When setting up keywords in Google Ads, one of the most important decisions you need to make is which match type to use.
Match types control how closely a user’s search must match your keyword before your advert appears. Choosing the right match type helps determine who sees your ads and how relevant those clicks are.
Google increasingly encourages advertisers to use broad match keywords, often alongside automated bidding strategies. In theory this allows Google’s algorithms to find new search opportunities.
In practice, however, broad match can often lead to adverts appearing for irrelevant searches, particularly for small businesses with limited budgets.
For this reason, many PPC specialists recommend starting with exact match and phrase match keywords, which give you much greater control over who your adverts reach.
If you are still building your keyword list, you may want to read my guide on how to find keywords for Google Ads.
Key takeaways
- I rarely recommend broad match for small businesses: starting new Google Ads campaigns with exact match and phrase match keywords gives far more control over who sees your adverts.
- Broad match, the Google Ads default, can show adverts for loosely related searches, so relying on it usually needs a very large negative keyword list to avoid wasted spend.
- Phrase match keywords are written in quotation marks, such as “plumber basingstoke”, and exact match keywords in square brackets, such as [plumber basingstoke].
- Broad match modifier is no longer available in Google Ads, because Google removed it and merged its behaviour into phrase match.
- Whatever match types you use, review the search terms report regularly to add negative keywords, remove irrelevant searches and find new keyword opportunities.
What Are Match Types in Google Ads?
Match types tell Google how closely a search query must match your keyword before your advert is shown.
Google Ads currently offers three main match types:
- Broad match
- Phrase match
- Exact match
Each one offers a different level of control over how widely your adverts are shown.
Broad Match
Broad match is the default keyword match type in Google Ads.
With broad match, Google can show your adverts for searches that are loosely related to your keyword, even if the search terms are quite different.
For example, if your keyword is:
plumber basingstoke
Your advert might appear for searches such as:
- plumbing jobs
- boiler servicing
- heating engineer training
- DIY plumbing tips
Google’s system attempts to interpret intent and match your adverts to related searches.
The problem is that this can quickly lead to adverts appearing for searches that are not relevant to your business at all.
If you rely heavily on broad match, you will often need a very large negative keyword list to stop your adverts appearing for unwanted searches.
For small businesses with limited budgets, this can lead to paying for a lot of clicks that are unlikely to turn into enquiries.
Phrase Match
Phrase match offers a good balance between reach and control.
Phrase match keywords are written using quotation marks.
Example:
"plumber basingstoke"
Your advert can appear for searches that include the meaning of that phrase.
For example:
- emergency plumber basingstoke
- plumber basingstoke near me
- local plumber basingstoke
Phrase match still allows some variation, but it keeps your adverts closely aligned with the original keyword.
This makes it far easier to maintain relevance without needing a huge list of negative keywords.
Exact Match
Exact match gives you the most control over when your adverts appear.
Exact match keywords are written using square brackets.
Example:
[plumber basingstoke]
Your advert will only show for searches that closely match that keyword.
For example:
- plumber basingstoke
- plumbers basingstoke
Exact match is particularly useful when targeting high intent keywords, because you know the search is very closely related to your service.
Why I Rarely Recommend Broad Match for Small Businesses
Google often promotes broad match because it gives their system more flexibility.
However, flexibility does not always mean better performance.
Broad match can easily cause adverts to appear for searches that are:
- only loosely related to your service
- informational rather than commercial
- completely irrelevant
To manage this properly, you would need to spend a lot of time reviewing search terms and building a large negative keyword list.
For many small businesses, this is simply not the most efficient way to run campaigns.
In most cases, you already know the types of searches your customers are making. Starting with exact match and phrase match keywords allows you to target those searches directly rather than relying on Google’s algorithm to guess.
A Simple Match Type Strategy
A good approach when launching a new campaign is to start with:
- exact match versions of your core keywords
- phrase match variations of those keywords
For example:
Exact match
[boiler repair basingstoke]
Phrase match
"boiler repair basingstoke"
This allows you to gather data while keeping your targeting tight and your traffic relevant.
If you are still setting up your campaigns, you may also want to read my guide on how to set up your first Google Ads search campaign.
What Happened to Broad Match Modifier?
Broad match modifier used to offer a middle ground between phrase and broad match keywords.
However, Google removed this match type and merged its behaviour into phrase match.
If you want to understand how this change works, see my article on whether broad match modifier can still be used in Google Ads.
Always Review Your Search Terms
No matter which match types you use, reviewing your search terms report regularly is essential.
This report shows the exact searches that triggered your adverts.
From here you can:
- add negative keywords
- remove irrelevant searches
- discover new keyword opportunities
This process helps improve traffic quality and reduce wasted spend over time.
Related guides: Can You Still Use Broad Match Modifier in Google Ads? and How to Find Keywords for Google Ads.
Getting Help With Google Ads
Choosing the right keyword match types is just one part of running a successful Google Ads campaign.
Campaign structure, keyword research and conversion tracking all play an important role in performance.
If you would like help reviewing your campaigns, you can learn more about working with a Hampshire PPC Consultant or explore my PPC consultancy services.
Need help with your Google Ads?
If you’re dealing with an account problem, want a second opinion or need practical PPC support, tell me what you need help with. I’ll reply by email first and let you know whether I can help. You can also select Google Ads review / audit on the form if you’d like a free account review.
Match types determine which searches may trigger an ad. The Quality Score guide covers a different question: whether the keyword, advert and landing page are relevant to one another.