Overview
Keyword match types in Google Ads control how closely somebody’s search needs to relate to your chosen keyword before your advert can be eligible to appear. Negative keyword match types work in the opposite direction, preventing adverts from appearing for unwanted searches so more of your budget can be focused on relevant traffic.

 

Keywords sit at the heart of Google Search campaigns because they help connect what somebody searches for with the adverts a business wants to show them.

Choosing the right keywords is only part of that process. You also need to decide how closely a search should relate to each keyword and which searches you specifically want to exclude.

That is where keyword match types and negative keyword match types come in.

For businesses running Google Ads themselves or using professional PPC management services, understanding these controls can make a noticeable difference to where budget is spent.

 

What are keyword match types?

Keyword match types determine how closely a person’s search needs to relate to the keyword in your Google Ads account before your advert can be considered for the auction.

Google Ads currently has three standard keyword match types:

  • Broad match
  • Phrase match
  • Exact match

The system has changed considerably over the years. Match types are now based much more heavily on the meaning and intent of a search, rather than simply whether somebody types exactly the same words as your keyword.

This is important if you have managed Google Ads campaigns for a long time, as older descriptions of phrase and exact match can give a misleading impression of how they behave today.

 

How does broad match work?

Broad match gives Google the widest scope when deciding which searches are relevant to your keyword. There is no special symbol required.
For example:

Keyword: running shoes

With broad match, your advert could potentially appear for searches that relate to the meaning of that keyword, even where the search does not contain the words “running shoes” themselves.

Google can consider information such as:

  • the user’s recent searches
  • the content of your landing page
  • other keywords within the ad group
  • the meaning and context of the search.

This gives broad match considerably more reach than phrase or exact match. Google also recommends pairing broad match with Smart Bidding because the additional search data gives its automated bidding systems more information to work with.

That additional reach needs monitoring.

A broad keyword may uncover searches you would never have thought to add manually, but it can also expose the campaign to searches that are technically related while having little commercial value to your business.

This is why reviewing actual search terms remains important.

 

How does phrase match work?

Phrase match sits between broad and exact match.

Its syntax uses quotation marks:

Keyword: “running shoes”

Historically, phrase match relied much more heavily on the words appearing in a particular order.

That is no longer an accurate way to think about it.

Today, adverts can appear for searches that include the meaning of your keyword. The wording does not always need to be identical, and Google may match searches where the keyword’s meaning is implied.

Phrase match generally reaches more searches than exact match and fewer than broad match.

For example, “running shoes” could potentially match searches that clearly express an intention to find running footwear without reproducing the keyword word for word.

Phrase match can therefore be useful when you want more control than broad match while still allowing Google some flexibility around how people naturally search.

 

How does exact match work?

Exact match provides the greatest degree of control of the three standard match types.

Its syntax uses square brackets:

Keyword: [running shoes]

The name can be slightly misleading because exact match no longer means that the search has to contain exactly the same words in exactly the same order.

Google describes exact match as allowing adverts to show for searches with the same meaning or same intent as the keyword.

That means [running shoes] can potentially match searches that Google understands to mean essentially the same thing.

Exact match usually reaches fewer searches than phrase or broad match, but it can be useful where you have a clear idea of the searches you want to target and want tighter control over traffic.

 

Which keyword match type should you use?

There is no single match type that should be used across every Google Ads campaign.

Broad match can provide useful reach and allow automated bidding to identify additional opportunities. Phrase match can provide a middle ground where some flexibility is useful. Exact match can make sense when you want closer control around particularly important searches.

Google itself advises that broader match types include the searches covered by narrower match types, plus additional related searches.

The decision should therefore be based on factors such as:

  • available budget
  • conversion data
  • bidding strategy
  • how broad the product or service offering is
  • the quality of conversion tracking
  • how much search-term variation exists in the market.

The search terms being generated by the campaign should then be reviewed rather than assuming the initial keyword setup will remain suitable indefinitely.

 

What are negative keyword match types?

Negative keyword match types control the searches for which you do not want your adverts to appear.

This is separate from standard keyword matching.

If somebody regularly reaches your adverts through a search that is irrelevant to what you sell, adding an appropriate negative keyword can prevent future spend on that search or group of searches.

Google Ads provides three negative match types:

  • Negative broad match
  • Negative phrase match
  • Negative exact match

These behave differently from their standard keyword equivalents. In particular, negative keywords do not automatically match the same close variants in the way positive keywords can.

For example, excluding one form of a word does not necessarily exclude its plural, misspellings or similar wording.

That detail can make a significant difference when building a negative keyword list.

How does negative broad match work?

Negative broad match prevents your advert from appearing when a search contains all the words in your negative keyword, even if those words appear in a different order.

Imagine the negative keyword is:

Negative keyword: running shoes

Your advert could be prevented from appearing for:

cheap running shoes

and:

shoes for running

because both searches contain the words within the negative keyword.

However, a search containing only one of those words may still be eligible.

This makes negative broad match useful where a combination of words consistently signals an irrelevant search.

Care is needed with individual words because blocking something too broad can remove searches that would otherwise have been valuable.

 

How does negative phrase match work?

Negative phrase match prevents an advert from appearing when the search contains the negative keyword in the same order.

For example:

Negative keyword: “running shoes”

This could prevent an advert appearing for:

cheap running shoes

because the phrase “running shoes” is present in that order.

A search such as:

shoes for running

could still be eligible because the negative phrase itself is not present in the same order.

Google confirms that additional words can appear before or after a negative phrase and the advert will still be excluded as long as the phrase itself remains intact.

Negative phrase match is useful when a particular phrase clearly indicates that the searcher is looking for something your business does not provide.

 

How does negative exact match work?

Negative exact match is the narrowest form of negative keyword targeting.

For example:

Negative keyword: [running shoes]

This would prevent the advert from appearing for the search:

running shoes

However, it could still appear for:

cheap running shoes

because additional words have been added.

Negative exact match is therefore useful where one very specific search is unwanted but similar, longer searches may still be relevant.

 

How should you choose between negative broad, phrase and exact match?

Think about exactly what you are trying to prevent.

If an individual word or combination is almost always irrelevant, negative broad match may be appropriate.

If a particular phrase indicates the wrong intent but some searches containing those individual words remain useful, negative phrase match can provide more control.

If you only want to block one precise search while keeping close variations available, negative exact match may be the better fit.

A practical example might be a business selling premium products.

Searches containing terms such as “free”, “second hand” or “DIY” could potentially represent traffic that is unlikely to convert, depending on what the business offers.

Those terms should only be excluded after considering whether they genuinely have no value to the campaign.

 

Why are negative keywords important for PPC budgets?

Irrelevant clicks still cost money.

A search term may receive only a handful of clicks each month, but across dozens or hundreds of irrelevant searches the spend can become significant.

Reviewing search terms helps identify where this is happening.

For example, a company selling new commercial equipment may discover that people are clicking its adverts after searching for:

  • equipment hire
  • second-hand equipment
  • spare parts
  • manuals
  • jobs
  • training
  • free equipment.

If those searches do not represent potential customers, negative keywords can prevent similar searches from continuing to consume budget.

The important measure is what happens afterwards. Budget that was previously spent on irrelevant searches can remain available for searches with stronger commercial intent.

 

How often should you review negative keywords?

Negative keywords should not be treated as a one-off campaign setup task.

The searches people make change, Google finds new ways of matching keywords, and broad or phrase keywords can begin generating search terms that were never considered when the campaign was created.

Google’s Search Terms report provides the actual queries that triggered adverts and can be used to identify potential negative keywords.

A useful review normally involves asking:

  • Does this search relate to what we sell?
  • Does it show realistic buying intent?
  • Has it generated several clicks without useful actions?
  • Is the problem one search or a wider theme?
  • Would excluding it accidentally block useful searches?

That first-hand detail would be particularly useful here because it shows what ongoing PPC management looks like in practice.

 

What happened to broad match modifier?

Broad match modifier, often shortened to BMM, is a legacy Google Ads match type that is no longer available.

It was previously identified using a plus sign before individual keyword terms, for example:

+running +shoes

Broad match modifier allowed advertisers to specify words that needed to be present, or closely represented, within the search.

Google began incorporating broad match modifier behaviour into phrase match in 2021 and eventually removed the ability to create new BMM keywords. Existing BMM keywords subsequently began behaving in the same way as phrase match keywords.

You may still see broad match modifier mentioned in old PPC guides, historic campaign documentation or older Google Ads accounts.

For a current campaign, the standard match types to work with are broad, phrase and exact.

Do negative keywords match plurals and spelling variations?

This is an easy detail to miss.

Negative keywords do not automatically expand to close variants in the same way that standard keywords can.

Google gives the example that excluding the negative keyword house can prevent an advert from appearing for a search containing “house”, while a search containing “houses” could still be eligible.

If several forms of a word are unwanted, you may therefore need to add those variations separately.

The same principle can apply to:

  • singular and plural wording
  • spelling variations
  • alternative terminology
  • common misspellings.

This is another reason to review real search terms rather than trying to predict every possible negative keyword when the campaign is first built.

 

Can negative keyword lists be shared across campaigns?

Yes. Google Ads allows negative keyword lists to be created and applied across relevant campaigns. Account-level negative keywords are also available for exclusions that apply more widely across the account.

This can be useful for terms that are clearly irrelevant to the whole business.

For example, if a company never provides employment or training opportunities through its PPC campaigns, relevant employment-related searches might make sense as broader account exclusions.

Campaign-specific negatives should still be used where the exclusion only applies to one particular product, service or audience.

Applying every negative across the whole account can unintentionally remove useful traffic from another campaign.

 

How can you use keyword match types more effectively?

Start by thinking about what somebody is trying to achieve when they search. Choose broad, phrase or exact match based on how much flexibility you want Google to have around that intent.

Then use the Search Terms report to see what actually happens after the campaign starts.

Useful searches can reveal new keyword opportunities. Irrelevant searches can become negative keywords. Searches spending money without producing enquiries or sales may need closer investigation.

Over time, this creates a much clearer picture of where the advertising budget is going.

Keyword match types control the searches you want to reach. Negative keyword match types help remove the searches you do not.

Using both together gives you much more useful control over who sees your adverts and where your PPC budget is being spent.