It's hard to know what keywords are going to be best for your business. You might think that the more specific you can get, the better - but this isn't always true. In order to find out which keyword types will work for you, it is important to understand all of the different options available in Google Ads and how they differ from one another. This blog post will teach you about, broad match, phrase match, and exact phrase match keywords.
Let's start with broad match keywords. Broad match keywords are the most comprehensive and open-ended keyword type. If you use broad match, Google will show your ad to a searcher who has searched for anything that is related to your keyword phrase, even if they have misspelled it or used different words in their search query. This means that when someone searches "dog feed," your ad with a broad match keyword of "dog food," may be shown.
Exact match keywords differ from broad in that they are more specific and targeted to searchers who have used the same exact words or phrases as you did when creating a keyword group. This means that if someone searches for "dog food" and clicks on an ad with this word, your ad will only be shown to this searcher and not any other variations of the word like "feed."
Exact match keywords allow you to increase your relevance score as they are more specific than broad or phrase match keywords, which means that people who search for these exact phrases will find your corresponding ads easier when compared with a regular keyword targeting. These however are much more niche and you won't see as much volume as broad or phrase.
Finally, there are phrase match keywords. These are somewhere in between exact and broad keywords, as they allow you to target words or phrases that have been contained within the same sentence of your content. These will be shown if someone has used these terms without necessarily completing their search. If only part of your phrase keyword is included in their full search term, it will show.
The types of keywords you use is dependent on your goals and where you're starting. Check with your local paid ads specialist or reach out to byDesign to learn more or get ideas on how to structure your keywords.
