Short answer: A keyword’s match type decides how closely a search has to match it before your ad can enter the auction. Broad match reaches the most searches, exact match the fewest, and phrase match sits in between. Google pairs broad match with Smart Bidding.
What a match type does
Keywords are the words or phrases that match your ads with what people search for, Google explains. The match type sets how close the search has to be.
Broader match types catch every search of the narrower ones, plus more. A phrase match keyword matches all the searches of the same keyword in exact match, and a broad match keyword covers both.
Broad, phrase and exact side by side
How each one is written, with one of our own services as the keyword:
| Match type | How you write it | Ads may show on searches that |
|---|---|---|
| Broad match | web design miami | are related to your keyword, even without its direct meaning |
| Phrase match | "web design miami" | include the meaning of your keyword |
| Exact match | [web design miami] | have the same meaning or intent as your keyword |
From Google Ads Help, read November 5, 2026.
Broad match, the default
Broad match is the type every keyword gets unless you change it, because it’s the most comprehensive. You type the keyword with no symbols.
Its reach is wide. In Google’s example, the keyword “low carb diet plan” can show ads on searches for “carb free foods” or “mediterranean diet books”. To find matches, it can also weigh the user’s recent searches, your landing page and the other keywords in the ad group.
Google says to use Smart Bidding with broad match, because every search is different and its bid should reflect the signals at auction time. Our Smart Bidding guide explains the strategies.
Phrase match, the middle ground
With phrase match, ads may show on searches that include the meaning of your keyword, even when the meaning is implied or the search is more specific. It reaches more searches than exact match and fewer than broad match.
You write it between quotes, as in Google’s example "tennis shoes".
Exact match, the most control
With exact match, ads may show on searches with the same meaning or the same intent as the keyword. Of the three options, it gives you the most steering over who sees your ad, but reaches the fewest searches.
You write it between square brackets, as in [red shoe]. When a search is identical to an exact match keyword in a Search campaign, that campaign takes priority over Performance Max.
Which match type to choose
Google recommends Smart Bidding with every match type. It adds that Smart Bidding works best with broad match, because the wide set of searches lets it learn what works best for you.
If you set bids by hand or your budget is tight, phrase and exact match keep spending on searches closer to your service. That’s our advice, not Google’s, and the search terms report will show whether it holds for you.
Don’t add the same words in a different order. Google treats broad match keywords like “red car” and “car red” as duplicates and uses the one with the higher Ad Rank.
Check which searches matched
The search terms report shows the searches that triggered your ads and how they performed. Its Keyword column tells you which of your keywords matched each search, and its Match type column how closely they relate.
The match type in the report can differ from the keyword’s own. In Google’s example, a search for “purple flowers” that triggers the broad match keyword purple flowers shows up as an exact match.
The same report shows the searches you don’t want. In Google’s example, the broad match keyword flowers shows a shop’s ad on searches for red roses and purple orchids, which it doesn’t sell. Searches like those belong on your list of negative keywords.
How to set match types in your account
- Write each keyword the way your customers search for your service.
- If the campaign uses Smart Bidding, start with broad match, as Google recommends.
- If you set bids by hand or have a small budget, use phrase or exact match.
- Add quotes for phrase match and square brackets for exact match.
- Don’t repeat a keyword with its words in a different order.
- Once the ads run, open the search terms report and read its Match type column.
- Add negative keywords for the searches you don’t want, and narrow any keyword that keeps bringing them.
An example from our own Google Ads account
On November 5, 2026, we asked the Keyword Planner in our own Google Ads account for searches related to “web design miami”, one of our services. We asked for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, in English. It returned the keyword and 56 related searches. The keyword averages 390 searches a month there.
This is an illustration only. Keyword Planner doesn’t say which searches each match type would trigger; the search terms report of a live campaign does.
Read with Google’s definitions, some of those searches seem to share the keyword’s meaning, like “website design miami” or “miami webdesign”. Others include that meaning and add something, like “best web design miami” or “ecommerce web design miami”. Others are only related, like “web development miami” or “seo web design miami”.
One of them is in Spanish: “diseno web miami”, which Keyword Planner lists without the ñ, with 50 searches a month. Google says bilingual users may see ads in another language than their search when it’s confident they understand the ad’s language.
Before you launch your keywords
- You know why each keyword has its match type.
- Broad match keywords sit in campaigns that use Smart Bidding.
- Quotes and square brackets are only where you meant them.
- No keyword appears twice with its words in a different order.
- The search terms report is on your calendar for the weeks after launch.
- Your list of negative keywords is ready.
RememberThe match type sets how far a keyword can reach. The search terms report shows where it went.
Our Google Ads service sets up keywords, match types and bidding in an account that stays in your name. Write to us through the form or on WhatsApp. If paid search is new to you, start with what PPC is.
Quick answers about keyword match types
What are the keyword match types in Google Ads?
Broad, phrase and exact. With broad match, ads may show on searches related to your keyword. With phrase match, on searches that include its meaning. With exact match, on searches with the same meaning or intent.
Which match type is the default?
Broad match. Google assigns it to every keyword because it is the most comprehensive, so you don’t need to choose another type. Quotes around a keyword make it phrase match, and square brackets make it exact match.
Should I use broad match?
Google says to use Smart Bidding with broad match, because every search is different and its bid should reflect the signals at auction time. If you set bids by hand, phrase and exact match keep more control.
How do I see which searches triggered my ads?
In the search terms report. Its Match type column shows how closely each search relates to your keyword, and a broad match keyword can still match a search in a narrower way, such as exact.
Does exact match show my ad only for that exact search?
No. Google says exact match can show ads on searches with the same meaning or the same intent as the keyword. It gives you the most steering, but reaches fewer searches than phrase and broad match.
Sources
Read on November 5, 2026. Google Ads Help: About keyword matching options and About the search terms report. Our case: the Keyword Planner in our own Google Ads account, read on November 5, 2026.