Exact match in Google Ads: How it has changed –

As we have already told you, Google Ads is not just a new look, but it comes loaded with . And now it is the turn of keywords.

What is exact match and how has it changed?

Among those that allow us to use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) in our advertising campaigns, is the exact match of keywords.
in its beginnings the exact match was the one that triggered the ad only when the user searched for a specific keyword. This match type allowed full control over the searches that triggered your ads.

Over time, Google Ads has evolved the concept of exact match, making it, in a way, less and less exact. In 2014 small variations such as accents, misspellings, abbreviations, and forms between singular and plural. In 2017, exact match was reinvented again to include articles, prepositions and conjunctions, as well as words that share a root.

What will change?

Google Ads has announced that the exact match will match the one made by the user. What is this going to translate to? In that you are going to reach more users with the same keywords. Keywords that present variations with implied words, synonyms, paraphrases and terms with the same search intent.

For example, if we have a campaign in which we are bidding on the keyword , a search for terms such as monfragüe national park camping, monfragüe camping or monfragüe camping could trigger the ad since the search intent is the same: camping in the Monfragüe National Park.

Keyword

Search Term

Variation

camping monfragüe national park Implicit words camping in monfragüe Paraphrases and synonyms camping in monfragüe

same intention

This is what Google Ads exact match looks like

If we make a compilation of all the changes that the exact match has undergone, these would be the variations allowed by Google Ads:

• Accents and other misspellings.
• Variations between singular and plural.
• abbreviations.
• Articles, prepositions and conjunctions.
• Word family: words that share a root (for example, do and undo).
• Keywords in different order that maintain the meaning (for example, or ).
• Implied words (Novelty)
• paraphrases and synonyms (Novelty): sentences that express the same content but with a different semantic structure and words that mean the same (for example, bathing suits and swimsuit).
• Same search intent (Novelty)

Google affirms that the important thing will not be your exact keyword so that it shows your ads, but that what will matter is going to be the meaning and the intention of the search of the user.

From we recommend that you review your keywords very well and that you add negative keywords preventively, so you can prevent your ads from being activated by keywords for which you are not interested in appearing.

This change will start to roll out for English keywords in the coming weeks, however for other languages ​​we will have to wait a few more months.