Even though Google insists that broad match is better than ever, many advertisers are still upset about losing modified broad match. So how can you keep getting high-quality traffic to your ads?
It’s true that this was always possible, but it wasn’t ideal because it was so limiting. However, now that modified broad match is gone, we need to be more strategic with the few match types we have left, including broad match.
In this article, I’ll share:
- The advantages of using broad match with audience targeting (and expert insights).
- How to use this unusual strategy in Google Ads.
- My three secret tips for combining broad match with audiences effectively.
Follow my tips, and you’ll soon find that broad match can be your new best friend!
Why Use Broad Match with Audience Targeting?
A few months ago, Google announced they were getting rid of modified broad match. In their announcement, they claimed that “broad match is now more effective than ever” because the algorithm had been improved to allow broad match keywords to use context clues to show ads for the right searches.
The typos in the last search are intentional! Image adapted from Google.
Google went on to say this about broad match:
“To deliver relevant matches, this match type may also consider:
- The user’s recent search history.
- The content of the landing page.
- Other keywords in an ad group to better understand keyword intent.”
This means broad match keywords will intentionally overlook grammatical errors and misspellings in a search if it’s still contextually relevant.
Despite Google’s claims about broad match’s effectiveness, many people are still hesitant to use it, either because they’ve had bad experiences in the past with irrelevant queries or because they’re worried about wasting their limited budget on more traffic.
But if you’re feeling like updated phrase match is underperforming or you simply want to scale a stagnant campaign, you might have to turn to broad match keywords. Don’t worry! By combining keywords and audiences, you’ll have a secret weapon to avoid those negative outcomes.
Speaking of wasted ad spend, try our free Google Ads Performance Grader to find and fix budget leaks!
How Google Ads Broad Match with Audience Targeting Works
With this clever PPC tactic, you can layer audience targeting on top of your broad match keywords to keep them in check. We’re not talking about small remarketing audiences here, but rather the larger affinity, in-market, and custom audiences that Google provides, which have plenty of impressions available.
Think of these audiences as a safety net for your broad match keywords. Even if your ad isn’t showing for the exact right search query, you’ll at least know it’s showing to the right people. This is especially important given that we can no longer see every single search term our ads have shown for in the search terms report.
By combining broad match keywords (which increase your reach) with audience targeting (which improves the quality of that reach), you can scale your campaigns without the risk of irrelevant traffic or wasted spend.
Benefits of Combining Broad Match Keywords and Audience Targeting
Google announced improvements to broad match in September 2021, but many advertisers disagreed with some of the claims made. Learn more about this change here.
Besides allowing you to refresh your strategy and safely scale your campaigns, this unique tactic has many other advantages. For instance, maybe you’re not ready to scale your campaign but feel stuck with repetitive searches and, as a result, leads. Or perhaps you lack the brand awareness to capture certain searches.
This strategy addresses both problems by reaching individuals within your target audience who might not yet know to search for your business specifically. Moreover, it helps you think outside the box to capture searches from those ideal audiences that you wouldn’t have thought to target with keywords.
Another Expert’s Opinion on This Modified Broad Match Alternative
Don’t just take my word for it! I spoke with PPC expert Francine Rodriguez, who was voted a 2019 Top 5 PPC Rising Star and a 2020 Top 50 Most Influential PPC Expert by PPCHero, to get her perspective on this unusual approach.
“This is a really good strategy. It’s like breaking the typical PPC rules,” Rodriguez says. “You’re using shorter, broader keywords to capture as much traffic as possible from the target audience. You can then use the search terms report later on to come up with new terms for your other campaigns.” Rodriguez also notes that “This is great for a hyper-local strategy as well—if you have a small geographic area to target, you want to make sure you’re getting the largest possible share of those impressions.”
This means that even if you’re not looking to spend on a lot of new traffic, this tactic could still work for you if you’re a small business looking to increase your local search marketing strategy,.
How to Set Up This Strategy in Google Ads
First, you’ll need a standard search campaign ready to go. This could be an existing campaign or a new one with your settings, ad groups, responsive or text ads, and core terms for your broad match keywords all set up. Then, follow these six simple steps:
- Change all your keywords to broad match.
- Choose either the entire campaign (audiences will apply to all ad groups) or an individual ad group (audiences can be customized for each ad group based on specific needs).
- Go to Audiences and click the blue pencil to edit your audience targeting.
- Make sure you’ve enabled Targeting for your chosen audiences.
- Select from Google’s audience options or choose an existing custom audience (you can experiment with multiple audiences for broader reach and compare results later, or start with just one to test the waters).
- Click Save.
Your campaign will now run your broad match keywords alongside your selected audiences. Going forward, they’ll work together to essentially say, “I’ll show my ad for any search that contextually matches this broad match keyword, but only if it comes from someone in my targeted audience.”
Tips for Success with Broad Match and Audience Targeting
While the setup process is quite simple, there are a few tricks to keep in mind to ensure success with this new strategy. Here are three tips to make it work for you:
1. Review Your Bids
Since your ads will be eligible to show for more queries, you might end up appearing for higher-cost searches and potentially spending more overall. That’s why it’s wise to lower your Max CPC bids slightly if you’re using manual bidding, just to be safe while you’re gathering data in the initial stages of this strategy.
Remember that your ads might match to more queries that, while still maintaining quality thanks to audience filtering, could cost a bit more per click than what you were used to previously.
If you’re using automated bidding, you’re in luck! Google actually recommends this for broad match keywords, as the automatic bidding can adjust bids up or down based on query relevance.
However, it’s still a good idea to double-check your automated bidding strategy to make sure it aligns with your goals. This means that if you need to set a bid limit on Max Clicks (or a target on Max Conversions, Target CPA, or Target ROAS), you might want to lower that target slightly to encourage more conservative bidding and control costs initially.
2. Review Your Negative Keywords
Consider adding more negative keywords as well. While you’re giving Google slightly more control over which queries your ads show for, you’re still the one in the driver’s seat.
Therefore, it’s crucial to identify areas where you can maintain greater control. Think about any potential words that you absolutely don’t want your ads to show for and add them as negative keywords before implementing this strategy. This provides an extra layer of protection.
Rodriguez agrees that this is a smart move. “You’d need to have a solid negative list,” she advises. However, there’s no need to go overboard. If we tried to add negatives for every single irrelevant term, we’d be working on it forever!
Focus on terms that are somewhat similar to your existing broad match keywords but that you wouldn’t want to match to. For example, if you have the broad keywords nurse courses or nurse classes but don’t offer any job placement services, it would be wise to add job-related terms as negatives.
3. Review Your Campaign Setup
If you haven’t noticed the recurring theme of checking your bidding and negatives, let me emphasize that it’s always a good practice to review your entire campaign before launching this strategy.
Are there any other restrictions in place, such as demographic exclusions or ad scheduling, that might hinder the effectiveness of this approach? Conversely, are your location targeting and network preferences too broad, potentially making this strategy too effective and exceeding your budget?
Whenever you switch to a new strategy, there’s a chance that previous settings could cause unintended consequences. Take a few minutes to ensure that your campaign is set up according to your preferences before implementing this broader reach tactic.
Get More Qualified Leads with Google Ads Broad Match and Audience Targeting!
If your PPC strategies remain stagnant and you never take risks by changing things up, your account growth will be limited at best. When you feel like you’ve exhausted all other options and your campaign still isn’t performing as desired, it’s time to think outside the box. Consider something that might seem a bit risky or unconventional but could yield significant rewards.
This strategy is an excellent way to connect with your ideal customers through audience targeting without restricting your campaign with narrower match types. The best part is that it’s quick to set up, and you can always revert back without any data issues if needed. Who needs modified broad match anyway? Broad match can deliver excellent results with the right audience!
Google Ads Modified Broad Match Workaround (Summary)
- Many advertisers are still disappointed about losing the modified broad match type, despite Google’s assurances that broad match is more effective than ever.
- The broad match keyword + audience layering strategy is a reliable workaround that allows you to benefit from the expanded reach of broad targeting while enjoying the quality leads that come with audience refinement.
- This approach helps resolve duplicate keyword issues, reach people who may not yet be aware of your business, and identify new searches to target.
- To set it up, select a campaign, change all keywords to broad match, choose to target either the entire campaign or individual ad groups, navigate to audiences, and apply your desired audience.
- Remember to review your bid strategy, campaign setup, and negative keyword list to ensure the strategy’s effectiveness without overspending.