You added the keyword “pest control” to your campaign, and a week later the account shows clicks from people searching for pest control jobs, a pest control course, and a spray they can buy at a shop. None of them wanted to book a visit. The keyword did exactly what it was told. The problem was how far it was allowed to stretch.
That stretch is set by Google Ads match types. This post explains how broad, phrase and exact match behave now, which is looser than many older guides describe, and how a small local service can choose between them without paying for searches it never wanted.
A keyword is an instruction, not a search
When you add a keyword, you are not buying that exact string of words. You are telling Google the kind of searches you want your ad to be considered for. The search a person actually types is called the search term, and it is often different from your keyword.
Match types are the dial between the two. Tight matching means fewer searches but closer to what you wrote. Loose matching means more searches, and more of them unrelated. Neither is right on its own. What matters is whether you can see the searches and react to them, which is why match types and the search terms report go together.
How Google Ads match types work today
All three types now allow what Google calls close variants. That covers misspellings, singular and plural forms, abbreviations, words with the same root, reordered words that keep the meaning, and sometimes words Google considers implied. So none of the three is literal any more. The differences are in how much extra meaning Google may add.
Exact match
Written with square brackets, such as [pest control service]. It is meant to match searches with the same meaning as the keyword. “Pest control services” and “service for pest control” would usually qualify. A search that adds a new idea, such as “pest control service price”, may not, though Google can sometimes decide it has the same intent.
Phrase match
Written with quotation marks, such as “pest control service”. It can match searches that include the meaning of your keyword, with extra words around it. “Cockroach pest control service near me” could match. So could “best pest control service in Salt Lake”. The extra words can change the intent, which is where phrase match catches people out.
Broad match
Written with no symbols, such as pest control service. Google can match it to searches it considers related, even if they share no words with your keyword. It uses signals such as the other keywords in your ad group, the landing page and recent searches by the same person. Broad match can find useful searches you had not thought of. It can also find a lot of searches you would never have approved.
A worked example for a local pest control business
Here is how the three versions of one keyword might behave. These are illustrations of what is possible, not a promise of what Google will do on any given day.
| Search typed | [pest control service] | “pest control service” | pest control service |
|---|---|---|---|
| pest control services | Likely | Likely | Likely |
| termite treatment at home | Unlikely | Unlikely | Possible |
| pest control service for flats in Salt Lake | Unlikely | Likely | Likely |
| pest control service job vacancy | No | Possible | Possible |
| how to get rid of cockroaches | No | Unlikely | Possible |
The middle rows are the interesting ones. Termite treatment might be a perfectly good customer for broad match to find. The job vacancy search is a customer for nobody, and phrase match would happily let it through unless you block “vacancy” and “job” as negatives.
Broad vs phrase vs exact match: when to use which
For a small local account, a practical approach looks like this.
- Phrase match as the everyday default. It catches useful longer searches, such as a service plus a locality, while staying anchored to your words. Pair it with a good negative list from the start.
- Exact match for your proven searches. Once a search term has brought real enquiries, add it as an exact keyword so you can write an ad and set a bid just for it.
- Broad match only with the conditions it needs. Google designed broad match to work alongside automated, conversion-based bidding. Without reliable conversion tracking, and without someone reading search terms every week, broad match on a small budget mostly finds new ways to spend money. Our post on choosing a bid strategy explains that link.
None of these is a permanent choice. Many accounts start tight and loosen as data and confidence grow, rather than the other way round.
What happens when several keywords could match
If an ad group has the same keyword in more than one match type, or two different keywords that could both match a search, Google picks one. Google has said it prefers a keyword identical to the search term when one exists, and otherwise uses factors such as relevance and Ad Rank.
You do not need to duplicate every keyword in all three types. That old habit mostly creates clutter. Add exact versions of the searches that matter most and let a smaller set of phrase keywords do the discovering.
Signs your match types are too loose
You can usually tell from the account without any special tools:
- The search terms report is full of informational searches, such as “how to”, “what is” or “DIY”.
- Calls come from people who want a different service, a job, or a product you do not sell.
- Clicks are rising while enquiries stay flat.
- Searches mention towns or areas well outside where you work.
The fix is usually not to abandon a match type. It is to narrow the keyword, add negatives, and check again next week. Our guide to negative keyword lists covers the blocking side, including how negatives match differently from normal keywords.
Signs your match types are too tight
The opposite problem also exists. If your keywords show “low search volume” in the account, if the campaign barely spends its budget, or if impressions are very low for a service people clearly search for, you may be filtering out reasonable searches. Try adding a few phrase versions of your exact keywords, or slightly broader wording, and watch the search terms that follow.
A simple starting set for a local service
For a pest control business serving one city, a first ad group about cockroach treatment might hold:
- A phrase keyword for the core service, such as “cockroach control”.
- A phrase keyword with a buying word, such as “cockroach treatment service”.
- An exact keyword for the most obvious local search, such as [cockroach control kolkata].
- A negative list blocking jobs, courses, sprays and DIY wording.
That small set is easy to read. After a week or two the search terms show you which way to adjust. The same pattern works for a clinic, a tutor or a repair business: a few anchored keywords, one tight version of the obvious search, and negatives from day one. Our Google Ads guide for small businesses shows where this fits in a first campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Do capital letters or punctuation in a keyword change what it matches?
No. Keywords are not case-sensitive, so “Pest Control” and “pest control” behave the same. Most punctuation is ignored too. The only symbols that change behaviour are the square brackets for exact match and the quotation marks for phrase match, plus the minus sign used when adding negatives in some editors.
What happened to broad match modifier?
Broad match modifier, written with plus signs before words, was retired by Google. Its role was folded into phrase match, which became somewhat looser as a result. If an old account still has keywords with plus signs, Google treats them under the current rules, so it is worth reviewing them rather than assuming they behave as they once did.
Why did my exact match keyword show for a search with different words?
Exact match now includes close variants and searches Google judges to have the same meaning, so the words can differ while the intent is the same. If a match looks wrong, add the unwanted search as a negative keyword. Exact match narrows the searches you enter but does not make them literal.
Does the match type change how much I pay for a click?
Not directly. The match type decides which searches your ad can enter the auction for. The price of a click comes from the auction, your bid and your ad’s quality. Looser match types tend to bring cheaper but less relevant clicks, so cost per click alone is a poor guide to which type is working.
Choosing match types is one of the quieter decisions that sets how much of a budget reaches real customers. If you would like someone to set them up and review the search terms with you, that is part of our Google Ads management. Our small business digital marketing guide shows how paid search fits beside the other channels.
Next in this series: Negative Keywords in Google Ads: Build a List That Works
