This article is NOT a play-by-play of what each keyword match type is, but rather this post is a way for me to talk about strengths, weaknesses and averages for each match type. I want to emphasize that nothing in this post is my opinion or belief, but everything I say is backed up by data and stats that I’ve pulled from my Keyword Performance Reports
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*The averages I’ve taken are from thousands of keywords and campaigns full of hundreds of Ad Groups from many different verticals.
Let’s talk about each keyword:
Broad Match Type
I like to think of the Broad match type as missile turret, it usually inherits a ‘Shock and Awe’ tactic. The broad match type will either be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to conversions and revenue. Review the basic functions of Broad Match Type at Google. Broad match types have the potential for the most amount of impact on your campaign if you don’t watch them carefully. By far, impression are the highest among the broad match type keywords. In totaling all the impressions in all my campaigns, broad keywords accounted for 50% of all my impressions. Because of the open nature of broad keywords, you can often spend 50% of your campaign budget through broad keywords, and still be very profitable. In regards to conversion rate, in my metrics Broad came in 2nd place for the highest conversion rate. It was 25% higher Phrase, which is pretty significant. But Broad match has a very good chance of being your #1 revenue generator. In my verticals Broad was the highest in revenue, being 17% higher than the next highest match type. (Which was Exact)
Plan of Attack: Many Broad keywords can make wonderful Exact match types, so always be on the lookup to add broads to your exact list.
Initial Bid: Begin your bidding at a minimum CPC.
Extended Broad Match Type
Extended Broad Match (a.k.a. Broad Match Modifiers) are relatively new to paid search. They only exist currently in Google, and you can’t find them in Yahoo in Bing. Review the basic functions of Broad Match Type at Google. Extended Broad Match holds a great deal of variety. You can do a lot of different things with a set of 3-4 words in your keyword. Adding one ‘+’ to a generic term can allow you narrow down your search more than the conventional Broad Match would allow. However, adding three or four ‘+’ symbols allows you to approach exact search specification.
Plan of Attack: Test out different variations of adding the ‘+’ symbol to different words or even all words if necessary. Always compare data between keywords in regards to Extended Broad match type.
Initial Bid: Anchor Extended Broad Match - Begin low and constantly be discovering new keywords to modify. Double Anchor Extended Broad Match - Be more moderate in your initial CPC bid. Fully Extended Broad Match - Be competitive with your initial bidding.
Phrase Match Type
I’ve always liked to think of Phrase as a machine gun. In general, your word count per keyword will increase and you have to approach the match type with a ‘spray and pray’ tactic. Review the basic functions of Phrase Match Type at Google. In my metrics, the average Exact and Broad match type has 1-2 words per keyword, while Phrase has an average or 2-3 words per keyword. This increase of words in each keyword makes it important to watch your Phrase match types to make sure they’re not triggering keywords that you actually don’t want. Because of this Phrase has a tendency of having the lowest conversion rate between the three and therefore brings in the least amount of revenue. (According to my metrics)
Plan of Attack: Find some good keywords and place them as Phrase Match Type. This will give you good targeting with a high level of control in regards to placement and bid price.
Initial Bid: Initiate bidding at a competitive CPC.
Exact Match Type
In the battle field of paid search, the Exact Match Type would be the sniper rifle. Being very precise and on target, the Exact match type can pack a punch if aimed right at it’s target. Your impressions and clicks will decrease significantly, but you have the greater potential for higher relevancy. Review the basic functions of Exact Match Type at Google. My data shows a few interesting facts about Exact match types, including
Plan of Attack: Don’t use too many ambiguous terms or phrases. Instead focus on your high search terms, and focus them down hard.
Initial Bid: Start bidding at a high degree of competitiveness.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice article. Adding pictures of weapons makes any article especially awesome.
I dont think i’ve understood google adwords as much as after reading this.