What You Need to Know About PPC Keyword Match Types

Using match types allows you to set up certain keywords in a way that will help you control who sees your ad. We recommend using all three of the main match types when you first activate your new PPC campaign so you can maximize your exposure and learn which match type will give you the best results. Later on you can determine which match type is most effective and pause others if they’re not working.

Broad Match (keyword, no punctuation): This term applies to Google and MSN adCenter. In Yahoo! this is called Advanced Match. In all three search engines, this is the default setting. Broad match allows Google et al. to display your ads for terms that are variations of, plurals of, or related to (enter expanded broad match) the keywords in your account.

Expanded Broad Match (keyword, no punctuation): Expanded broad match automatically displays ads for terms related to your keywords, plural forms included. If your goal is to get a lot of traffic for branding purposes, expanded broad match is for you. However, expanded broad match is included in broad match, so you don’t have to do anything to get expanded broad match. If you want more control over who sees your ads, you have to run a search query report to find and add negative keywords.

Phrase Match (“keyword” in quotes): This term applies to Google and MSN adCenter ONLY. This match type will show ads when the keyword phrase from your account is a part of the actual search query (all words, in the same order). For example, your keyword is tennis shoes, and that keyword will show ads for searches such as tennis shoes store and big purple tennis shoes.

Exact Match ([keyword] in brackets): This term applies to Google and MSN adCenter. In Yahoo! this is called Standard Match. This match type is the obvious one: your keyword will only display ads when searchers enter this keyword exactly into the search engines.

Negative Match (-keyword, with minus sign): This term applies to Google and MSN adCenter. In Yahoo! this is called Excluded Keywords. By applying negative match keywords to your account, you are telling the search engines NOT to display your ad for searches containing that term. This also applies to the content network. Applying negative keywords in content campaigns will prevent your ads from displaying on irrelevant sites.

Be sure to start off your PPC campaigns with all match types. Run your search query reports to find any negative keywords you may need to add. Again, match types are a great way to control who sees your ads, and they’re very easy to implement.