What is Keyword Matching and what is best to use?
There are many different arguments out there in the PPC Management world of how to use the keyword matching facility supplied by adwords. Firstly a brief explanation of what keyword matching is for those novices out there…..
Keyword matching is a function Google supplies within its many tools that enables advertisers to gain greater exposure from just 1 keyword by simply adding the codes "" or [] to turn the key term into a phrase, exact or broad match term. See the example below……From a supplier of Floor Tiles Online
Exact Match – With the addition of [at the beginning of the term and] at the end of the term only the exact typing of the search query will trigger your ad.
[Floor Tile] = Ads are only triggered by the term Floor Tile and nothing else.
Phrase Match – With the addition of " at the beginning of the term and " at the end of the term the key phrase can now trigger your ads within a phrase search.
"Floor Tile" = Ads are triggered by any phrase containing the keywords. "I want to buy a floor tile"
Broad Match – With no code addition here the search term can be mixed up in any sentence, phrase or single term.
Floor Tile = Ads are triggered by both searches above and broad mixed searches such as "porcelain tiles for my floor"
So which is best?
My advice is to start at the beginning and go for the narrow search terms. Use the exact option but try and add all variations possible to the search term such as [buy floor tiles] or [floor tile suppliers] and try and create ad groups for all of these terms so that your ads are very relevant to the original query.
Once you have exhausted all variations begin to add a few phrase match keywords but remember to add negative keywords to compliment your accounts. So use negative terms like “pictures” or “how to lay” to avoid searches in phrases coming in like "pictures of floor tiles" wasting your budget on people who are not interested in buying from you.
Only then should you start to add the broad match terms to soak up any peripheral clicks. Beware though this can be expensive and can nibble away at your ad spend very quickly unless you are very aware of what you are doing…..
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