Hey hey, Alex here 👋

A lot has changed over the last few years on Google Ads. Actually, a lot is always changing when it comes to media buying — whether that's Google, Meta, or any other channel.

Today, we’re tackling a topic that used to scare most advertisers (myself included): Broad Match keywords.

You see, I've been running ads for 11 years now. Back then, when you'd use the words "broad match", it would make most media buyers cringe. It was the setting you’d never touch unless you wanted wasted spend on irrelevant clicks.

But things have changed. A lot.

And I truly believe that broad match is the future for multiple reasons.

Keep an open mind and let's dive in.

How Google Ads Used To Work

Not that long ago, Google Ads was all about control.

• You’d build massive lists of exact match keywords.

• You’d break campaigns down into dozens (sometimes hundreds) of granular ad groups.

• The idea was to force Google into only showing ads for the precise queries you wanted.

And back then, it worked. Because Google wasn’t smart enough to understand intent — it could only match text strings.

The problem?

This approach was heavily time-consuming, and would often lock you in with a limited set of keywords potentially capping your growth.

Why Broad Match Now?

Fast forward to today, Google's algorithm has become much smarter than it used to be.

With the rise of machine learning and Smart Bidding, Broad Match no longer means “spray and pray.” Instead, it uses more signals to understand intent — far beyond just the keyword you typed in.

The keyword here (pun not intended) is intent.

Nowadays, Google isn't just asking: "Does this query match the keyword?"

It's asking: "Is this person actually looking for what you’re selling?"

And to do so, broad match is able to tap into more signals than any other match type.

Credit to Miles McNair for the image

In short, it's like having your smart bidding on steroids. And that's a good thing for your business.

What This (Actually) Looks Like

Let's say a customer searches for "best running shoes for flat feet".

In the "old days", if you didn't have that exact or phrase keyword in your list, your ad wouldn't show. Of course, this also meant advertisers had a lot of control over what keywords would trigger your ads.

A good media buyer would have extensive lists to make sure you wouldn't miss these (valuable) keywords.

But let's factor in these new smart bidding signals. With the new broad match + smart bidding signals:

• Their previous searches show they’ve also been searching for “Nike ZoomX reviews” and “stability shoes for marathon training.”

• Their location is near a local race expo.

• Your landing page mentions “running shoes designed for flat feet” and features a lifestyle image of marathon runners.

Google is now able to connect the dots and decides your ad is highly relevant — even if your keyword was just “stability running shoes.”

This isn't something you'd be able to "target" with exact match keywords easily.

So it's not only about the search term that signals high intent. It's all of these other signals that tell Google this user is very likely to make this purchase.

And when you let a super intelligent machine put all of these pieces together for you, it's almost certain it can do a better job than you at finding new potential customers.

Potential Pitfalls of Broad Match

You may be shaking your head thinking: "Well, but I don't want Google to decide which search terms are valuable or not. I'm sure I'll still see a ton of irrelevant clicks."

And you're not (completely) wrong.

• You can still be matched to irrelevant queries, and you'll need to closely monitor your search terms.

• You lose some control, particularly when it comes to account structure and search term overlap across different campaigns and ad groups.

Broad match isn't perfect. It will still drive some irrelevant clicks. But understanding customer intent and how close a user is to converting has tremendous value.

• It allows you to show ads to customers closer to the end of the funnel.

• It frees up your time to focus on other (more important) tasks like landing pages, offers, or your copy.

• It turns your job into less of a button-pushing job and forces you to think more like a strategist.

How To Make Broad Match Work For You

If you're willing to give broad match a good chance, here are some things to consider.

• Make sure you have a very solid conversion tracking foundation. The more signals you can provide to Google, the better it will do. And the fewer negative keywords you'll need to add.

• Create high-converting landing pages, and focus on writing good copy. Context is key. Make sure Google understands clearly what you're selling, and that your conversion rate is high.

• Consolidate your campaigns. It's better to have one campaign spending $100/day than 10 campaigns at $10/day. This helps Google collect more signals and perform better over time.

• Set efficient smart bidding goals, and be careful with bid strategies like "maximize clicks" or "maximize conversions". If you don't set clear targets, Google will run through your budget like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Wrapping It Up...

When paired with Smart Bidding, Broad Match can:

• Unlock new queries you’d never think to bid on manually.

• Consolidate campaigns (less time managing endless keyword lists).

• Scale faster, since the system learns across a wider set of signals.

For eCommerce, this is huge. It means you can capture buyers who are ready to purchase — even if they don’t type in your “perfect” keyword.

Your Turn

Are you still running mostly exact/phrase match, or have you started testing Broad Match?

Hit reply and tell me how it’s working in your account.

When You’re Ready

• Free Google Ads Audit → If your eCom brand does $50k+/mo, I’ll personally review your account and send you a step-by-step list on how to fix your account.

• Google Ads Audit Checklist → Download your free checklist, pinned on my X bio.

• Follow me on X → I share daily insights on scaling with Google Ads: @almeidalexandr