Match Type Strategy in the Modern Google Ads Era

Alon TAlon T·

December 2, 2025

If you learned Google Ads more than a few years ago, forget most of what you knew about match types. The game has changed fundamentally, and strategies that worked in 2018 can actually hurt you today.

For context on how we got here, read the history of Google Ads match types.

The Current State of Match Types

Let's be clear about what each match type actually does today:

Exact Match (Not Really Exact)

[keyword] now matches:

  • The exact keyword
  • Close variants (misspellings, plurals, abbreviations)
  • Same meaning/intent variations
  • Implied words
  • Reordered words (sometimes)

Example: [running shoes] might match:

  • "running shoes" ✓
  • "runningshoes" ✓
  • "shoes for running" ✓
  • "jogging sneakers" ✓ (same meaning)
  • "buy running shoes online" ✓ (implied words)

Exact match now means "Google thinks this search has the same intent as your keyword."

Phrase Match (Absorbed BMM)

"keyword" now matches:

  • Searches containing the meaning of your keyword
  • Additional words before or after
  • Some reordering allowed

Since phrase match absorbed Broad Match Modifier in 2021, it's much broader than the name suggests. It's essentially "keyword plus related intent."

Broad Match (The AI Default)

keyword matches:

  • Anything Google's AI considers relevant
  • Related searches
  • Searches about related topics
  • Searches with similar intent (according to Google)

Google heavily pushes broad match combined with Smart Bidding. The pitch: let our AI find customers you'd miss with restrictive match types.

The risk: your ads show for searches that are only tangentially related.

Why This Matters for Negative Keywords

As match types got looser, negative keywords became your only precise control:

  • Match types: fuzzy, AI-interpreted, expanding
  • Negative keywords: still exact, still work as expected

This is why building comprehensive negative lists is more important than ever.

Building Campaigns for the New Reality

Here's how to structure campaigns given today's match type behavior:

Option 1: The Controlled Approach

Use exact and phrase match only, with tight negative keyword lists.

Pros:

  • More control over what triggers your ads
  • Easier to attribute performance to specific keywords
  • Lower risk of irrelevant spend

Cons:

  • May miss relevant searches
  • Requires more keyword research
  • Higher CPCs (less competition means less volume, not lower costs)

Best for: Smaller budgets, niche markets, risk-averse advertisers

Option 2: The Broad + Smart Bidding Approach

Use broad match with Smart Bidding (Target CPA or Target ROAS) and aggressive negative keywords.

Pros:

  • Google's AI finds relevant searches you didn't think of
  • Can scale more easily
  • Works well with large datasets

Cons:

  • Requires robust conversion tracking
  • Need significant conversion volume for Smart Bidding to work
  • Must actively manage negative keywords

Best for: Larger budgets, established accounts with conversion data, advertisers willing to monitor closely

Option 3: The Hybrid Approach

Layer different match types across campaigns:

  1. Core exact match campaign: Your highest-intent, proven keywords
  2. Phrase match expansion campaign: Broader versions to find new terms
  3. Broad match testing campaign: Limited budget to discover opportunities

Use negative keywords to prevent overlap between campaigns, and graduate successful broad/phrase terms to exact match.

The Negative Keyword Safety Net

Regardless of which approach you choose, negative keywords are your safety net:

For Exact/Phrase Campaigns

Even "restrictive" match types now match broadly. You still need negatives for:

  • Same-meaning matches that don't convert
  • Implied word expansions that miss the mark
  • Competitor terms that sneak in

For Broad Match Campaigns

Broad match campaigns need aggressive negative keyword management:

  • Build extensive proactive negative lists before launch
  • Review search terms reports frequently (daily for new campaigns)
  • Add negatives quickly when you see waste

See mining search terms reports for tactical approaches.

Match Type for Negative Keywords

Remember: negative keyword match types work differently than regular match types.

Negative Exact [keyword]: Only blocks that exact search Negative Phrase "keyword": Blocks searches containing that phrase Negative Broad keyword: Blocks searches containing all those words

Key differences:

  • Negatives don't include close variants (unlike regular keywords)
  • You need to add both singular and plural
  • Misspellings won't be blocked unless you add them explicitly

Performance Max and the Loss of Keywords

Worth noting: Performance Max campaigns don't use keywords at all. Google's AI decides when to show your ads based on your conversion goals and creative assets.

The only controls you have:

  • Account-level negative keywords (limited)
  • Brand exclusions
  • Audience signals (suggestions, not restrictions)

This is the direction Google is heading. Understanding the future of keyword targeting helps you prepare.

Practical Recommendations

If Starting a New Campaign

  1. Begin with phrase match for core terms
  2. Build a comprehensive negative list before launch
  3. Run for 2-4 weeks to gather data
  4. Add exact match for your best performers
  5. Consider broad match testing once you have conversion data

If Managing Existing Campaigns

  1. Audit your match type distribution
  2. Check if exact match terms are matching broadly (via search terms)
  3. Add negatives for unwanted "same meaning" matches
  4. Test broad match with limited budget if you haven't already

Regardless of Approach

  • Review search terms weekly minimum
  • Don't trust match types to do the filtering
  • Build and maintain negative keyword lists religiously
  • Measure actual search query quality, not just keyword performance

Conclusion

Match types are no longer the precision tools they once were. Google has shifted them toward "intent matching," which sometimes aligns with your goals and sometimes doesn't.

Your response should be:

  1. Understand what match types actually do now (not what they're named)
  2. Accept that you need negative keywords regardless of match type choice
  3. Build systems for ongoing search term review and negative keyword management

The advertisers who thrive aren't fighting the new reality—they're adapting their strategies around it, with negative keywords as their primary control mechanism.