How To Use Phrase Match Type Keywords In Google Ads

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Phrase match is vital to you and your PPC campaign, as you can reach more searches than exact match and fewer searches than with broad match. Here’s how it works.

If I use a phrase match with a keyword phrase that consists of three words, e.g. buy red umbrella, how can I ensure that Google will not show as to searches that are missing on word e.g. buy umbrella, red umbrella, maybe? I think there was a typo. Yeah, let's do that. Buy red umbrella, buy umbrella, red umbrella. That is what is happening in my campaign right now. Okay. I don't want to use an exact match because buy red umbrella would eliminate all the long tail words, which is correct. Move this towards the left of it. Okay, I don't want to use an exact match. Yeah, it will also cut down on the traffic as well. Would eliminate all the long tails like buy red umbrella now or buy red umbrella in Toronto. Fine. I know I can use negative words with exact match correct to eliminate those combinations. But I wanted to know if there are any more sophisticated ways to control it. Okay, so right now you got three match types broad, phrase and exact. The BMM, you can't use it anymore. The exact match is not exact anymore. Right? So Google is going to show you closed variants to that exact match. Phrase match is not a phrase anymore. It's going to show you closed variants. And I've seen in the search term reports that Phrase match has triggered a closed variant.

So we are having less and less control on how to trigger our ads on which terms. The only way to combat this is with using negative keywords very aggressively. So you can use negative keywords at three levels, at group level, campaign level, and account level negatives. In this case, I would use it at the ad group level. And then if you don't want your ads to be triggered by something like buy red umbrella in Toronto, then you will put that as a negative. But I wouldn't do that because then you are reducing the impressions and the search impression share. As long as these three words are on that phrase, then you want to show that in any combination of that search term. And if these three words are not in that search term, then you start putting them as negatives. So that is the best way to negate this problem. The other thing which you also want to test is the algorithm keeps changing. You must try a broad match as well. And you will be pleasantly surprised as to how much more traffic you can get to your website at a lower cost, because broad match keywords are the cheapest clicks. They may not be the most searched terms with the intent in it, but if you are putting up negative keywords regularly, then you are going to improve and optimize your campaigns as you go along. So that's how I would use it. So, yes, you keep using negative keywords aggressively.