Paid Advertising
Keyword Match Types
The settings — broad, phrase, and exact — that control how closely a search must match your keyword before your ad can show.
Definition
Keyword match types are the Google Ads settings that govern how loosely or tightly a user's search must match your keyword to trigger your ad. The three types — broad, phrase, and exact — trade reach for precision, and choosing the right mix is fundamental to controlling who sees your ads.
In depth
Match types are the steering wheel of a search campaign. Broad match casts the widest net and shows your ad for loosely related searches; exact match restricts it to the keyword's specific intent; phrase match sits in between. The wider the match, the more traffic — and the more waste.
The right choice depends on intent and data. Exact and phrase match anchor spend on searches that signal someone ready to act, while broad match can expand reach — but only safely when paired with strong Smart Bidding and a clean negative keyword list to steer it away from junk.
The classic mistake is running broad match with no guardrails and paying for searches that were never going to convert. We match the match type to the goal and defend it with negatives, so budget chases buying intent instead of vague relevance.
Worked example
On broad match, the keyword "kitchen remodeler" can show for "kitchen remodeling DIY ideas." On exact match, it shows only for that specific intent — far less reach, far less waste.
Paid Advertising
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