When doing online book advertising keyword selection is important and so is the way you use the keyword in your campaign. The biggest mistake I see when I take over a book campaign is that the keyword list consists of all broad match keywords with no negative keywords to ensure a more qualified buyer of their book is clicking on the ad.
When setting up your campaign, you have a choice of how you want to control your keyword matching to that of the searcher’s search criteria. Meaning, what will you allow as search criteria that will trigger your ad to show to a particular searcher.
You have four choices.
- [exact match]
- “phrase match”
- +broad +match +modified
- broad match
Each choice affects when your ad is eligible to show. Keyword match type is a mechanism for controlling whom to show your ad too. Ignoring these choices could produce low quality clicks, cost you $$$, and poor results!
Let’s review your choices from most restrictive to least restrictive keyword matching options.
[exact match]
This match type is designated by the use of brackets around your [keywords]. When you designate your keyword as an exact match you are telling the system to only show your ad when the searcher uses that exact keyword or phrase and only that keyword or phrase.
If your exact match is [historical fiction], your ad will only show when a searcher types in historical fiction into the search bar. Nothing else!
historical fiction books
new historical fiction
These terms will not trigger your ad to show.
“phrase match”
This match type is designated by the use of quotes around your “keywords”. Which means your ad could show when the searcher uses that that phrase in their search criteria.
Let’s use “historical fiction” again.
historical fiction books
new historical fiction
best historical fiction books
star ratings on historical fiction spanish inquisition novels
These terms could trigger your ad to show.
+broad +match +modified
This match type is designated by the use of plus signs in front of the +keyword(s) you are requiring to be in the search criteria. Which means your ad could show when the searcher uses any of the keywords and in any order. The only requirement is that the keyword(s) are present in the searcher’s search criteria.
Let’s use +historical fiction again. Historical being the require keyword.
historical fiction short stories
historical sea novels,
examples of historical literature
These terms could trigger your ad to show.
Let’s use +historical +fiction. Requiring both terms in the search query.
audio books historical fiction
historical science fiction
top 10 historical non fiction books
These terms could trigger your ad to show.
broad match
This match type is designated by the use of just keyword(s) you are not requiring any term to be in the search criteria, only related terms. Which means your ad could show when the searcher uses any term that Google thinks is related to your keyword(s).
Let’s use historical fiction.
fiction historic events
european pre historic fiction
history based fiction books on audio
us history fiction
historical diction
as time goes by book review
These terms could trigger your ad to show.
- All the terms shown were actual terms used by searchers for the keywords, historical fiction and received clicks.
To see the search terms that are triggering your ads and getting clicks, in your campaign, click on the keywords tab to view your keywords. Next, click on the “Details” tab just to the right of the red “+ Keywords” button and drop down menu will appear and under “SEARCH TERMS.” Select “Selected” or “All.” This will show you the search criteria searchers typed in that triggered your ads and that you received clicks on.
Selected: To view all the terms for a specific keyword you are using. Just put a check by your keyword.
All: To view all the terms for all keywords you are using.
You now see the problem more clearly. When using phrase match, broad match modified, or broad match, be sure to use negative keywords or you could get a lot of unwanted low quality clicks that cost you $$$!
By J.P. Thompson