Which Amazon Ads Match Types To Use [And When]

Hey,

Keyword Match Types with your Amazon Ads...

What are the differences between them, which one(s) should you be using and importantly, when should each of them be used?

Well, today, I'm going to answer all of the above for you.

Each Keyword Match Type performs very differently and has its own purpose.

If you're not quite sure what I'm on about here with Keyword Match Types, let me explain...

There are 3 Match Types to choose from when targeting keywords with your Amazon Ads:

– Broad Match

– Phrase Match

– Exact Match

In Amazon's own words...

Match types allow you to fine-tune which customer search terms trigger your ads.

So, from this sentence alone you can see just how powerful utilizing the different Match Types can be.

The default for keyword targeting campaigns is to have all 3 Match Types turned on, as you can see from the screenshot below. Don't do this.

Instead, only use ONE Match Type per Campaign.


What Are The Differences Between Each Match Type?

I'm glad you asked! Here's the rundown...

Broad Match

Best For: Research

The Customer Search Term must contain all the words within your keyword, in any order. Can also include other words, plurals and synonyms.

Phrase Match

Best For: Research and Scaling

The Customer Search Term must have words in the same order as your keyword but can also include additional words on either side, including plurals.

Exact Match

Best For: Scaling

The Customer Search Term must exactly match your keyword; no additional words can be included, but plurals can still trigger your Ad.

When Should You Use Each Match Type?

Another great question! I eluded to this a little above, but let's dive a bit deeper. Here's how I use each Match Type...

Broad Match

– For testing new keyword ideas

– When Phrase Match campaigns aren't generating enough impressions

– I don't tend to use Broad Match when targeting author keywords (unless I really need to – see previous point). I find I get better results with Phrase Match when targeting authors

Phrase Match

– For testing new keyword ideas (yes, I test new keyword ideas in Broad Match and Phrase Match)

– For Author Targeting campaigns specifically

– For Brand Keyword campaigns

Exact Match

– Scaling up proven keywords

– Sometimes I use Exact Match for testing longer-tail keywords (3-5+ individual words in a single keyword), but rarely

– For Brand Keyword campaigns

And that's it for today. A rundown of the 3 different Amazon Ads Keyword Match Types.

If you enjoyed today's newsletter, you'll love my course, Jumpstart Amazon Ads For Authors. Inside, you'll find 30+ video lessons that dive into every aspect of launching, optimizing and scaling your Amazon Ads.

To Your Success
- Matt