Someone searches on Google for a product or service you offer. Multiple keywords in your account could be a potential match. But only one keyword can compete in each auction. So, how does Google decide which keyword to choose?
Google has a prioritisation framework for keywords.
“We’ve recently launched several updates to query matching controls, including the new brand inclusions and brand exclusions, to help you steer traffic where you want it,” said Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Product Liaison, in a blog. “While the keyword and search theme prioritisation framework for query matching isn’t entirely new, it’s evolved in meaningful ways with recent AI advancements.”
With the latest query matching controls, you can significantly influence which keywords compete for your desired search terms. Moreover, powerful new tools like brand inclusions and exclusions give you even greater control over your ad’s visibility.
Optimise your campaigns and ad groups, craft effective keyword lists (both positive and negative), strategically select match types, and use the power of search themes to drive exceptional performance. Let’s explore different scenarios that influence keyword prioritisation along with actionable insights for each rule.
Why Keyword Prioritisation Matters
Keyword prioritisation rules are essential to deliver relevant search results and improve advertiser performance. By carefully selecting the most appropriate keyword for each search query, Google can enhance user experience and drive better outcomes.
Moreover, these rules have significantly reduced the need for complex account structures and manual bid adjustments, commonly known as “keyword sculpting,” that were previously employed by advertisers to control traffic distribution.
- Improved Ad Relevance: Match accurate keywords to search queries to deliver highly relevant ads for user’s intent. This leads to higher CTR and lower CPC.
- Enhanced User Experience: Relevant ads provide a better user experience, as people are more likely to find what they’re looking for. This can positively impact Google’s overall user satisfaction and search quality.
- Optimised Campaign Performance: Proper keyword prioritisation helps advertisers allocate budget efficiently, focus on keywords with higher conversion potential and also leads to increased ROI.
- Reduced Ad Spend Waste: Prevent irrelevant keywords from competing in auctions to avoid wasting money on clicks that are unlikely to convert.
- Simplified Account Management: Keyword prioritisation can streamline account structure and reduce the need for complex bid adjustments to make campaign management more efficient.
- Accurate Performance Measurement: Match keywords more precisely to search queries and gain more accurate insights into keyword performance for data-driven optimisation.
Keyword prioritisation not only boosts campaign success but also maximises the return on advertising investment.
Top Priority: Identical Exact Match Keywords
Identical exact match keywords are the number one priority in the auction.
When a search query perfectly matches an exact match keyword in your account, that keyword takes precedence over all other potential matches.
How Google Selects Keywords for Auctions
Understanding these rules are crucial to optimise your keyword match types.
Rule 1: Exact Match Dominance
If: There’s an exact match keyword identical or spell-corrected to the search query.
Then: The exact match keyword is prioritised for the auction.
Example: A search for “best pizza in New York” or “organic skincare products” is likely to match the keyword [New York pizza] or [organic skincare].
Rule 2: Exact Match Over Other Match Types
If: An exact match keyword is duplicated in phrase or broad match within the account.
Then: The exact match keyword takes precedence over the phrase and broad match versions.
Rule 3: Exact Match Over Performance Max
If: An exact match keyword is duplicated in a Performance Max search theme.
Then: The exact match keyword is prioritised over Performance Max.
Rule 4: Broad Match as Exact Match (with Broad Match Campaign Setting)
If: The broad match campaign setting is enabled and a keyword identical to the search query exists.
Then: The broad match keyword is treated as an exact match and prioritised.
Example: A search for “learn to scuba dive” might trigger ads for the broad match keyword [scuba diving lessons], but if an exact match keyword like [learn scuba diving] is available, the exact match ad is more likely to be shown.
Rule 5: Competition Between Identical Exact Match Keywords
If: The broad match campaign setting is enabled and an identical exact match keyword exists in another campaign.
Then: The keyword with the highest Ad Rank is prioritised.
Note: Ad Rank is determined by a combination of factors including bid, expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
By understanding these rules, you can make informed decisions about keyword match types, campaign structure, and bid management to improve your campaign performance.
Keyword Matching and Eligibility
- Misspellings and Spell Corrections: Google’s algorithm considers misspelt search terms as identical to the correctly spelled version for keyword matching purposes. However, plurals or synonyms are treated as different search terms.
Example: “bfst ronning shoes” will match search terms like [best running shoes] or [best running shoes for women].
- Keyword Eligibility: For a keyword to participate in an auction, it must be eligible to serve. Several factors can impact a keyword’s eligibility, including:
- Budget Constraints: Insufficient budget can prevent a keyword from triggering ads.
- Targeting Mismatch: If the campaign’s targeting settings don’t align with the search query, the keyword won’t be considered.
- Ad Disapprovals: Keywords in ad groups with disapproved creatives or landing pages cannot participate.
- Low Search Volume: Keywords with low search volume might not have enough opportunities to compete in auctions.
When a keyword is ineligible, other eligible keywords or Performance Max campaigns may be selected for the auction.
2nd Priority: Identical Phrase, Broad Match, or Search Themes
If an exact match keyword isn’t available, Google moves on to the second priority level:
How Google Selects Keywords for Auctions
Understanding these rules are crucial to optimise your keyword match types.
Rule 1: Identical Phrase or Broad Match Keywords:
If: There’s an exact match keyword identical or spell-corrected to the search query.
Then: Any phrase or broad match keyword that exactly matches the search query (or a spell-corrected version) will be considered.
Rule 2: Identical Match or Search Theme
If: No exact match, but there’s an identical phrase, broad match keyword, or search theme.
Then: Identical matches are considered and Performance Max search themes that perfectly match the search query are also in contention.
Rule 3: Search Keywords Over Performance Max
If: There’s an identical search keyword (any match type)
Then: An identical search keyword (exact, phrase, or broad match) always takes precedence over a Performance Max search theme.
Rule 4: Ad Rank Decider
If: Multiple eligible keywords or search themes are identical to the query
Then: When many identical search keywords and search themes are found, Ad Rank determines the winner.
Rule 5: Search Themes Equate to Phrase/Broad Match
If: There’s no identical search keyword but an identical search theme
Then: Performance Max search themes are treated the same as phrases and broad match keywords in terms of prioritisation.
Note: Ad Rank is determined by a combination of factors including bid, expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
By understanding these rules, you can make informed decisions about keyword match types, campaign structure, and bid management to improve your campaign performance.
Key Considerations for Keyword Match Types
- Misspellings and Synonyms: Google considers misspelled search terms as identical to the correct spelling, but plurals or synonyms are treated as different terms.
- Redundancy of Match Types: Repeating the same keyword in multiple match types within a campaign offers no performance advantage.
- Exact Match Cost Myth: There’s a misconception that exact match keywords are cheaper than phrase or broad match. In reality, with equal factors (ad, landing page, bid strategy), the cost for the same keyword across different match types to capture identical exact match traffic is similar.
- Keyword Optimisation: To streamline your campaigns, consider removing redundant keywords in the most restrictive match types (exact match) and focusing on phrase or broad match.
- Performance Max and Search Themes: Utilise search themes to expand your reach rather than duplicating keywords across campaigns.
Now, let’s explore what happens when your account doesn’t have an exact match for the search query.
3rd Priority: AI-Driven Relevance
When exact or identical matches are absent, Google’s AI steps in to determine the most relevant keyword for a given search query.
This sophisticated system evaluates:
- Search Term Semantics: The underlying meaning of the search query.
- Ad Group Relevance: The semantic relationship between the search term and keywords within the ad group.
- Landing Page Alignment: How well the landing page matches the search intent.
Here’s how it can impact your ads:
- Relevance Over Ad Rank: A keyword with a lower Ad Rank but higher relevance can outshine a higher-ranking keyword with less relevance.
- Focus on Keyword-Based Campaigns: This feature is currently exclusive to keyword-based Search campaigns, not Dynamic Search Ads.
- Beyond Exact Matches: AI-driven relevance comes into play when there's no exact or identical match between the query and keywords.
AI-Driven Ad Group Selection
When multiple ad groups compete for a single search query:
- Holistic Ad Group Evaluation: Google’s AI assesses each eligible ad group as a whole, considering keywords, creatives, and landing page relevance to the search query.
- Most Relevant Ad Groups: The system selects the ad group(s) that best align with the search intent.
- Keyword-Level Competition: Within the selected ad group(s), the keyword with the highest Ad Rank is prioritised.
Google’s AI prioritises ad groups based on overall relevance and then selects the best-performing keyword within those groups.
Example: A search for “organic skincare products” might match all “Natural Skincare”, “Facial Moisturisers” and “Organic Skincare & Beauty” ad groups. However, the AI is likely to prioritise the “Organic Skincare” ad group due to the direct match of “organic” and the broader term “skincare” in both search query and ad group name.
By creating focused ad groups and ensuring alignment between keywords, landing pages, and ad copy, you can optimise your campaigns for maximum impact.
Ad Rank: The Final Decider
Ad Rank is the ultimate decider in the keyword selection process.
While other rules establish the pool of eligible keywords, Ad Rank determines the final winner. This dynamic metric is calculated in real-time for every auction, considering factors like:
- Bid Amount: The maximum you’re willing to pay per click.
- Ad Quality: A combination of ad relevance, expected CTR, and landing page experience.
Ad Rank is more than just the sum of these components; it’s a complex algorithm that evaluates numerous factors to determine ad placement and cost-per-click.
The ultimate tiebreaker in keyword selection, Ad Rank can help advertisers make informed decisions to optimise campaigns for maximum impact.
In situations where multiple keywords or search themes are equally eligible based on the previous prioritisation rules, Ad Rank determines the final winner.
- Duplicate Keywords: If a keyword appears in both phrase and broad match formats, Ad Rank decides which version enters the auction.
- Search vs. Performance Max: When an identical match exists in both Search and Performance Max, Ad Rank selects the winning ad.
- Multiple Eligible Keywords: If AI-based prioritisation identifies multiple highly relevant keywords, Ad Rank determines the final selection.
Remember, Ad Rank is influenced by bid amount, ad quality, and expected CTR. Optimise these factors to improve your chances of winning auctions and achieve higher ad positions.
Understanding Brands vs. Keywords
Brands are unique entities. Unlike keywords, brands are recognised based on logos, websites, and trademarks. This means you don’t need to include misspellings, variants, or different language versions in your brand lists. If there’s a strong connection between a search query and a brand, your brand products will be associated with it.
Brand exclusions are coming to Search, joining Performance Max. This feature allows you to prevent ads from showing for specific brands and their misspellings. Create brand lists at the account level and apply them to your campaigns for precise control.
How Brand Matching Works
- Simple Variants: When brand names share a common word (like “Google” and “Google LLC”), the simplest form (e.g., “Google”) often captures all related searches.
- Complex Variants: For brands without shared words (like “Google,” “YouTube,” and “Alphabet”), include all variants in your brand list.
Brands vs. Negative Keywords
While you can still use negative keywords for brands, they have limitations (like not blocking variants). Prioritise negative keywords for truly unwanted traffic, not just brand control.
Negative Keywords and Misspellings
A significant update is the ability for negative keywords to block misspelled search terms. This simplifies management by eliminating the need to anticipate misspellings. However, it doesn’t cover synonyms, plurals, or other close variations.
Example: Adding “loan” as a negative keyword will block “lian” and “laon,” but not “loans” or “financing.”
Pausing Low-Volume Keywords and Ad Groups
Google has started automatically pausing inactive Search ad groups and keywords. Before re-enabling paused elements, evaluate their potential value and consider optimising your ad group structure for better relevance.
By understanding keyword prioritisation, query matching, and the new brand features, you can optimise your campaigns for better performance. Focus on creating tightly themed ad groups to enhance AI-driven relevance and reduce account complexity.
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