Match types decide how closely a search must relate to your keyword before your ad can enter the auction. Negative keywords do the opposite job: they tell Google Ads which searches should never trigger your ad. Used together, they are the main manual controls you have over who sees your Search ads.
The three positive match types
Google’s help centre describes three keyword match types, each trading reach for control.
| Match type | How you enter it | What it can match | Reach and control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad | Keyword as written, no symbol | Related searches, including ones that do not share the keyword’s exact meaning | Widest reach, least control |
| Phrase | Keyword in quotation marks | Searches that include the keyword’s meaning, which can be implied or more specific | Middle |
| Exact | Keyword in square brackets | Searches with the same meaning or intent | Narrowest reach, most control |
Broad match is the default: every keyword is treated as broad unless you add quotation marks or brackets. Google’s examples show how far it can stretch. For a keyword like “low carb diet plan”, broad match may show for searches such as “carb free meals”. Google also says broad match considers signals beyond the words, including a person’s recent searches, the content of your landing page and other keywords in the ad group, and it recommends pairing broad match with Smart Bidding.
What this means in practice
- Exact suits high-intent terms where you already know the wording and want tight control.
- Phrase suits core service terms where you want some flexibility in how people phrase things.
- Broad suits discovery, but only when conversion tracking is set up and you review the search terms it brings in.
Broader match types capture all the queries of narrower ones, plus more. That is why a single broad keyword can overlap with your exact ones, and why reviewing actual search terms matters more than the keyword list itself.
Negative keywords: what they do and do not do
Google explains that negative keywords stop your ads showing for chosen search terms. An optometrist selling eyeglasses might exclude “wine glasses”. Negatives have match types too, and they behave differently from positive ones.
| Negative match type | Blocks when | Example with “running shoes” excluded |
|---|---|---|
| Broad (default) | Search contains all the negative terms, in any order | “shoes running” and “blue running shoes” blocked, “running shoe” not blocked |
| Phrase | Terms appear together in the same order, extra words allowed | “blue running shoes” blocked, “shoes running” not blocked |
| Exact | Search is exactly those terms, no extras | “blue running shoes” not blocked |
Three limitations from the same page are worth remembering:
- Close variants are not excluded. Excluding “flowers” blocks “red flowers” but not “red flower”, so add singular, plural and synonym forms yourself.
- Long queries can slip through. An ad may still show if the negative term appears after the 16th word of a search.
- Overuse reduces reach. Too many negatives can limit how many customers see your ads.
A routine for tightening targeting
- Open the search terms report and sort by spend. Look at what people actually typed, not what you bid on.
- Sort each term into relevant, irrelevant, or unsure.
- Add irrelevant words as negatives. Start with clear mismatches such as jobs, free, DIY or a different product category, if those do not suit your offer.
- Choose the negative match type deliberately. A broad negative of a single word is powerful and can block more than you expect, so check it against terms you want first.
- Use account-level lists for terms that never apply across campaigns. Google notes that account-level negative keyword lists apply automatically to eligible Search and Shopping inventory.
- Separate campaigns or ad groups when one keyword’s meaning overlaps with another, so each gets matching ads and landing pages.
- Review on a schedule. New queries appear constantly, so fortnightly or monthly checks beat a one-off clean-up.
Hypothetical example
Imagine a Brisbane physiotherapy clinic bidding on “sports physio”. As a phrase keyword, it may reach searches like “sports physio near me”. The clinic does not offer training courses, so it adds “course” and “jobs” as negatives, plus “courses” because variants are not excluded automatically. The result is a tighter set of searches, though it is no guarantee of more enquiries.
Common mistakes
- Leaving every keyword on broad match with no review of search terms.
- Adding a negative that also blocks your best queries.
- Forgetting plurals and synonyms for negatives.
- Judging match types without measuring conversions. Our guide on measuring creative campaign performance covers how to connect spend to outcomes.
- Sending every query to the same page. Message match matters, as explained in landing pages that turn campaign traffic into enquiries.
Targeting controls only make sense inside a plan. If you are still choosing channels and budgets, start with how to build a digital marketing strategy.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Growth and Marketing division covers search visibility, social, campaigns and strategy. If you want a second opinion on how your campaigns are structured, see Growth or contact us.
Sources
- About keyword matching options, Google Ads Help
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help
