Ready, set… Google Ads!!! If you don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. Google Ads is a powerhouse tool that helps businesses reach potential customers right when they are searching for products or services, yet keywords are at the heart of any successful campaign. Let’s face it: while keywords are simple, learning how to use them correctly can feel like taking another college course. And who has time for that?
Understanding the different keyword match types is crucial for optimizing your ad performance and ensuring you reach the right audience at the right time. The good news? With the right experts in your corner, it can be simpler than you think. In this blog, we'll dive into what Google Ads keywords are, why they matter, how many you should use, and the differences between Exact Match, Phrase Match, and Broad Match types. We promise this will be much less time-consuming than a college course.
What Are Google Ads Keywords and Why Are They Important?
Google Ads keywords are specific words or phrases you choose to trigger your ads. When users enter these keywords into Google’s search engine, your ads can appear in the search results, depending on various factors such as your bid amount and ad quality.
Why So Serious?
Keywords are the bridge between what people are searching for and the ads that appear. Selecting the right keywords ensures that your ads are shown to the most relevant audience, thereby increasing the likelihood of clicks and conversions. Poor keyword selection can result in wasted ad spend and low engagement rates. We can all agree that’s not an ideal way to use precious resources.
So… How Many Google Ads Keywords Should I Use?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the number of keywords you should use depends on your specific campaign goals. However, a good starting point is to use a mix of 10-20 carefully chosen keywords per ad group. This allows for a balance between broad reach and targeted relevance.
Some advertisers choose to structure their campaigns with an ad group for each keyword - Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAG). In that case, you'll have fewer keywords per ad group. This is a discussion for another blog, but it's possible to get too granular with your keywords - there is a law of diminishing returns here.
Understanding Keyword Match Types
Google Ads offers three main keyword match types to help control which searches trigger your ads: Exact Match, Phrase Match, and Broad Match. Each match type varies in how restrictive or broad it matches user search queries to your keywords.
1. Exact Match
Definition: Exact Match is the most restrictive keyword match type. Your ad will only appear when a user’s search query exactly matches your keyword or is a close variant, such as a misspelling, singular/plural form, or a reordering of words with the same meaning.
Example:
- Keyword: [men's shoes]
- Triggers: “men's shoes,” “men shoes,” “shoes for men”
- Does Not Trigger: “best men's shoes,” “buy men's shoes online”
When to Use: Use Exact Match when you want to target highly specific search queries and ensure maximum relevance. This is ideal for keywords that have proven to convert well and when you want to control your ad spend more tightly.
Tips:
- Regularly review and refine your Exact Match keywords based on performance data.
- Combine Exact Match with high-intent keywords to maximize conversions.
- Use negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches even further.
2. Phrase Match
Definition: Phrase Match is slightly less restrictive than Exact Match. Your ad will appear for searches that include your keyword as a phrase, even if additional words are present before or after the keyword.
Example:
- Keyword: "men's shoes"
- Triggers: “buy men's shoes,” “best men's shoes for running,” “discount men's shoes”
- Does Not Trigger: “shoes for men,” “men's sports shoes”
When to Use: Use Phrase Match to capture a wider range of search queries while maintaining some control over relevance. This is useful when you want to reach users who are searching for specific products or services but might use different phrases.
Tips:
- Combine Phrase Match keywords with Exact Match and Broad Match to cover a range of search intents for new campaigns. If you already have data supporting the success of a specific keyword match type, run with that!
- Regularly monitor the search terms report to identify new keyword opportunities.
- Use Phrase Match for long-tail keywords to attract more targeted traffic.
3. Broad Match
Definition: Broad Match is the default and least restrictive keyword match type. Your ad will appear for searches that include any word in your keyword, in any order, as well as related searches and synonyms.
Example:
- Keyword: men's shoes
- Triggers: “buy shoes for men,” “men's sneakers,” “best shoes for men,” “men's boots”
- Does Not Trigger: Unrelated searches like “women's shoes”
When to Use: Use Broad Match to maximize your reach and discover new keyword opportunities. It’s ideal for new campaigns where you want to gather data on which search queries drive traffic to your site. Google will encourage you to use this match type, but take that recommendation with a grain of salt. If broad match doesn't make sense for your campaign, don't enable it. Because broad match lacks precision, your ads may appear for searches that aren't closely related to your product or service, leading to lower conversion rates and/or leads that don't make sense for your business. This isn't always the case, but again, use your best judgement to determine if broad match is right for your campaign.
Tips:
- Use Broad Match with caution to avoid irrelevant clicks and wasted ad spend.
- Regularly add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing for unrelated searches.
- Analyze the search terms report to identify high-performing keywords to add to your Exact or Phrase Match lists.
Understanding Google Ads keyword match types is essential for creating effective ad campaigns. By strategically using Exact Match, Phrase Match, and Broad Match keywords, you can better control your ad targeting, reach the right audience, and optimize your ad spend.
At Fable Heart Media, we help our clients regularly review and refine their keywords based on performance data to continuously improve their campaigns. Don’t wait a moment longer – it’s time to stop wasting time and resources on ads that yield little or no ROI. Book your free consultation with our dedicated team today.
By mastering keyword match types, you can unlock the full potential of Google Ads and drive meaningful results for your marketing efforts. Happy advertising!
Stop by our blog page for more key Google Ad tips.
