The broad-match campaign setting enables Search campaigns to exclusively use broad-match as the keyword match type. Enabling this setting will convert all existing phrase and exact match keywords into broad-match and ensure that all added keywords also use broad-match.
This setting is only available if the campaign is using conversion-based Smart Bidding.
Impact on keyword prioritisation logic within a Google Ads account
Enabling the broad-match campaign setting affects existing keyword prioritisation rules within an account.
- All keywords will be converted to broad-match. Keywords in a campaign with this setting will be prioritised, from a keyword prioritisation perspective, as if both a broad-match and an exact match version of the keyword were present.
- If you have the same keyword as an exact match in a separate campaign, the keyword with the highest Ad Rank will be sent to the auction.
Enabling the broad-match campaign setting can also help simplify upgrading campaigns to broad-match.
Instructions
Enable broad-match setting for a new campaign
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
.
- Click the Campaigns drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Campaigns.
- Click the plus button
to create a new Search campaign.
- In the 'Campaign settings' section, turn the broad-match keywords setting on.
- Complete the remaining campaign creation steps.
Enable broad-match setting to an existing campaign
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Campaigns drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Campaigns.
- Select the campaign that you want to apply the brand list to.
- Click Settings.
- Scroll down to click Broad-match keywords, and turn the broad-match keywords setting on.
- Click Save.
FAQs
Why do the keyword prioritisation rules change when enabling the broad-match setting?
We made this change based on user feedback that it was difficult to measure the impact of upgrading a campaign to broad-match as the traffic would match to other parts of the account, thereby skewing the results.
For example, let’s say that you had the exact match keyword [Pixel 7] in one of your campaigns and you upgraded it as a broad-match keyword in a different campaign. The performance impact of the broad-match campaign would be hard to assess. If a user searched for 'Pixel 7' exactly, the identical exact match keyword would be strictly preferred and your upgraded broad-match campaign would be ineligible. With the new broad-match campaign settings’ keyword prioritisation rules, you can more accurately measure the true performance impact from broad-match. Pixel 7 will be prioritised like an exact match keyword, even though it shows up as a broad-match keyword.
Campaigns with all broad-match keywords that don't have this setting enabled won't be impacted.
How will other campaigns be impacted?
What are the most common cases for enabling this setting?
In cases where advertisers have a specific need to separate branded from non-branded traffic in their campaigns, it's common practice to have branded campaigns include only exact match keywords, with the goal of not matching to queries that don't include the brand and also to meet traffic prioritisation expectations for brand vs. non-branded campaigns.
With this setting, advertisers can benefit from expanding the reach of their branded campaigns powered by broad-match technology while:
- Ensuring that the traffic only matches to queries with the defined brands included in brand restrictions.
- Consolidating to broad match-only campaigns while maintaining the preferred prioritisation of traffic between brand and non-branded campaigns.
- Clearly seeing the impact of upgrading the branded campaign from exact match to broad-match.
How is this setting different from a campaign with all broad-match keywords?
- Access is gained to brand restrictions
- Keyword prioritisation behaviour changes as detailed above
- All newly added keywords will use the broad-match type
After I enable this setting, will I be able to view historical data for my keywords?
After I enable this setting, will I be able to view stats by match type?
How can I reverse the changes to the original settings?
- Go to your campaign’s settings.
- Scroll down and click Broad-match keywords, then turn the broad-match setting off.
- Click Save.
If all keywords were either exact match or phrase match:
- Go to your campaign’s settings.
- Scroll down and click Broad-match keywords, then turn the broad-match setting off.
- Click Save.
- On the 'Search keywords' page, select all keywords and click Edit.
- Click Change match types and then Change all match types.
- Select the original match type.
- Click Apply.
If keywords were a mix of different match types, access your historical keywords. On the 'Search keywords' page, change the 'Keyword status' filter from 'Enabled' or 'Enabled, Paused' to 'All'. You can then filter by match type.
- Go to your campaign’s settings.
- Scroll down and click Broad-match keywords, then turn the broad-match setting off.
- Click Save.
- Decide on the best match type for the majority of keywords in your campaign.
- If all keywords should be present in one match type, follow the steps above to get the copy of the keyword in that match type.
- If you want a mix of match types in your campaign, select each individual keyword and change its match type.
