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Writer's picturePaolo Casula

Control which searches trigger your ads

Introduction


You can control how closely your keywords match a person’s search terms before your ad can be triggered to show. This course explains how to do this using keyword match types. 

What you’ll learn:

  1. How match types help control which searches can trigger your ad

  2. How to use each match type in your campaign’s keyword list

What would you do?


Imagine you’re building a keyword list for a company that sells athletic shoes. If you include the keyword “men’s tennis shoes”, which of the following searches could trigger your ad?

 

How do I control which searches trigger my ads?


Customers can see your ad when they search for or visit a website with terms in your keyword list. This match is done broadly by default so your ad can show to the largest possible audience. However, this means your ad could show to people who aren't likely to become your customers. The solution? Match types. You can use match types to control which variations of your keywords cause your ad to show to potential customers. 


 

How do I use match types?

Let’s take a closer look at each match type and then practice how you can use them with some examples. 


Broad match shows your ads based on keywords and close variations like synonyms and misspellings.

  • Example: A search for “tennis sneakers” could return your ad

  • Benefit: Shows ads most broadly with least amount of set up

  • Set it up: Do nothing — this is the default for all searches

Broad match modifier shows your ads based on the broad match, but excludes synonyms.

  • Example: A search for “buy tenis shoes” could return your ad

  • Benefit: More targeted, can increase clicks and conversions

  • Set it up: Add plus sign ( + ) before terms

Phrase match shows your ads based on exact phrases and close variations.

  • Example: A search for “tennis shoes reviews” could return your ad

  • Benefit: More targeted

  • Set it up: Add quotes (“ ”) around term

Exact match shows your ads based on exact keywords and close variations.

  • Example: A search for “tennis shoes” could return your ads

  • Benefit: Narrows ad's potential audience the most

  • Set it up: Add brackets ([ ]) around term

Negative match shows your ads based on searches and site visits that exclude keywords.

  • Example: A search for “men’s tennis shoes” would not return your ad

  • Benefit: Prevents ad from showing on unrelated searches or websites

  • Set it up: Add minus sign ( - ) before terms that should never trigger ads


 

Recap


In this course, we covered the different keyword match types and how you can use match types to limit who sees your ad. Now ask yourself this: How could you use match types to more effectively target your ads? 

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