AdWords Match Types

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Google AdWords Keyword Match Types

In this Google AdWords tutorial we’ll cover one of the best ways to improve your internet marketing strategies. Evaluating your Google AdWords keyword match types and how that relates to your pay per click keyword bid strategy. If you are looking to reduce your pay click cost and improve your AdWords campaign performance take a close look at keyword match type.

Keyword Match Type – Google AdWords Tutorial

This Google AdWords tutorial will cover the basics of keyword match types, but if you aren’t familiar with Google AdWords, it is recommended you review our Google AdWords Tutorial. Essentially, Google AdWords match types are a filter for when your ad will be shown for a search term.

Google AdWords offers four different keyword match types

Broad Match

This is AdWords default option. Broad match shows your ad when any combination of the searcher’s term is entered. For example, if you searched on “Internet Marketing” your ad could potentially be served for queries containing a combination of words including “internet”, “marketing” and possibly along with other terms or synonyms.

Phrase Match

Entering your keyword in quotation marks, such as “Internet Marketing” enables phrase match. In this case, Google AdWords will only serve your ad if the search query contains your keyword or keyword phrase in the exact order you specified. For example, a search for “best internet marketing”, “internet marketing” and “internet marketing for small business” would meet the criteria to serve your ad. But a search for “marketing on the internet” will not.

Exact Match

Placing your keyword in brackets [Internet Marketing] designates Exact Match. With this option, your ad will only qualify for search terms that use the exact phrase within the brackets.

Negative Match

Last but not least is Google AdWords negative match. This is done by adding a minus sign before your keyword such as -Internet Marketing, or selecting negative match within your Google AdWords account. This applies a keyword filter in your AdWords account where your ad will not be served if the search term contains the negative match keyword.

Keyword Strategy for Google AdWords Match Type

Optimal use of AdWords match types can significantly increase your Google AdWords conversion rate, reduce costs and increase revenue. Some practical examples:

Broad Match increases your impressions and will likely reduce your click through rate (CTR). However, you may receive more irrelevant clicks which increase cost and decrease Google AdWords ROI. Consider broad match if cost per click (CPC) is low and you are more interested in impressions than cost.

Phrase Match will lower impressions over broad match but you should experience a higher conversion rate since the searches will be more targeted. Phrase match is powerful if your keyword is a term with many different adjectives or qualifiers. For example, if your keyword is “Internet Marketing” phrase match will pick up searches like “small business internet marketing”, “internet marketing success”, etc.

Exact Match can further increase conversion rates will eliminating unnecessary click – reducing AdWords costs and improving conversion rates. Exact match works well for competitive industries.

Negative Match – you should strongly consider negative match, almost every industry has terms that can be filtered to improve conversion rates. Consider words like “free” if you don’t offer a free teaser offer or service. Selective use of negative match will reduce cost by eliminating unnecessary clicks.

Google AdWords Tutorial – Success with AdWords Match Type

Take your top performing keywords and create a broad, phrase and exact version of the same keyword. If your bid is the same for each keyword match type, Google will default to one version (usually broad). So to start: set your broad match bid; then increase your phrase match bid for that keyword by 20% and increase your exact match bid by 20% over the phrase match bid. Monitor your cost per click and cost per conversion. Expect higher conversion rates for exact match. You can also check the search terms for your ads in the Google AdWords reports section by selecting “search query match type”.

Test, evaluate and refine your bid strategies for the various Google AdWords keyword match types, given a little effort at optimizing your campaign – you should see a direct increase in profit and ROI and improve your internet marketing campaign.

Did you find this Google AdWords Tutorial helpful or would you like to discuss professional help in taking your internet marketing to the next level? Contact Marketing Practicality to improve your Google AdWords campaign performance.