beren - 4:51 pm on Jun 19, 2007 (gmt 0)

Bidding on terms such as widget advice and widget assistance is not the same as bidding on the broad match widget.

Yes, exactly! I have been using AdWords for years and consider myself pretty adept at it. widget advice is not the same as widget. It has never been that way until recently.

I have also noticed wild expansions in Google's definition of broad match recently. They always come up with the lame response: use negative keywords. I've been using broad match and negative keywords for years, and I know how to use them. A year ago this would have never happened. If Google is going to change the rules on us, please let us know in advance!

We're instituting a policy of no more broad match. I can't take the chance on what sort of wacky search terms Google is going to show our ads for.