Keywords & Targeting
Exact Match
Exact match is a Google Ads keyword match type, written in brackets, that shows ads for searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword, including close variants.
In practice
Exact match once meant the literal query. Today it means the same intent, so [running shoes] can match a search for sneakers for running. Even so, it remains the tightest match type available and the one that gives the cleanest search term data.
We use exact match as the default for new lead-generation and high-value Search campaigns. Clicks cost a little more than broad match because you are competing on the highest-intent phrasing, but cost per customer is dramatically better because the traffic is what you asked for. Exact match keywords also hold priority over Performance Max for identical queries, which is how you keep control of your most important terms in a mixed account.
The workflow is to mine the search terms report from exact and phrase campaigns, promote converting queries to their own exact match keywords, and negate the rest. Over time the account becomes a curated list of proven buyer language.
Why it matters
It is the match type that keeps spend on proven intent and produces the data that makes every other decision better.
RELATED TERMS
Phrase Match
Phrase match is a keyword match type, written in quotes, that shows ads for searches that include the meaning of the keyword, with additional words allowed before or after.
Broad Match
Broad match is the default keyword match type that shows ads for searches related to the keyword's meaning, including synonyms, related topics, and queries that do not contain the keyword's words at all.
Search Terms Report
The search terms report lists the actual queries that triggered your ads, with performance metrics for each, as opposed to the keywords you bid on.
Written by Ilya Bulychev, Founder, Live PPC Ads. Part of the PPC Glossary.
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