New feature: Modified Broad Match

Not quite standard broad match, but close

[Rehan]

For quite a while, many of us have wished for the return of standard (non-expanded) broad match in AdWords, and Google has finally introduced something close to it -- Modified Broad Match.

Read more on the official AdWords blog at [adwords.blogspot.com...]

If you prefix a keyword with the + modifier, the keyword must appear in the user query "exactly or as a close variant". That means +shoes could appear for "shoe" but not for "boots".

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has been very cautious with broad match because of the lack of control in how it's expanded to match other queries. Modified broad match makes a big difference for this issue. The blog post says:

During initial tests, advertisers who mainly used phrase and exact match found that adding modified broad match keywords increased campaign clicks and conversions, while providing more precise control than with broad match.

For now it's available only for advertisers in Canada and the UK, though.

[pavlovapete]

This is a great improvement!

Hopefully it won't be too long before we can use it in Australia.

[Atun]

Thank you Rehan,

Hope also to see it worldwide soon.

I would like some credit though. It is exactly like the "positive keyword" option that I floated here a while back ;)

The idea of being able to use broad match but insist that a term or terms be included will be helpful.

+widgets near +chicago then should give me "a chicago widget place", "widgets somewhere in the vicinity of chicago", etc.

Without having to include either:

Several dozen specific phrase matches to catch those

Also not having to add a few dozen -negative keywords to exlcude all the extraneous stuff that plain broad match widgets near chicago can brings up. I had gotten used to seeing queries as exotic as "zebras near chicago" and my widget ain't a zebra by a longshot!

Atun

[GroovyDave]

This looks really useful. Anxiously awaiting this in the US.

[RhinoFish]

LOVE THIS!

[after_hours]

Awesome!

[Gmorgan]

Well done Google!

We were starting to get fed up of spending hours a day adding in (some very random) negative keywords for client accounts.

[netmeg]

I'm setting up some accounts with plus marks already, just in anticipation. Want to be ready on the first day when they open it up.

[GroovyDave]

Netmeg, looks like you're good to go:

[adwordsagency.blogspot.com...]

[netmeg]

Yep. Been having me some fun; can't wait to see some results.

[RhinoFish]

Happy happy day, it's here!

To me, this is a more important change than the entire interface overhaul, keyword matching is at the core of almost every real challenge in paid advertising.

This new toy is like Xmas in July!

[briggidere]

How do you think this would work?

"+wiget +example"

Would you get a modified broad phrase match?

[RhinoFish]

you mean by misspelling widget as wiget? just a guess, but i'd say G would have a difficult time understanding what this word means, so there'd be few synonyms, and it wouldn't ever do much triggering.

but if you spelled widget correctly, i bet it'd sweep up anyone who typed it incorrectly.

[RhinoFish]

anyone played with the dki and mod-broad yet?

[Channel01]

you mean by misspelling widget as wiget? just a guess, but i'd say G would have a difficult time understanding what this word means, so there'd be few synonyms, and it wouldn't ever do much triggering.

but if you spelled widget correctly, i bet it'd sweep up anyone who typed it incorrectly.

I think she's asking how Google would handle that keyword since it would be a combo of phrase and modified broad match. It's an interesting question. My guess is that you would receive an error if you tried to submit that keyword.

[LucidSW]

"+wiget +example"

Don't think you'd get an error but that's not how it's supposed to be used, at least not in the way that briggidere is thinking of using it.

[RhinoFish]

oh, she meant WITH the outer quotes.

i don't know, but i can see when you use +one +two the match type column calls it broad. so i'd guess it won't work as a modified broad.