Managing Broad Match Keywords

Best Practices for Success

Broad match keywords in Google Ads are both a powerful tool and a potential risk. When managed correctly, they can expand your reach and help discover new, relevant search queries that could bring value to your business. However, without careful management, broad match keywords can lead to wasted ad spend on irrelevant traffic. Let's dive into some best practices to make sure you’re getting the most out of broad match keywords in your Google Ads campaigns.

Understand the Role of Broad Match Keywords

Broad match keywords are meant to drive lower cost, higher funnel traffic to your site. As the name suggests, search terms will be broadly matched to your keywords, allowing your ads to appear in searches that include synonyms, related searches, typos, and other variations of the keywords you’ve added to your account. This match type is especially useful for uncovering new search terms and maximizing exposure, but it requires a balanced approach to avoid unintended, irrelevant traffic.

Broad match keywords should be treated as a research tool rather than a primary strategy. Remember to set broad match bids lower than any other match type, and pay close attention to your search query reports after you’ve added them.

Broad match keywords require more frequent monitoring than other match types, so regularly checking the Search Terms Report to see which search queries triggered your ads is going to be critical until you’ve built up a strong negative keyword list.

To find irrelevant terms that may be draining your budget, sort search terms by cost and irrelevant terms to a negative keyword list. This is crucial for ensuring that your broad match keywords remain as focused and relevant as possible.

Negative keywords are indispensable when it comes to managing broad match keywords effectively. They help refine your audience by excluding terms that are irrelevant or lead to low-quality traffic. I always add terms like “cost,” “how much,” “reviews,” and “how to” to my client’s accounts to prevent irrelevant terms from cropping up. Over time, you’ll build a robust list of negative keywords that can prevent wasteful spending and enhance the quality of your traffic.

Remember that adding broad match keywords to your campaign requires you to leverage more data. CTR isn’t the only measure of performance you’ll need to audit- remember to check post-click user behavior in Google Analytics to help ensure the traffic being generated is engaged, relevant, and interested.

The key to success with broad match keywords lies in constant optimization. As you collect data, continuously refine your keyword list, bid strategies, and ad copy. Broad match campaigns that are left unchecked can quickly go off-course and waste valuable ad budget, so it's essential to stay on top of changes in search behavior, seasonal trends, and industry shifts.

Broad match keywords are a powerful addition to any Google Ads strategy, but they require careful management to be effective. By combining them with robust negative keyword lists, and frequent performance monitoring, you can leverage broad match keywords to drive relevant traffic and expand your reach without sacrificing your budget. Remember, success in Google Ads isn’t about casting the widest net—it’s about finding the right customers at the right time with the right message. Keep this balance, and your campaigns will be well-positioned to thrive.