Ad displays for Wrong Keyword

[john_k]

I have keywords like "steel widgets" and "metal widgets." I have noticed that the ad is now being displayed for "aluminum widgets," which is NOT one of my keywords. (And no, I don't bid on just plain "widgets" either.) Is this correct behavior? Does Adwords have some type of synonym function that is out of whack?

People are clicking through for "aluminum widgets" only to find that I don't have them. This not only causes a bad impression in a small niche market, but it also eats into an already small Adwords budget for this site.

Any suggestions on how to stop this?

[edit]oops - forgot to finish the Subject before submitting - it should read "Ad displays for wrong keyword."[/edit]

[Spudstr]

try throwing in -aluminum or -aluminum widget might be an option.. explore negitive words they work wonders and are highly recommended by google to help cut down on impressions and improve your CTR. World of google CTR is your life line for your ad.

-
Zak

[dougl]

Are you using broad matching or "phrase matching"?
I believe that broad matching actually shows your ads for keywords G thinks are related, but I haven't heard of phrase matching doing a similar thing.

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that you can see what other keywords your ad may be shown for when you click on related keywords shown in edit mode. Is this list complete - that I don't know - maybe someone else does.

Furthermore, other related keywords apparently don't get turned on for your ads right away, but gradually, based on the performance of the broad-matching keyword's CTR with more exact match versions of your broadmatch keyword... I've read this stated elsewhere on this forum about 6 weeks ago.

[patient2all]

try throwing in -aluminum or -aluminum widget

Here's a question for AWA or someone else who has experience with such. How does a negative keyword phrase work? I've always been afraid to try.

-aluminum widget

Are we certain that AdWords will only exclude search queries containing both those words? I have this fear that searches with widget may also be excluded. Anyone know for a fact that this won't happen under certain circumstances?

I know:
-aluminum
-widget

would be foolish for a widget seller, but any clarificaion on how the -phrases get handled in practice would be appreciated.

patient2all

[HitProf]

I use those regularly p2a. You can safely use
-blue widget

It will still display for 'blue widgets'
if widget and widgets are your keywords

[eWhisper]

There is an 'embedded match' feature with links in this related thread:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[john_k]

Thanks for the help. I have added the negative keyword and that has eliminated the clicks.

The broadness of the broad match surprised me. I had thought that it was simply the logical partner to Phrase match and Exact match. That is, I thought it meant that someone would have to enter all of the words, but in any order. The thought that Google would use a "thesaurus" for each word in the keyword had not occured to me.

It seems that there should be a fourth option to go along with Exact, Phrase, and Broad. One that means "I know about similar terms in my own industry. And I have spent some amount of time considering what qualifies a buyer. So please use the exact words I have entered, but in any order." You know, sort of how they handle terms for natural results.

[john_k]

It seems that there should be a fourth option to go along with Exact, Phrase, and Broad. One that means "I know about similar terms in my own industry. And I have spent some amount of time considering what qualifies a buyer. So please use the exact words I have entered, but in any order." You know, sort of how they handle terms for natural results.

Okay - I know. All I have to do is enter each possible combination as a phrase match and I will get the same effect. It sure would be nice if you could disable Expanded Matching for a specific keyword.