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When advertising on Amazon, keyword match types allow you to fine-tune which customer search terms your ads are eligible to show against.
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Sponsored Products also offer negative phrase and negative exact match types, which prevent ads from being triggered by a certain search term (word or phrase).

1️⃣ BROAD

The query can include the keyword terms in any sequence and may involve singulars, plurals, variations, synonyms, and related terms based on the keyword's meaning and the context of the advertised products.
The keyword itself doesn't need to be present in the customer shopping query.
For example, the keyword "sneakers" could match customer queries like "canvas sneakers," "sneakers", "basketball shoes", "athletic shoes", "cleats", "trainers", or "foam runners".
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In Sponsored Brands campaigns, you can use broad match modifiers to specify words that must be included in customers' search queries for your ad to appear. Add a broad match modifier by placing a plus symbol "+" before the keyword.
For example, if you use the keyword "+kids shoes" with a broad match modifier, the ad will only match searches containing the word "kids." Therefore, the ad might appear for queries like "kids sneakers" or "running shoes for kids," but it won't match any searches that don't include the word "kids," such as "sneakers" or "running shoes."
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2️⃣ PHRASE

The search term must contain the exact phrase or sequence of words, making it more restrictive than broad match and generally leading to more relevant ad placements. Phrase match also includes the plural form of the keyword.
​For example, if an advertiser uses the phrase keyword "curtain rods" and a customer searches for "pole for curtains rods" a phrase match occurs.
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For Sponsored Brands, this match type enables advertisers to display their ads on searches that capture the essence of their keyword. The keyword's meaning can be implied, and customer searches may reflect a more specific interpretation of that meaning.
For Example, if an advertiser uses the Phrase keyword “curtain rods” and a customer searches for “pole for curtains for bedroom,” it results in a phrase match.
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3️⃣ EXACT

The search term must exactly match the keyword or sequence of words for the ad to be displayed. This also includes close variations of the exact term. Exact match is the most restrictive match type but can lead to more relevant ad placements. Exact match also includes the plural form of the keyword.
​For example, if an advertiser uses the exact keyword "outside light" and a customer searches for "outside lights" an exact match occurs.
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In Sponsored Brands campaigns, this match type lets advertisers display their ads on searches that share the same meaning or intent as their keyword.
For instance, if an advertiser uses the Exact keyword “outside lights” and a customer searches for “outdoor lights” it triggers an exact match.
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To get a better idea of which search terms fall under which match types, here's an example below using the keyword "coffee beans":
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As you can see in the above example, some search terms can be bid on by all 3 match types for the same keyword. This allows for Phrase and Broad match keywords to continue to bid on successful search terms and to keep their bids up so that they can continue to find new keywords.
If you would like to prevent this, you can do so by turning on Search Term Isolation.
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Article last updated June 2024. If you find this information to be out of date, please contact hello@perpetua.io.