Lesson 15 of 42

Keyword Match Types

Understanding Keyword Match Types

Match Types Mastery: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Why Match Types Are Your Secret Weapon

Think of match types like fishing nets:

Broad Match = Giant trawling net: Catches everything, including some trash
Phrase Match = Regular fishing net: Catches mostly what you want
Exact Match = Spear fishing: Only catches exactly what you aim for

💰 Why this matters: Match types decide who sees your ad. Choosing them deliberately is one of the cheapest ways to stop paying for clicks that were never going to convert.

Broad Match - The Discovery Engine

How Broad Match Really Works

Amazon's algorithm goes WILD with broad match. Here's what actually happens:

Your Keyword	What Amazon Might Show Your Ad For
yoga mat	pilates mat, exercise mat, yoga accessories, meditation cushion, gym mat, yoga mat bag
water bottle	drink bottle, hydration flask, sports bottle, bottle for water, aqua bottle, H2O container
running shoes	jogging sneakers, athletic footwear, marathon shoes, workout shoes, gym shoes, trainers

When to Use Broad Match:

✅ New products with no data
✅ Budget above $50/day (you need volume)
✅ Exploring new markets
✅ Seasonal products (quick discovery)

When to AVOID Broad Match:

❌ Tight budget (under $30/day)
❌ Super specific products
❌ High CPC categories (over $2)
❌ Already know converting keywords

🎯 Broad Match Success Strategy:

Start with low bids: 50% of suggested bid
Use aggressive negative keywords: Add 20-30 from day one
Daily monitoring for first week: Catch weird matches early
Set up rules: Pause keywords with 50+ clicks, 0 sales automatically

Phrase Match - The Balanced Approach

Phrase Match Decoded

Your keyword phrase must appear in order, but can have words before/after:

Your Phrase Keyword: "yoga mat"

✅ WILL trigger for:

best yoga mat for beginners
thick yoga mat 6mm
yoga mat with alignment lines
eco friendly yoga mat

❌ WON'T trigger for:

mat for yoga (order changed)
yoga and pilates mat (word inserted)
yogi mat (different word)

The Phrase Match Power Play:

Scenario	Why Phrase Match Wins
Feature-specific products	Captures "thick yoga mat" but not "thin mat"
Brand + product combos	Gets "gaiam yoga mat" variations
Problem-solving keywords	Matches "yoga mat for bad knees extra thick"

Exact Match - The Precision Tool

Exact Match Truth Bombs

What Amazon considers "exact" has changed! Now includes:

✅ Plurals (yoga mat = yoga mats)
✅ Common misspellings
✅ Abbreviations (television = TV)
✅ Reordering of words (mat yoga = yoga mat)
✅ Adding/removing function words (yoga mat = yoga mat for)

Exact Match Goldmine Keywords:

These exact match patterns tend to convert well, because the shopper has already narrowed what they want:

"[product] [size]" → [yoga mat 72 inch]
"[product] for [specific use]" → [yoga mat for hot yoga]
"[brand] [product]" → [manduka yoga mat]
"[product] [key feature]" → [yoga mat non slip]

The Exact Match Scaling Strategy:

Start with 5-10 proven keywords from auto campaigns
Bid 30% higher than broad/phrase (worth the precision)
Create single keyword ad groups for top 3 performers
Use placement adjustments aggressively (+100% top of search)

The Match Type Migration System

Worked example: how keywords graduate through match types

Stage 1: Broad Match Discovery (Weeks 1-2)

Keyword: running shoes
Discovers: "best running shoes for flat feet"
Say it returns 5 sales from 73 clicks - a conversion rate of about 7%

Stage 2: Phrase Match Testing (Weeks 3-4)

Add: "running shoes for flat feet" as phrase
Discovers: "nike running shoes for flat feet"
Say it returns 8 sales from 52 clicks - about 15%, because the match is tighter

Stage 3: Exact Match Scaling (Week 5+)

Add: [running shoes for flat feet] as exact
Bid aggressively for top placement
Say it returns 15 sales from 67 clicks - about 22%

The point of the arithmetic is the direction, not the specific numbers: as you narrow the match type, you buy fewer but better-qualified clicks, so the conversion rate on the same term climbs. Figures are illustrative.

🚀 Pro Strategy: Keep all three match types running! Broad finds new keywords, phrase validates them, exact scales winners.

Match Type Bid Strategy Guide

The Scientific Approach to Match Type Bidding

Match Type	Starting Bid Formula	Example ($1 baseline)
Broad	Suggested bid × 0.7	$0.70
Phrase	Suggested bid × 0.9	$0.90
Exact	Suggested bid × 1.2	$1.20

Why this works:

Broad gets volume at lower cost (some irrelevant)
Phrase balances cost and relevance
Exact pays premium for precision targeting

Common Match Type Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake: Using only broad matchProblem: A large share of budget goes to irrelevant searches
Fix: Use 40% broad, 40% phrase, 20% exact split
Mistake: Jumping straight to exact matchProblem: Misses valuable keyword variations
Fix: Always test in broad/phrase first
Mistake: Same bids across all match typesProblem: Overpays for broad, underperforms on exact
Fix: Use the 70-90-120% bid formula
Mistake: Not using negative keywords with broad matchProblem: Shows for completely irrelevant searches
Fix: Add 5-10 negatives before launching any broad campaign

Your Match Type Action Plan

Week-by-Week Implementation

Week 1: Broad Match Discovery

Launch 10-15 broad keywords
Set bids at 70% of suggested
Add 20 negative keywords upfront
Budget: $20/day

Week 2: Analyze and Add Phrase

Review search term report
Find converting 2-3 word phrases
Add as phrase match at 90% bid
Add poor performers as negatives

Week 3: Graduate to Exact

Identify top 5 converting terms
Create exact match campaign
Bid 120% for these winners
Reduce broad match budget by 30%

Week 4+: Optimize and Scale

Continue keyword graduation weekly
Adjust bids based on performance
Maintain 40-40-20 budget split
Test new broad keywords monthly

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