Keywords play an essential role in the success of your digital marketing campaigns. Online marketers have to consider their target audience when carrying out keyword research and then incorporate the results into their content strategies.
This is important because 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic searches. Your website won’t be served to those using the search engine if your content doesn’t include the right keyword and key phrases/phrase match keyword.
Similarly, finding the right keywords is important for the success of your paid ad campaigns as well. Google Ads allows keywords match types to be set on the keywords, which are parameters that decide the triggering of your PPC ads. With these parameters, Google provides control to advertisers on the PPC ads and keywords.
Read ahead to see what keywords match types are and their importance in online marketing.
A keyword match type is a Google AdWords keyword option that delivers an ad on Display Network and Google Search Network. According to the keyword option you select, the ads are shown to either a special user group or a broad target group.
However, the keywords are quite generic and broad to ensure that you factor in for the maximum number of users.
When you select a PPC keyword match type, you ask Google to match your ads to the user searches in a particular way. For instance, an exact match can be too specific and picky, while a broad one will show many user searches that may not apply to your product or service and therefore be of no use to you.
The keyword match type integration of your choice helps the algorithm decide the platforms where your ads appear. As a result, you can target the right and more specific audience. In addition, the keywords match type you select determines the relevancy of the presented ad and the search keywords.
Match type and keyword selection both help to target people when they search in Google. With this match-type option, you can use all the available matches and get a high return on investment for your PPC ad campaigns.
It is essential to understand the different match types and execute a combination of them to help you create an effective Google Ad campaign. You can avoid irrelevant keywords, which will help you save the budget that you can use to drive more conversion rates.
Your keyword match types ensure you get the most value from your PPC advertisement budget. The four main PPC keywords match types determine how a search query matches your Google Ads account keywords. These include phrase match keyword, Broad match keywords, Exact Match, and Modified broad match keywords.
With a proper understanding of each of these match types, you can choose the most suitable one for your campaign to improve your ROI ultimately.
Your keywords are assigned a default type which is the broad match. This lets search engines display your ads for terms that are your account’s keyword variations. Your ads can be displayed on searches with synonyms, related searches, misspellings, other relevant variations, and singular or plural forms.
This casts the widest net possible, bringing in all kinds of searches to show your ad. However, it is essential to realize that broad match keywords can waste PPC’s budget when it displays your ad on irrelevant keyword variations.
For instance, if you own musical instruments with a good variety of acoustic guitars at an Orange County shop, your selected keyword will be “Acoustic Guitar Orange County,” and Google can interpret it for the following search matches:
When you use the broad match type, you can end up paying for results or search terms that are different from the keywords you bid on, resulting in the Iceberg Effect. As a result, you can overpay for irrelevant search topic ads and have minimal control over the search terms your ad is displayed for.
If you want to generate the maximum traffic for your landing page, a broad match keywords is beneficial. However, you can get lost in the vast amounts of irrelevant terms that show up in your search term report, which will be of no use since you want to attract potential customers.
A broad match generally generates many clicks for your website, but not all of them are from your targeted audience. The chances of conversion are significantly less, resulting in high ad costs with less ROI.
A broad match is a good option for your ad campaign if you cannot create in-depth keyword lists. If a particular ad gets no clicks on some keyword variation, your ad will no longer be displayed by Google’s system for that search term. As a result, the click charges will decrease for your low-performing keyword variations so that you can spend more on relevant keywords.
You can use negative keywords with phrase and broad match keywords, as the addition of negative keywords helps increase targeting, improving your ROI when you use the broad match. This means that when you designate a negative keyword, Google can never display your ad when that term is used in a search.
Use a minus sign with a keyword to create a negative keyword and clock a significant amount of irrelevant traffic. But know that this will limit your reach.
This is a more trustworthy and responsible version of the broad match type for your Google Ads budget. It acts as a moderation between the broad type and other restrictive match types. In addition, it allows you to pick specific search terms that should be in your ad for it to be displayed.
Add the plus sign with one or more words and create your broads match keywords. These appear in a user’s search in no specific order. Broad match modifiers give more control and visibility over how you spend your ad budget than the broad match type.
Furthermore, broad match modifiers are safer with a greater click-through rate (CTR) than broad matches. This happens because synonym or related search keywords do not trigger your ads.
This match type gives a range of searches with helpful keywords that you had not previously considered, but that still have the potential to trigger your ad. With a modifier like the plus sign in your broad match keywords, your ad traffic’s relevancy increases as they generate highly targeted traffic.
It is best to use this match type to increase your impression count and decrease the irrelevance the broad match generally gives.
Phrase matches are keyword match types that eliminate the unnecessary and risky traffic that the other match types produce. With the phrase match keywords type usage, when someone searches for your keyword phrase, your ad is displayed in the search results in proper order.
Unlike broad match or modified broad match keywords, phrase match keywords does not have search terms with the middle words of your phrase. Phrase match is also a better option when your keyword’s meaning changes with the order of terms. It ensures that your keyword is displayed in the order that you choose.
Phrase match type has better flexibility than an exact match keywords which makes it so important, and it also lets Google show more discretion than the broad match types. Furthermore, since you don’t have to follow exact match, you can enjoy the phrase match’s wide audience. However, you can expect irrelevant traffic here as well.
Phrase match keywords is essential to maintain the word order and ensures that you reach the correct searchers. As a result, a specific keyword of your choice has increased traffic, and your ad budget is better focused on more relevant traffic.
There will be a difference between the traffic volume that broad match and phrase match bring to your site. However, phrase match keywords does get higher-quality traffic with more conversions using a more niche-targeted ad, which makes up for the lesser traffic.
The most restrictive PPC keyword match type is the exact match keyword type since it restricts the display times of your ad. So while this type gives you the most relevance, it provides the lowest reach to your ad.
It would be best to use the exact match keywords type when you want to serve your ad for a particular keyword. With an exact match keywords, you can choose to show your ad to only those customers who search for that same keyword or one that is closely related to it.
These closely related terms include misspellings, accents, abbreviations, stemming, singular and plural forms, recorded with the same meanings, conjunctions, and prepositions. Again, you can create an exact match keyword type with brackets around a specific keyword.
Such match types lower your ad’s traffic and generate fewer clicks or impressions than other match types. However, exact match keywords generates highly targeted traffic with the maximum conversion chances because users search for the exact term you have created your keyword around.
Additionally, exact match keywords help increase your Quality Score because of lowering the search term-to-keyword ratio. This match type has ads that create the most click-through rates but at the greatest cost-per-click.
The exact match type can help to decrease your overall costs because you only pay for fewer targeted clicks. However, it is also essential to note that you also risk missing helpful keyword-related traffic with the further inability to get long-tail data.
It is essential to choose the right PPC keyword match type for an effective PPC strategy. There are four match-type keywords that you can select for your campaign, depending on which one fits your needs closely.
Since the match type decides the extent to which a search query matches your keyword in the Google Ads account, you have several options to choose from. These include Broad, Broad Modifier, Phrase, and Exact match types, where each of these has its pros and cons, making them optimal for various types of campaign goals.
In any case, keyword match types play an essential role in online marketing, and marketers and advertisers must use them for effective marketing campaigns.
We are a PPC management agency with a focus on direct and white label PPC clients. Whether you own a single online-focused business or are a new online marketing agency, contact us today to get started!
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Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the lifeblood of modern digital marketing, a finely tuned machine designed to separate serious advertisers from those who enjoy setting their money on fire. At its core, PPC is about buying attention—whether it’s from Google Ads, Facebook (or should we say Meta?) Ads, LinkedIn’s overpriced clicks, or whatever ad network is currently promising “unprecedented results.” The trick, of course, is making sure that the attention you’re paying for actually turns into conversions, and not just a collection of clicks that lead nowhere.
This guide is for marketers who already know the basics and are ready to squeeze every last drop of ROI from their PPC campaigns. If you’re looking for a “Beginner’s Guide to Google Ads,” this isn’t it. But if you’re tired of watching your ad spend disappear into the void and want to start running PPC like a ruthless efficiency machine, read on.
There’s nothing quite as tragic as a PPC campaign with no clear objective. Running ads without goals is like throwing darts blindfolded—sure, you might hit the board occasionally, but mostly you’re just making a mess. Before you even think about setting up a campaign, define what success looks like. Are you driving leads? Pushing e-commerce sales? Increasing brand awareness (ugh, we’ll get to why that’s usually a waste of money later)? If your goal is just “more clicks,” congratulations—you’ve just fallen for the ultimate PPC scam: paying for traffic that doesn’t convert.
Every campaign should have a quantifiable, measurable outcome tied to business KPIs. That means actual revenue, leads that don’t ghost you, or at the very least, cost per acquisition (CPA) that doesn’t make your CFO break out in hives.
Google Ads is the undisputed king of PPC, but let’s not pretend it’s the only game in town. Depending on your audience and objectives, Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) can still be a goldmine—if you’re willing to put up with Meta’s ever-changing rules and the occasional algorithmic meltdown. LinkedIn Ads? Great if you enjoy paying $12 per click for someone who will never fill out your lead form.
And then there’s the rising trend of alternative ad platforms. TikTok Ads are fantastic if you’re targeting Gen Z and have the budget to experiment. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) may be the underdog, but they offer cheaper CPCs and a surprising number of high-intent users. If you’re in e-commerce, don’t ignore Amazon Ads—they print money for sellers who get their targeting right.
Google would love for you to just use broad match keywords and let their algorithm “figure things out.” Spoiler alert: this is a terrible idea. Broad match means your ad could show up for searches so unrelated to your business that it’s practically performance art.
Instead, focus on high-intent keywords—the ones that indicate users are actually ready to buy. Long-tail keywords often convert better because they signal more specific intent. The goal is not just to drive traffic, but to attract users who already have their wallets half-open.
Want to know what works? Look at your competitors. Tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, and Google’s Auction Insights let you see what keywords they’re bidding on, which ones they’re ranking for, and—most importantly—where they’re burning money so you don’t have to.
If a competitor is bidding on specific high-intent keywords, that’s your signal to investigate. Either they’re seeing a positive ROI, or they’re making an expensive mistake that you can learn from. Either way, it’s free intelligence.
Great PPC ads aren’t just about catchy headlines—they’re about aligning with search intent, making a compelling offer, and convincing users that clicking your ad is the smartest decision they’ll make today. A well-optimized ad uses clear, persuasive language with a direct CTA, because vague CTAs like “Learn More” are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
A/B testing is non-negotiable. Your gut instinct is probably wrong, so test different headlines, CTAs, and descriptions to see what actually drives conversions. If you’re not actively testing, you’re just guessing.
You have about three seconds to convince visitors that they made the right choice clicking your ad. If your landing page loads slowly, looks like it was designed in 2008, or makes users hunt for the CTA, they’re gone.
Your landing page should have a singular focus: conversion. That means no distractions, no unnecessary links, and definitely no autoplay videos that scare people away. A strong landing page aligns perfectly with the ad copy, ensuring a seamless experience from click to conversion.
Nothing kills conversion rates faster than misleading ad-to-landing page alignment. If your ad promises “50% off running shoes” and your landing page is a generic homepage with no mention of that discount, expect a bounce rate that makes your campaign ROI cry. Every landing page should reinforce the ad message, use clear headlines, and make it painfully easy for users to complete the desired action. If a user has to think, they’re already gone.
If you’re still using manual CPC bidding across all campaigns, congratulations—you’re officially working harder, not smarter. Google’s automated bidding strategies have their place, but blindly trusting the algorithm is like handing your credit card to a stranger and hoping for the best.
Smart bidding, when done correctly, can optimize conversions and lower CPA, but it requires constant monitoring. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Maximize Conversions can be effective, but only if you have historical data to feed the algorithm. If you’re running a new campaign, manual bidding still gives you more control.
Running PPC without proper tracking is like driving blindfolded and hoping you’ll reach your destination. You need to track not just clicks, but actual conversions, customer lifetime value (CLV), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Google Ads’ built-in tracking is decent, but combining it with Google Analytics, heatmaps, and call tracking will give you a full picture of what’s working.
Scaling PPC isn’t as simple as increasing your budget and watching conversions skyrocket. If you scale too fast, you’ll tank your ROI. The right approach is incremental scaling—gradually increasing spend while monitoring CPA and conversion rates. If your CPA starts climbing faster than your revenue, it’s time to reassess. And if your PPC manager insists that “everything is going great” while your ROAS tells a different story? It might be time for a new PPC manager.
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Most marketers love Google Ads.
We're no exception.
But we totally understand that businesses in certain industries sometimes have a deep resentment of Google Ads and their restrictive policies.
Google's policies for advertising are generally intuitive and straightforward, but for certain regulated and sensitive categories, the standards are much higher and less clear. Pharmaceutical companies, gambling websites, political campaigns, and other industries often struggle to get their ads approved consistently.
In fact, if you don't know what you're getting into, trying to advertise as a business in one of these categories can be a recipe for disaster.
How are you supposed to use Google Ads effectively if you belong to one of these regulated or sensitive categories?
Sensitive and regulated categories in PPC advertising face a number of challenges, including:
· Stricter guidelines. Most PPC advertisers are familiar and comfortable with basic Google Ads guidelines. But if you belong to a regulated or sensitive category, you'll have far more guidelines and more nuanced guidelines to deal with.
· Higher scrutiny. Google pays much closer attention to ads in regulated and sensitive categories, meaning you face closer scrutiny when your ads start circulating. Reports will be investigated quicker and much more strictly, and even minor violations can work against you.
· More ad disapprovals. Similarly, ads are much more likely to get disapproved in these categories. You'll face an uphill battle as you try to get your ads circulating.
· The risk of suspensions. Businesses in these categories also face the risk of frequent, ongoing suspensions. This trend is also worsening; in fact, in 2023, Google Ads suspended more than 12.7 million advertiser accounts – doubling their actions over the previous year.
This makes it much more difficult to advertise effectively and secure a positive return on investment (ROI). Additionally, failing to adhere to Google’s advertising policies can hurt your company's reputation and compromise your long-term potential for success.
The most important thing you can do to improve your results in a regulated or sensitive category is to plan for a sustainable, long-term strategy. Every year, thousands of business owners in these categories attempt to fool Google, find clever ways around its policies, and devise techniques that allow them to cheat the system.
These approaches can usually work temporarily. You can cheat your way into the listings and generate some traffic to your landing page.
But inevitably, these techniques fail, and they can ultimately get you blacklisted.
You're much better off taking the slow, steady approach, following the rules even if it means compromising your advertising effectiveness in the short term. Think about the long-term consequences and possibilities of each decision you make.
There is some good news here.
Google isn’t shy about publishing its advertising policies.
If you're willing to do the reading and research, you can thoroughly understand what Google expects from regulated and sensitive categories like yours – and you can easily adhere to the guidelines.
Well, maybe not “easily,” but reliably.
Generally, Google splits content into two types:
· Restricted content. Restricted content is sensitive content that is subject to more regulations. You must precisely comply with requirements for copy, images, website content, and more if you want to remain in circulation.
· Prohibited content. Prohibited content is totally disallowed. You cannot include it without facing significant consequences.
Unfortunately, we can't give you a big list of all the rules you need to follow, as the rules are different for various industries. Some of the most popular industries and categories that face steeper restrictions include:
· Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products
· Weapons and explosives
· Financial services (including cryptocurrencies)
· Gambling/games of chance
· Alcohol, tobacco, and similar products
· Political ads
· Adult content and services
While there are certainly commonalities between regulations across these categories, each category has its own unique blend of restrictions and rules to learn. For example, pharmaceutical businesses require formal certification from Google and are only allowed in some countries. In the financial services industry, you'll likely need a specific license, and you'll need to provide adequate disclosures for your products and services.
The more intimately you know these rules and regulations and how they apply to your industry, the more likely you'll be able to advertise successfully. Don't advertise until you're sure you understand all applicable Google Ads policies.
One other important note here: you need to stay updated.
Google isn't stagnant, and its advertising policies are constantly in flux. Accordingly, you need to stay abreast of recent changes and update your ad approaches in line with them.
The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to Google Ads policy updates, but you should also regularly engage in Google Ads forums. If you're lucky enough to have a representative, maintain open and transparent communication with them and stay in touch regularly; they can be a massive benefit for businesses in regulated and sensitive categories.
The more research you do, the better. You need to thoroughly understand your advertising landscape before you try to thread this needle.
· Google Ads policies. Obviously, read and understand Google Ads policies as they relate to your industry. We mostly covered this in the previous section, but it's part of the research you need to do.
· Licensing and certification requirements. Even if it's not specifically required by Google, it's a good idea to get any appropriate licenses or certifications. It's a mark of authority and trustworthiness that might save you if any of your ads are reviewed for potential policy violations.
· Laws and regulations. Similarly, violating any laws and regulations in the country where you're advertising could be grounds for ad removal or account suspension, even if those violations aren't specifically listed in Google Ads policies. Always ensure legal compliance before advertising with Google.
· Competitor advertising. It's also a good idea to research your competitors. It's very likely that businesses similar to yours, in the same category, are already advertising successfully. Look at what they're doing. How are they phrasing things? Which disclosures are they including? Do you notice anything missing? You can learn a lot simply by studying previously successful ads.
· Market research. The success of your Google Ads largely depends on your ability to successfully target and appeal to your demographics. If you're properly informative and persuasive, with relevant messaging to the people you're reaching, you're much less likely to face reports, removals, and suspensions. Accordingly, you need to do a deep dive into market research so you better understand your target demographics and can appeal to them with relevant content. If you don't have buyer personas, develop them. If you don't know what your target audience is struggling with or what they want to, pause your ads until you figure it out. There are no shortcuts here, so do a deep dive into your market research if you want a reasonable chance to succeed.
When creating and preparing new ads, make sure everything is compliant, including your copy, your images, and any of your website content.
Remember that the rules and restrictions vary by industry, but these are some general rules that can help you get started:
· Stick to the facts. Don't exaggerate. Don't embellish. Certainly don't lie. It's important to stick to the facts as closely as possible, even if it makes your ad a bit stoic or “boring.” Purely factual advertising rarely gets removed.
· Avoid prohibited or sensitive terms. Review prohibited and sensitive terms that apply to your industry, and avoid those terms like the plague. Consider creating a list of alternatives that you can rely on instead.
· Be transparent. Be absolutely transparent with your target audience, even if you're forced to reveal things that weaken the appeal of your products and services. Offer disclosures when required, and potentially when not required if they can boost your credibility.
· Adopt a serious, professional tone. Don't play with fire. Your best course of action is to adopt a serious, professional tone across your ads. It's much less likely to be reported, and it will seem more authoritative and trustworthy.
· Eliminate sensationalism. In line with this, eliminate all forms of sensationalism. Graphic or revealing content, exaggerated claims, and other techniques designed to evoke strong emotions are probably going to work against you.
· Focus on using images for context. If you're going to include images, make sure they provide meaningful context. Advertisers sometimes select images based on how easily they grab attention or how exciting they are, but this is a surefire way to fail if you belong to a sensitive or restricted category.
· Include warnings if necessary. If there are any warnings that are relevant to your products and services, include them. More information is typically better in matters like these.
· Leverage the power of AB testing. The more relevant and effective your ads are, the more likely they are to succeed. Leverage the power of AB testing to learn more about what your audience wants to see and how to give it to them.
Don't forget about your landing pages.
These are important to Google as well.
If your landing pages deviate from Google Ads guidelines, or if they contradict what's in your ads, it could work against you.
These are some tips to get you started:
· Keep it relevant. Always make sure your landing page is completely relevant and in line with whatever is included in your ad. If users click your ad and find something unexpected, unpleasant, or otherwise jarring, Google might take action.
· Issue disclaimers and warnings. This is an opportunity to double down on disclaimers, warnings, and important disclosures. Err on the side of caution and make these prominent to show that you're in full compliance with both Google Ads policies and laws in your area.
· Make your business information accessible. Make your business information transparent and accessible. Offer your brand name and business location information, and give visitors some way to contact you, preferably via phone and email. It's a sign of trustworthiness and it can proactively resolve potential disputes.
· Be straightforward and transparent. Everything on your landing page needs to be straightforward and transparent. Follow the same rules you did for your ads, and avoid exaggerations and sensationalism.
· Double check Google Ads requirements. Always double-check Google Ads requirements when constructing your landing page. You should fulfill or comply with each item on your landing page to be safe.
You've already done significant market research, so make sure you apply it correctly. Target your audience very specifically so that your messages are only shown to people for whom they are relevant. If someone outside the scope of your target demographics sees your ads, they'll be much more likely to issue reports – and your ads will be much more likely to be removed. It's especially important to target people in the right geographic area.
There are some Black Hat techniques designed to circumvent Google Ads rules and regulations, or otherwise give you an unfair advantage in a sensitive or restricted category. These techniques typically violate Google policies and are largely considered unethical by the advertising community.
One of the most prominent examples is cloaking. Using one of several techniques, cloaking can allow you to advertise to audiences with content different from what you showed Google for approval. It's obvious why this is potentially beneficial, but it's also obvious why this is unethical.
As you might imagine, these techniques can work temporarily. They can give you a significant short-term advantage, allowing you a better strategic position and potentially more ad opportunities. However, if you use them, you could get your account suspended, or even permanently blacklisted. Even if you evade that, you could ruin your company's reputation and jeopardize your long-term results.
Do not follow these strategies. If a PPC agency recommends any such strategies to you, fire them.
They simply aren't worth it.
Navigating the world of Google Ads isn't easy.
In fact, it's stressful and incredibly difficult if your business happens to belong to one of these sensitive or restricted categories.
The good news is it's much easier to be successful when you work with a PPC advertising agency that has experience creating and managing ads for a business like yours. We're deeply acquainted with all the rules and restrictions you need to worry about, and we know how to make target demographics like yours convert.
If you’re ready to get started with a free consultation, contact us today!
