Over the last three decades, the keyword strategy landscape has undergone numerous transformations, shaped by trillions of searches. User queries have evolved from elaborate sentences to concise three-word searches, driven by a range of factors from predictable behavior to advertising tactics or serendipitous discoveries. Despite these changes, the ultimate goal remains constant: provide the answers our customers seek.

So, how do you achieve this goal and evolve with the neverending changes in our field?

It may not be necessary to reinvent the wheel. Instead, let’s delve into the recent enhancements in broad match and discover why you should incorporate broad match into your 2024 strategy.

Intended Subject and Order Matter, And Now Broad Match Knows It

In the past 15 years, broad match’s popularity has declined due to its previous limitations in search-matching abilities and reduced relevant search results. However, the latest version of broad match has addressed these issues. Unlike its predecessor, the improved broad match now considers the order of words in a search query and differentiates between homographs and homonyms.

For example, in the past, if a user’s search included the term ‘bass’, the results page would struggle to distinguish between the musical instrument and the fish. Similarly, it faced difficulties in understanding the specific needs reflected in the order of the search terms. Searches like “moving services from California to New York” might have previously returned irrelevant results like “moving services from New York to California.” With the updates to broad match, it can now recognize these distinctions and adapt accordingly.

Future Durability

In addition to structural updates, Google has harnessed insights from billions of search queries to better understand user intent. This shift prioritizes Google signals over solely focusing on keywords and crawling.

While keywords remain important, narrow strategies like exact match may become less effective over time as they struggle to capture the fluidity of user preferences. Broad match, on the other hand, is adapting by incorporating AI, Large-Language Models, supporting information, and user personas, positioning itself to excel in the ever-changing advertising realm.

How Broad Match Benefits Smart Bidding

Broad match and smart bidding work together seamlessly to improve performance. When combined, they create a synergy that enhances each other’s capabilities. Smart bidding gives broad match the necessary focus and direction to drive performance, while broad match allows the algorithms to learn faster and discover additional auctions that can contribute to your growth objectives.

Relying solely on exact keywords that your audience may search for is not always enough. Many searches start with broader terms, and allowing bidding algorithms to consider these searches can achieve better performance and reach customers you may have otherwise missed.

Implementing Broad Match Keywords to Increase ROI

1. Starting with Pilot Campaigns: Begin by incorporating broad match keywords into a few select campaigns rather than across your entire portfolio. For instance, if you run a campaign for “office furniture,” you might start with broad match keywords like “office furniture ideas” or “modern office furniture.” Monitor the performance over a few weeks before expanding.

2. Combining Broad Match with Smart Bidding: Pairing broad match with smart bidding strategies like Target CPA or Maximize Conversions can help focus your bids on the most relevant searches. For example, if you aim to maximize conversions for a product launch, broad match can help capture a wide array of relevant queries, while smart bidding ensures your budget is optimized for the highest potential ROI.

3. Leveraging Negative Keywords: To prevent your ads from appearing for irrelevant searches, use negative keywords as guardrails. For example, if you’re advertising high-end office furniture, you might add negative keywords like “cheap” or “discount” to ensure your broad match keywords don’t trigger for low-intent searches.

4. Utilizing the Search Term Report: Regularly review the search term report to identify which broad match queries are driving performance. For example, if you notice that “ergonomic office chairs” is generating high conversions, consider adding it as an exact match keyword to ensure continued focus and lower CPC.

Putting It All Together

When implementing broad match, start gradually. Instead of applying it across your entire portfolio all at once, consider starting with one or two campaigns. After incorporating broad match, wait a full two weeks before analyzing results. You may initially see a decrease in relevant conversions, but as the match type ‘trains,’ you should notice an increase in click and conversion data.

Negative keyword targeting remains crucial. Even though broad match will eventually learn to avoid underperforming keywords, setting up ‘guardrails’ with negative keywords is wise. Utilizing tools like the ‘search term report’ can help identify and exclude irrelevant keywords for better campaign performance.

In the ever-evolving advertising world, decoding search intent has grown more intricate. Exploring and testing strategies such as broad match is essential. Although not a novel idea, its significance has never been greater. As broad match gains popularity and AI progresses, its potential only continues to expand.

Contact Us to discuss how we’ve been able to increase our clients return on investment utilising the above.