Not a surprise and something we all saw coming…Google has announced that as of February 18th Broad Match Modified (BMM) keywords and phrase match keywords will start to match the same user searches. Phrase match keywords will become the norm and BMM keywords will be phased out.
Google gave the following examples to show how keyword matching behaviour will work with this update to match types:
“We’ve seen that phrase match and broad match modifier often serve the same use cases, and that you can reach more of the right customers through a combination of the two,” Google said.
As of mid-February, both phrase match and BMM keywords will become this new match type. As of July, advertisers will no longer be able to upload BMM keywords, however, any existing BMM keywords will continue to serve. Phrase match will then fully replace BMM keywords.
What does this mean for advertisers?
- Both match types will be affected so there is no need to transfer keywords. You may start to notice BMM keywords receive less traffic while phrase match keywords start to increase
- Advertisers will get to keep their historical performance data
- This could, possibly, save advertisers time managing keywords however they will need to take the time to re-organise their keyword strategy if required
- Traffic may be affected (although Google says this should be ‘slight’) as this change takes place, so advertisers should keep your finger on the pulse with performance metrics so they can adapt the delivery of their results
If you are an advertiser who would like some assistance with your paid search strategy, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
