What are match types?

Short answer

With match types in Google Ads you decide how closely a search must match your keyword. There are three types: broad, phrase and exact.

Broad is the widest. Google also shows your ad for searches that are a bit similar. That gives a lot of reach but also more waste.

You put phrase match between quotation marks. The meaning of your keyword must be in the search.

You put exact match between square brackets. Your ad only shows for searches with the same meaning. Less reach but more control.

Real-life example

A roofer advertised on "roof" with broad match. He paid for clicks on "roof box" and "roof tent". With phrase and exact match the money went to real jobs.

How we help with this

At Marketing Friends we take care of this for businesses across Europe. Read more about Google Ads or first do the free scan.

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