Google AdWords: New Phrase & Exact Match Keyword Settings
Time to Read: 1m 50s
April 2012, Google announced that they will be making a big change that will affect both phrase and exact match keywords. Currently when you use phrase match keywords, you are targeting any search terms that the chosen keyword would fit in. An example would be the keyword “blue widgets, ” which would be triggered by the search term “bulk blue widgets”. Exact match keywords work by only triggering the exact term you are targeting. So, [blue widgets] would only trigger the exact term, "blue widgets."
What is changing is the way that Google handles variations, misspellings, and plurals for these keywords. The exact match keyword [Blue Widget] would no longer just trigger Blue Widget, but also Blue Widgets, and any misspellings or close variations of the word that Google associates with the keyword. This change will be turned on by default, and could have significant impact on any campaign you have running. The reason this is such a large change is that people frequently target plurals, misspellings, or close variations separately. This is because search intent can differ greatly between keywords, and having these keyword lumped together would be less optimal then having them separated out as distinct keywords.
The good news with this update is that it can be disabled if you think that it will affect you negatively. To disable these changes, go into your campaign settings and navigate to the advanced settings at the bottom of the page. Once there you will see the option for keyword matching options.
Expand the area and select the do not include close variants button. Once you disable the new changes, you can continue to run and structure your accounts as you see fit. These changes are expected to launch in the middle of May, so make sure to keep a eye on your account. Test the changes and see if they improve your performance, or disable them if your account is already structured to include plurals, misspellings, and close variations.
What is changing is the way that Google handles variations, misspellings, and plurals for these keywords. The exact match keyword [Blue Widget] would no longer just trigger Blue Widget, but also Blue Widgets, and any misspellings or close variations of the word that Google associates with the keyword. This change will be turned on by default, and could have significant impact on any campaign you have running. The reason this is such a large change is that people frequently target plurals, misspellings, or close variations separately. This is because search intent can differ greatly between keywords, and having these keyword lumped together would be less optimal then having them separated out as distinct keywords.
The good news with this update is that it can be disabled if you think that it will affect you negatively. To disable these changes, go into your campaign settings and navigate to the advanced settings at the bottom of the page. Once there you will see the option for keyword matching options.
Expand the area and select the do not include close variants button. Once you disable the new changes, you can continue to run and structure your accounts as you see fit. These changes are expected to launch in the middle of May, so make sure to keep a eye on your account. Test the changes and see if they improve your performance, or disable them if your account is already structured to include plurals, misspellings, and close variations.