---
title: "Keywords & Match Types"
type: concept
tags: [keywords, match-types, negative-keywords, keyword-planner, search, foundational]
created: 2026-06-11
updated: 2026-06-11
confidence: high
sources: ["raw/web_community-about-keyword-matching-options-google-ads-help.md", "raw/web_community-about-negative-keywords-google-ads-help.md", "raw/web_community-about-keywords-in-search-network-campaigns-google-ads-help.md", "raw/web_community-use-keyword-planner-google-ads-help.md"]
---

# Keywords & Match Types

## Definition

Keywords are words or phrases used to match your ads with the terms people are searching for. The keyword match type dictates how closely a keyword needs to match the user's search query for the ad to be considered for the auction; negative keywords do the opposite, excluding your ads from searches you don't want. Keyword Planner is the built-in research tool for discovering keywords and forecasting their traffic and cost.

## How It Works

When a search matches one of your keywords, your ad enters the [[concepts/ad-auction]]. Cost per keyword depends on keyword quality, auction competition, and other factors; each keyword gets a Quality Score based on expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.

**The three match types (positive):**

- **Broad match** — the default; syntax is simply the keyword (`tennis shoes`). Ads may show on searches *related to* your keyword, including searches that don't contain the direct meaning. To deliver relevant matches it may also consider the user's recent search activities, the content of the landing pages and assets, and other keywords in the ad group to better understand intent. Per Google: "It's critical to use Smart Bidding with broad match" so the system competes only in the right auctions at the right bid (see [[concepts/bidding]]).
- **Phrase match** — syntax is quotes (`"tennis shoes"`). Ads may show on searches that *include the meaning* of your keyword; the meaning can be implied, and searches can be a more specific form of it.
- **Exact match** — syntax is square brackets (`[red shoe]`). Ads may show on searches with the *same meaning or intent* as the keyword — the most steering, the fewest searches.

Broader types are supersets: phrase matches everything exact does, broad matches everything phrase and exact do, plus more — so you don't need to duplicate keywords across match types. Near-duplicate keywords ("red car" vs "car red") are deduplicated; the one with the higher Ad Rank serves, with no cost penalty.

**Negative keywords** behave differently from positive types. They do **not** match to close variants or expansions — negative broad match "flowers" blocks "red flowers" but not "red flower" — so you must add synonyms, singular *and* plural forms yourself (casing and misspellings are handled automatically). Semantics:

- **Negative broad** (default): blocks only if the search contains *all* keyword terms, in any order.
- **Negative phrase**: blocks if the search contains the exact terms in the same order, even with extra words.
- **Negative exact**: blocks only the exact terms, same order, no extra words.

An **account-level negative keyword list** applies automatically across all eligible search and shopping inventory. For Display and Video, a maximum of 1,000 negative keywords is considered at the account level, and exclusions work topically rather than literally.

**Search vs Performance Max priority:** if a query is *identical* to an eligible exact match keyword, your Search campaign wins over Performance Max. Identical phrase/broad keywords share priority with identical PMax search themes; otherwise AI-based relevance, then Ad Rank, decides. PMax can "steal" traffic when the Search campaign is limited by budget, the keyword has low search volume status, or all creatives/landing pages in the ad group are disapproved.

## Key Parameters

- **Match type syntax**: broad = bare keyword; phrase = `"keyword"`; exact = `[keyword]`.
- **Keyword length guidance**: keywords with 2–3 words tend to work most effectively; Keyword Planner enforces 80 characters and a maximum of 10 words per keyword.
- **Negative keyword 16-word limit**: your ad can still show if your negative keyword appears *after* the 16th word of a long search.
- **Symbols in negatives**: ampersands (&), accent marks (á), and asterisks (*) are recognized as distinct; periods are ignored; symbols like `, ! @ % ^ () = {} ; ~` are invalid.
- **Keyword Planner** (Tools menu → Keyword planner): "Discover new keywords" (start with keywords or a website) and "Get search volume and forecasts" (paste/upload a CSV). Forecasts are refreshed daily, based on the last 7–10 days adjusted for seasonality. Requires completed billing setup; "Organize keywords into ad groups" is English only.

## When To Use

- **Broad match** when you run Smart Bidding and conversion tracking — it gives the bidding system the widest learning surface.
- **Phrase/exact** when you need tighter steering over which searches trigger ads, e.g., strict budgets, manual bidding, or brand terms.
- **Negative keywords** whenever the search terms report shows irrelevant queries — e.g., an optometrist excluding "wine glasses" (see [[concepts/optimization]]).
- **Keyword Planner** before launching a [[entities/search-campaigns]] campaign to size demand and estimate costs; plan weekly rather than monthly during market instability.
- Group keywords into tightly themed ad groups (e.g., "engagement rings" vs "wedding rings") with matching ads — this drives relevance and Quality Score.

## Risks & Pitfalls

- **Broad match without Smart Bidding** can buy loosely related queries at uncontrolled cost — the match type and bid strategy are a package deal.
- **Assuming negatives block close variants** — they don't; plural/singular and synonyms each need their own negative.
- **Over-negating**: too many negative keywords shrinks reach.
- **Maps "near me" expansion**: on Google Maps, "near me" may be appended to a user's search; add "near me" as a negative if you don't want this (English, French, German, Spanish only).
- **Keyword Planner forecasts ≠ results**: actual performance depends on bid, budget, ad quality, and location targeting; sensitive categories (health, finance) return no data.
- **Data discrepancies in Keyword Planner** can come from how you logged in (directly to child account vs via manager account).

## Related Concepts

- [[concepts/ad-auction]] — what happens after a keyword matches; Quality Score
- [[concepts/bidding]] — Smart Bidding's interaction with broad match
- [[concepts/ads-assets]] — the ads your keywords trigger
- [[concepts/audiences-targeting]] — layering audiences over keyword targeting
- [[concepts/optimization]] — search terms report and keyword refinement
- [[entities/search-campaigns]] — where keywords live
- [[entities/performance-max]] — keyword/search-theme prioritization rules

## Sources

- raw/web_community-about-keyword-matching-options-google-ads-help.md (support.google.com, high)
- raw/web_community-about-negative-keywords-google-ads-help.md (support.google.com, high)
- raw/web_community-about-keywords-in-search-network-campaigns-google-ads-help.md (support.google.com, high)
- raw/web_community-use-keyword-planner-google-ads-help.md (support.google.com, high)