Match types are settings on each search keyword that decide which searches can trigger your ad. Broad match casts the widest net, phrase match requires the meaning of your keyword to be included, and exact match is limited to searches with the same meaning. All three now use meaning rather than strict word matching, which makes them looser than their names suggest.
The three types and their syntax
In Google Ads, match type is shown with punctuation around the keyword. Broad match modifier (+keyword) was retired in 2021, with its behavior folded into phrase match.
- Broad: can match related searches, including ones without your words, using signals such as other keywords in the ad group and landing page content.
- Phrase: matches searches that include the meaning of the keyword, with extra words around it.
- Exact: matches searches with the same meaning or intent, including close variants such as plurals, misspellings and rewordings.
crm for agencies broad match
"crm for agencies" phrase match
[crm for agencies] exact matchBroad match and automation
Google now recommends broad match paired with Smart Bidding, letting the bidding model decide which of the many matched searches are worth paying for. That can work well in accounts with plenty of conversion data. In low-volume B2B accounts, broad match can spend on loosely related queries before the model has enough signal.
A practical approach
Many SaaS teams start with exact and phrase match on their core terms, read the search terms report, and add broad match gradually where conversion tracking is solid. Negative keywords do the work of keeping any match type on target.
Example
A phrase keyword that wandered
Hypothetical company Glintmarsh bids on the phrase keyword “invoice software” and finds it matching “free invoice template word” and “invoice software jobs”. It adds “template”, “free” and “jobs” as negatives and moves its best-converting variations into exact match.
Common mistakes
Assuming exact means exact
Close variants mean an exact match keyword can match searches with different words that Google judges to mean the same thing. Check the search terms report.
Questions
Yes, but negatives behave differently: they do not match close variants, so you may need to add plurals and misspellings separately.
