What is Phrase Match?

Phrase Match is a keyword matching option used in online advertising platforms, such as Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, to target users searching for specific phrases that include the keyword, along with additional words before or after it. When a keyword is set to Phrase Match, the ad platform will show the Advertiser’s ad to users whose search queries contain the keyword in the specified order, surrounded by other words, but not necessarily adjacent to each other.

How Phrase Match Works

With Phrase Match, Advertisers specify Keywords that they want to target by enclosing them in quotation marks. For example, if an Advertiser sets the Phrase Match keyword “blue shoes,” their ad may be shown to users who search for phrases like “buy blue shoes,” “blue shoes online,” or “blue shoes for sale,” as long as the search query contains the keyword “blue shoes” in the specified order.

However, Phrase Match allows additional words to appear before or after the keyword, so the ad may also be triggered by search queries like “comfortable blue shoes” or “blue shoes for running,” as long as the phrase “blue shoes” remains intact within the user’s search query.

Importance of Phrase Match

Phrase Match Keywords offer several benefits for Advertisers in online advertising Campaigns:

Relevance: Phrase Match allows Advertisers to target users searching for specific phrases that include their target Keywords, ensuring that ads are shown to users with relevant Search Intent.
Flexibility: Phrase Match provides flexibility by allowing additional words to appear before or after the keyword, capturing variations and long-tail search queries while still maintaining relevance.
Traffic Control: Phrase Match enables Advertisers to control the traffic and visibility of their ads by specifying the exact phrase they want to target, while still allowing for some degree of variation and expansion in search queries.
Keyword Expansion: Phrase Match Keywords can help Advertisers discover new keyword variations, user intents, and search trends by capturing relevant search queries that may not have been explicitly targeted.
Performance Insights: Analyzing performance data for Phrase Match Keywords can provide valuable insights into user behavior, search query patterns, and keyword effectiveness, informing optimization strategies and Campaign adjustments.

Best Practices for Phrase Match

To make the most of Phrase Match Keywords in online advertising Campaigns, Advertisers can follow these best practices:

Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant phrases and variations that align with the Campaign objectives and Target Audience.
Use Quotation Marks: Enclose Phrase Match Keywords in quotation marks to specify the exact phrase that should be targeted, ensuring that the keyword appears in the specified order within the user’s search query.
Monitor Search Queries: Regularly monitor search query reports to identify new keyword variations and user intents triggered by Phrase Match Keywords, and adjust keyword targeting and negatives accordingly.
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Ad Copy Relevance: Create ad copy that is relevant to the targeted Phrase Match Keywords, including the keyword in ad headlines, descriptions, and display URLs to improve ad relevance and user Engagement.

Key Takeaways

Phrase Match is a keyword matching option used in online advertising platforms to target users searching for specific phrases that include the keyword, along with additional words before or after it.
With Phrase Match, ads are shown to users whose search queries contain the keyword in the specified order, surrounded by other words, allowing for some degree of variation and expansion in search queries.
Phrase Match Keywords offer benefits such as relevance, flexibility, traffic control, keyword expansion, and performance insights for Advertisers in online advertising Campaigns.
Best practices for Phrase Match include thorough keyword research, using quotation marks, monitoring search queries, utilizing Keywords/" class="pseudolink" target="_blank">Negative Keywords, and ensuring ad copy relevance to improve Campaign effectiveness and targeting precision.