Since Google got rid of its broad match modifier (BMM) and left us with “broad match,” a lot of advertisers have ditched the match type altogether.
It’s understandable, really. Broad match keywords were notorious for being unreliable, too broad, and for populating search terms reports that made no sense.
It wasn’t uncommon for a “running socks” search to trigger phrases like “tennis shoes,” for example.
But there’s good news: Google redesigned how broad match keywords work.
Here are a few things that have changed since BMM was taken away from us:
- Broad match keywords now give more relevant searches based on your ads account. Broad match uses all the signals in an ad account, including your landing page and other keywords in the ad group, to reach relevant customers. It’s no longer a guessing game, thankfully.
- Google changed its language from “related” to “relevant” to describe how broad match keywords work, confirming that they started being careful with our precious ad dollars by providing us with cleaner search results.
If you decide to add broad match keywords, let Google gather enough information about your target customers with its initial setup first—i.e., your phrase and exact match keywords.
And when you add broad match keywords, make sure to pair your campaigns with an automated bidding strategy to only compete in relevant auctions.
And just so you know… this doesn’t mean you should just add broad match keywords into every ad group in Google Ads.
But it’s always worth a test.
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified book reviewer and editor with over 10 years of experience in the publishing industry. He has reviewed hundreds of books for reputable magazines and websites, such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Goodreads. Alex has a master’s degree in comparative literature from Harvard University and a PhD in literary criticism from Oxford University. He is also the author of several acclaimed books on literary theory and analysis, such as The Art of Reading and How to Write a Book Review. Alex lives in London, England with his wife and two children. You can contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
