How Keyword Match Types Impact Your Quality Score in Google Ads

By:
Declan
April 24, 2023

In the world of Google Ads, Quality Score is king. It's a metric that measures the relevance and usefulness of your ads and the landing pages they lead to, in relation to the keywords you're targeting. The higher your Quality Score, the better your ad performance and the lower your cost per click. In other words, a high-Quality Score can help you get more clicks for less money.

But how does Google determine Quality Score? There are many factors that come into play, but one of the most important is the keyword match type you choose. Keyword match types determine how closely your chosen keywords need to match a user's search query in order for your ad to be eligible to show.

There are four main keyword match types: broad match, phrase match, exact match, and modified broad match. Each match type has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the match type you choose can have a significant impact on your Quality Score.

In this blog post, we'll explore how keyword match types impact Quality Score in Google Ads, and share some best practices for using match types to improve your ad performance. 

marketeter discussing at table with laptop

Impact of Keyword Match Types on Quality Score

Quality Score is calculated based on a number of factors, including expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. Each of these factors is impacted by the keyword match type you choose.

The expected clickthrough rate is a measure of how likely it is that someone will click on your ad when it's shown. This is determined by factors such as your ad copy, your bid, and the match type you've chosen. Broad match keywords have a lower expected clickthrough rate because they're more likely to show for irrelevant searches, while exact match keywords have a higher expected clickthrough rate because they're more targeted.

Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent of the user's search query. If your ad is highly relevant to the user's search, your ad relevance score will be high. This can be impacted by the match type you choose. For example, if you're using broad match keywords, your ad might show a wide range of search queries that are only loosely related to your chosen keywords. This can result in a lower ad relevance score.

Landing page experience measures how useful and relevant your landing page is to the user's search query. The match type you choose can impact this score by affecting the quality of traffic you're sending to your landing page. For example, if you're using broad match keywords, you might be sending a lot of irrelevant traffic to your landing page, which can hurt your landing page experience score.

Here are some examples of how different match types can impact Quality Score:

  • Broad match: If you're using broad match keywords, your ads might show for a wide range of search queries that are only loosely related to your chosen keywords. This can result in a lower expected clickthrough rate and ad relevance score, which can in turn lower your Quality Score.
  • Phrase match: With phrase match keywords, your ads will only show for searches that include your chosen keywords in the order you've specified. This can lead to a higher expected clickthrough rate and ad relevance score, which can improve your Quality Score.
  • Exact match: Exact match keywords are the most targeted option, as your ads will only show for searches that exactly match your chosen keywords. This can lead to a higher expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance score, and landing page experience score, which can significantly improve your Quality Score.
  • Modified broad match: Modified broad match allows you to add a plus sign (+) in front of certain words in your keywords to indicate that they must be included in the user's search query. This can help you achieve a balance between reach and relevance and can result in a higher Quality Score than broad match alone.

By understanding how keyword match types impact Quality Score components, you can make informed decisions about which match types to use in your campaigns, and how to optimize them for maximum impact.

news app on mobile phone

Best Practices for Using Keyword Match Types to Improve Quality Score

Now that we've discussed the impact of keyword match types on Quality Score, let's dive into some best practices for using match types to improve your Quality Score.

Use a combination of match types: 

It's important to strike a balance between reach and relevance. While exact match keywords are the most targeted, they may not capture all relevant search queries. Using a combination of match types can help you achieve this balance and capture a wider range of searches.

Regularly review and refine your keyword lists: 

As your campaign evolves, you'll want to regularly review your keywords and refine your match types based on performance data. This can help you identify high-performing keywords that may be underutilized, and weed out low-performing keywords that may be dragging down your Quality Score.

Monitor search terms and negative keywords: 

Reviewing the search terms that trigger your ads can help you identify new keywords to add to your campaign or negative keywords to exclude. This can help you improve your ad relevance and overall Quality Score.

Structure your campaigns and ad groups strategically: 

By grouping similar keywords together in ad groups and structuring your campaigns in a logical way, you can make it easier to manage and optimize your match types. This can also help you achieve a higher Quality Score by ensuring that your ads and landing pages are highly relevant to the user's search query.

Test different match types: 

Finally, don't be afraid to test different match types and see what works best for your campaign. You may find that certain match types work better for certain types of keywords or ad groups. By testing and refining your match types, you can continuously improve your Quality Score over time.

Final Thoughts

Keyword match types play a crucial role in determining the Quality Score of your Google Ads campaigns. By understanding the impact of different match types on the components of Quality Score and using best practices to optimize your match types, you can improve your ad relevance, clickthrough rate, and landing page experience, ultimately leading to better ad performance and a higher Quality Score.

If you're looking to streamline your keyword match type strategy and take your campaigns to the next level, consider using a tool like Soone Agency's free keyword match type tool. With this tool, you can quickly and easily generate a list of relevant keyword match types based on your campaign goals and objectives. Give it a try and see how it can help you improve your Quality Score and drive better results for your business.