Google is Phasing Out the Broad Match Modifier Match Type

Google’s roller coaster ride is at it again! In early February, advertisers opened their email only to be surprised with Google’s latest update. In a bold move, Google Ads is removing one of the most popular keyword match types. Starting now, Google will begin gradually including broad modified match (BMM) type behavior into their new version of phrase match. By July 2021, Google will have finished phasing out the use of the broad match modifier match type, and they will act solely as the new phrase match.

The BMM match type has been the cornerstone of the account structure for many advertisers, and for some, this is a pretty big deal that will require an account structure overhaul. Instead of focusing on word order combinations, advertisers have been able to use the BMM type to capture traffic with queries containing specific words, but not specific to word order or intent. It has allowed more control over the advertiser’s interpretation of user intent and didn’t rely on Google’s interpretation, which often brought in traffic the advertiser didn’t find relevant. Google is letting us know this change is going to reduce the irrelevant traffic and improve both the user and advertiser experience. They will no longer blindly match a search query to a keyword without consideration of the intent of the search.

To understand this better, let’s take a look at the example below. Of course an advertiser for accounting services isn’t going to want to show “What services do accounting firms offer?” But once the advertiser sees this query, they can add it as a negative keyword and not worry about that search again, while also still capturing impressions for “services for accounting nearby” — which may not have shown with a phrase match type.

This will definitely have an impact on how we structure our keywords and accounts, but overall, we are looking forward to the change! While there may be an adjustment period, we are here for it and rolling with the updates. Google is an always-changing goliath, and a successful one at that. Their goal is to deliver relevant search results and ads to their users. If they don’t provide that, people won’t want to use their site or pay for their advertising, and they will lose money.

After this update, Google’s direction is crystal clear. Google is focusing on user intent and website experience. How can we tell?

Here are a few of Google’s biggest and most recent moves:

1. GA4: the new Google Analytics Property that focuses almost entirely on user engagement on a website.
2. Removing a large volume of search query visibility, making it more difficult to see what queries were triggering the ads and keywords.
3. Using the user’s page experience as a stronger part of their ranking algorithms.

While some advertisers are frustrated by this steady loss of granular control, &Marketing is looking forward to helping our clients better understand their customer’s search intent and website performance, which will avoid any negative repercussions with this ever-changing Google Ads landscape.

This may all make you wonder, is it possible that you’re been wasting money on ad spend this entire time? Find out with our no-obligation and free Paid Search Inefficiencies Audit and find out where you’re wasting your ad spend.

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