Keywords are the heart of any PPC campaign. But confusion surrounds the concept of keywords. In this article, let’s discuss what keywords are and how they’re different from search queries. Then, let’s begin to understand how ads are matched to search queries using keyword match types.
What is a keyword?
As it relates to PPC, a keyword is a word or phrase that is used to match your ads with the terms people are searching for on a search engine like Google.
Keyword and search query are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re not exactly the same thing.
A keyword is actually an abstraction; it’s a reference point to find related words and phrases. A search query, on the other hand, is the phrase a user types into the search bar to find information.
As an advertiser, you target keywords. Your target keywords are the phrases that you think will match with search queries from potential customers interested in your product or service. How these ads are matched is explained by keyword match types below.
Long-tail keywords
Keywords can be extremely general, like shoes or cameras. While it’s sometimes beneficial to target keywords with a high volume of search traffic, it’s usually better to target people searching specifically for what you have to offer.
For instance, rather than targeting a general keyword like shoes, you could get more specific and target men’s shoes. But this is still a broad term that could describe any men’s shoe. Men’s brown loafer size 12 is more targeted.
This kind of targeted and specific keyword is known as a long-tail keyword. Long-tail keywords usually contain three or more words. While a long-tail keyword may not receive as much search volume as a general keyword, its specificity means you have a better chance of making a sale or creating a conversion. Why? Because the user knows exactly what he’s searching for (that is, a size 12 men’s loafer), and you, the advertiser, can point him directly to a size 12 men’s loafer on your website.
Keyword Match Types
How your target keywords are matched with a user’s search query is determined by the keyword match type.
There are three main keyword match types: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. There is also a fourth match type, modified broad match, that is a derivation of the first.
Keyword match type #1: Broad match
When you type a keyword by itself, without any special punctuations, it is set to broad match. And as the name applies, broad match will match each keyword to the broadest set of queries that users type into Google.
Broad match keywords enable the Google algorithm to display your ad when someone types
- the phrase you typed in,
- similar phrases,
- singular or plural forms,
- misspellings,
- synonyms,
- stemmings (such as floor and flooring),
- related searches,
- and other variations that the Google algorithm considers relevant. And that considered relevance can often become problematic.
Here’s a real-world example: an elite tennis camp used the phrase tennis camp as a broad match keyword. Its ad appeared when someone typed in the plural, tennis camps. That’s a good match. But the ad also appeared when someone typed in weight loss camp. That’s not a relevant match at all.
Keyword match type #2: Phrase match
Phrase match keywords show your ad to customers who search for that phrase with additional words before or after the phrase. For example, if your phrase match keyword is “high heel shoes” your ad might show when someone typed in any of these:
- high heel shoes size 7
- women’s high heel shoes
- women’s high heel shoes size 7
The taxonomy for phrase match keywords is “quotation marks” at the beginning and end of the keyword phrase. The easiest way to remember phrase match is that the user must type what’s inside the quotes in the exact order that it appears, but the user can add more words to the left and/or right of the quotes. Therefore, if the user query was high heel women’s shoes, your ad would not be eligible to show.
Keyword match type #3: Exact match
Exact match keywords mean pretty much that: the user must type in exactly what the keyword is, and nothing else.
The exact match keyword taxonomy is [piano brackets]. Your ad will show only when a user types a query that exactly matches what’s inside the piano brackets.
Keyword match type #4: Modified Broad Match
Modified broad match offers the flexibility of broad match but gives you, the advertiser, a little bit more control.
With modified broad match, you specify that certain keyword terms or their close variants must appear to trigger your ad. Close variants include misspellings, singular/plural forms, abbreviations and acronyms, and stemmings. Variants do not include synonyms or related searches.
So let’s say your keyword phrase is violin teacher, but you put a broad match modifier, signified by a plus sign (+) before teacher. This means that some close variant of teacher must appear to trigger your ad. Your ad might appear on searches for violin tachers (a misspelling), violin teachers (plural), violin teaching (stemming). However, your ad would not appear for a synonym such as violin lesson.
Quick Review of Keyword Match Types
- Google defaults to broad match, which gives the algorithm the most leeway to match your ads.
- If you add a broad match modifier, signified by the plus sign, you’re telling the algorithm that certain terms or a close variant must appear in a user’s search.
- If you add quotation marks, your keyword is now in phrase match. What’s between the quotation marks must appear, but the user can add more words to the left and/or right of the quotes.
- Finally, exact match, signified by piano brackets, means that the user’s search must match exactly in order to trigger your ad.
There are appropriate uses for all match types, so you’ll need to do some experimentation to see what works best in your campaigns.
Once you have a good feel for these match types, make sure to understand the importance of negative keywords.