As a seller on the world’s largest eCommerce platform — we’re talking about Amazon, of course — the performance of your ad strategies can make or break your success. One of the most common types of Amazon advertising is pay-per-click, or PPC. Today, we’ll explain all about Amazon keyword match types, which let you determine which customer search queries match your manually targeted keywords.
Interested in learning more about Amazon listing best practices, effective ad management, and growth strategies? Read on for advice, tips, and your comprehensive guide to keyword match types from the professionals at Click Fluency, an industry-leading Amazon agency.
Amazon Keyword Match Types Explained
In a perfect world, your product listing would show in the results under every relevant search query, skyrocketing your conversions and exposure. Unfortunately, the near-infinite number of search phrase variations shoppers use to browse on Amazon creates a significant challenge for sellers.
However, keyword match types offer a solution to enhance the performance of your manual Amazon PPC campaign. They give you precise control over how similar a customer’s search term must be to your targeted keywords before your product listing shows in the results pages.
The Three Keyword Match Types on Amazon: Broad, Phrase, & Exact
Amazon has three keyword match types you can use in a PPC campaign: Broad, Phrase, and Exact. To help you better understand how they work with your PPC campaign, let’s start by defining some key terminology.
Quick Definitions
Search Terms vs. Keywords: Search terms (or search queries) and keywords aren’t the same thing. When customers browse for products on Amazon, the words or phrases they type into the search bar are search terms. Conversely, keywords are the specific words you bid on when creating a manual ad campaign on Amazon.
Search Term: Clear plastic storage bins
Keywords: Clear plastic bins, plastic storage bins, clear plastic bins for storage
Close Variations: Amazon considers the singular or plural form of a word as a close variation (e.g., “lamp” and “lamps”).
Ignored Words: All keyword match types disregard “if,” “and,” “of,” “the,” and “when.”
Spelling Errors: Amazon doesn’t account for misspelled words under any match types, so don’t use common misspellings in your targeted keywords.
Generic Keywords: General keywords for broad categories (e.g., table or wood table)
Longtail Keywords: More specific keywords with greater relevance (e.g., oakwood kitchen table)
Seasonal Keywords: Terms related to specific times of year (e.g., Thanksgiving dining room table)
Branded Keywords: Keywords containing your brand’s specific name (e.g., Crate & Barrel wooden table)
Broad Match Type
If your ultimate goal is to increase awareness and drive up traffic exposure, broad match keywords are your best bet. Seller beware, though. You might reach a wider audience, but that doesn’t always translate into higher click-through rates. Broad matches are suitable for generic keywords, but you can expect to pay higher bid rates.
Broad Match Requirements
For a broad match, the search query:
- Must include all target keywords or close variations
- Can contain additional words (non-keywords)
- Can have keywords in any order
Examples of Broad Matches
Shopper’s Search Term: opal heart necklace
YES
opal necklace with heart pendant
women’s opal heart necklace
NO
heart necklace
opal gemstone necklaces
Phrase Match Type
As phrase matches are slightly more restrictive than broad matches, they’re ideal for longtail keywords. They can expand your reach through more precise audience targeting, but it won’t be as much of an increase as with broad matches.
Phrase Match Requirements
To get a phrase match, the search term:
- Must include the precise phrase or close variations in an identical order
- Can contain additional words either before or after the term
Examples of Phrase Matches
Shopper’s Search Term: down comforter
YES
down comforter purple
lightweight down comforters
NO
comforter with down feathers
down microfiber comforter
Exact Match Type
Exact match keywords are the most restrictive and, therefore, the best at boosting conversions. They won’t drive as much traffic, but what you sacrifice in reach, you gain in relevancy and conversion rates. Do thorough research before committing because exact matches are usually the most expensive type.
Exact Match Requirements
Exact match-eligible search queries:
- Must include the precise phrase or keyword (very close variations are okay)
- Have to be in an identical order
- Can’t contain additional words
Examples of Exact Matches
Shopper’s Search Term: silver iPhone case
YES
silver iPhone case
silver iPhone cases
NO
silver case for iPhone
silver iPhone case with screen protector
Optimize Your Amazon Keyword Strategy With These Tips
PPC campaigns offer highly lucrative opportunities for your brand to grow, thrive, and profit on Amazon. But to quote Teddy Roosevelt, “Nothing worth having comes easy.” Developing a high-performance keyword and PPC strategy for your Amazon brand takes considerable time and effort.
After launching your campaign and gathering enough information, the next step is analyzing all that data. Pinpoint key insights, then use them to adapt and refine your strategy. If that sounds exhausting, it is. Optimization is an ongoing process. That’s why many sellers outsource to an Amazon agency with the skill and experience to handle that critical task.
Amazon explains three ways sellers can improve their keyword strategy to optimize performance and drive results:
- Add New Keywords: Check your Search Term Report to learn how most shoppers find your products. Once you find the best-performing queries, reap the rewards with exact match keywords.
- Perfect Your Match Types: Determine which match types and keywords produce optimal results and ditch the ones that aren’t delivering.
- Use Negative Keywords: Improve ad relevance with help from negative keywords. Example: A seller offering brand-new HP desktops would use negative keywords like “refurbished” and “used.”
Get the Most Out of Amazon Advertising With Click Fluency
The three Amazon keyword match types are Broad, Phrase, and Exact, which can help you increase visibility, expand reach, and boost conversions. Still struggling to learn the ins and outs of Amazon keyword optimization and ad strategizing? We’ve got your back. Reach out now to book your free strategy session with the experts at Click Fluency and let us drive success for your Amazon brand.