of potential customers, and prevents them from appearing when chances of success are low.
Finally, when you add matching options that restrict your keywords, you'll likely see a drop in your traffic, but the quality of your traffic improves, and that's what matters to us.