Google Ads · Dimension
What is Match type?
Match type is the setting on a Google Ads keyword that controls how closely a search has to match it for the ad to enter the auction: broad match allows related searches, phrase match requires the meaning of the phrase, and exact match requires the same meaning as the keyword.
- Broad46%
- Phrase33%
- Exact21%
Broad, phrase or exact: how loosely a keyword is allowed to match.
- Data source
- Google Ads
- Type
- Dimension
Why it matters
It is the dial between reach and control. Broad finds searches you never thought of and spends on some you would not want; exact spends only where you decided, and misses the rest.
How to read it
Read the split by cost and by conversions, not by keyword count: a handful of broad keywords can take most of the budget. The search terms report shows what broad and phrase actually matched, which is where negative keywords come from.
In a Data Studio report
In a Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) report match type is the keyword analysis page: scorecards per match type, two donuts of how cost and conversions distribute across phrase, exact and broad, a stacked chart of clicks by match type over time, and a keyword table filterable by match type.
Where to find it in Google Ads
Google Ads: Keywords, then Search keywords, with the Match type column; the search terms report under Keywords, then Search terms.
