What is exact match in Google Ads?

Exact match is a keyword match type in Google Ads that gives you the most control over when and where your ad appears. When you use exact match, your ad will only show when someone searches for your keyword exactly (or very close variations of it), with minimal room for interpretation.

Here's how exact match works:
If your exact match keyword is "running shoes", your ad will only show when someone searches for that exact term or very close variations like:

"running shoe" (singular version)

"buy running shoes" (additional words before or after)

However, Google has expanded exact match to include close variants, so it might show your ad for searches that are slightly different, but still close in meaning. These variations can include:

Misspellings

Plurals or singulars (e.g., "running shoes" vs. "running shoe")

Accented vs. non-accented characters (e.g., "café" vs. "cafe")

Different word order (e.g., "running shoes" vs. "shoes running")

Benefits of Exact Match:
Precision: Your ad will only show up for the exact terms you've chosen (or slight variations), meaning you're likely reaching people who are looking for exactly what you offer.

Higher relevance: Since the keyword matches closely to the user's search, the traffic you receive is more likely to convert.

Better control: With exact match, you can control the search queries triggering your ads, avoiding irrelevant traffic and potentially reducing wasted spend.

Drawbacks:
Limited reach: Because your ad only shows for very specific queries, you may miss out on some opportunities that broader match types (like broad match or phrase match) would capture.

Requires precise keyword strategy: To reach a broader audience, you might need to add multiple exact match keywords, which could be more time-consuming.

In short, exact match is all about control and precision. It's great for targeting people who are already very specific about what they're looking for, but you need to balance it with other match types to ensure you don't miss out on potential customers.