It’s not just you, the search queries you’re seeing in your search term report does not align with how you would presume the search engines would be matching searches to your keywords given your selected match types. Within the past year, there has been a shift in how search engines are matching search queries (what people are typing into the search bar) to keywords. There are now more search queries then ever matching to keywords. This is because Google’s machine learning and artificial intelligence is improving. Google now understands the meaning and intent behind searches, which allows the engine to understand similar searches that don’t necessarily include the same words.
In Google’s example below, the keyword [Lawn mowing service] can match to users searching “grass mowing service”. No longer do the exact words need to be within the user’s search to match to an exact match keyword. If the meaning is the same, your ad will be eligible to show. In the phrase match example of “lawn mowing service,” a matching search could be “hire company to mow lawn”. This search includes the meaning of the keyword.
As someone who has been practicing search engine marketing for over 10 years, this is a significant change. However, what does this mean for your campaigns? How should you adjust? Well let me tell you 3 simple, straightforward actions to take.
BONUS STEP
While Google’s machine learning has dramatically improved over time, it’s still not perfect. What Google deems believe to be a good match for a keyword may not be your ideal search query. Navigate these changes by working with an expert. Contact the experts at MoreVisibility for help.