(and Why I’m Side-Eyeing It)
Let’s talk about broad match—or as I like to call it, “the keyword match type you didn’t ask for but somehow ended up using because Google slipped it into your Recommendations like a sneaky little gremlin.”
I’ll be real with you.
I don’t like using broad match. I never have, and I probably never will by default. Not because I’m old school or allergic to automation (I’m not), but because I actually care about intent. About control. About strategy.
Broad match throws that out the window unless you’ve got some serious guardrails in place.
Google wants you to believe broad + smart bidding = magic.
But here’s the real deal:
If you aren’t:
- Actively monitoring search queries,
- Stacking up a long-scroll list of negative keywords,
- Building campaigns with clean conversion signals,
…then you’re probably wasting money. And not a little. Like, actual dollars down the drain, all while Google shows you pretty charts in the Recommendations tab telling you how smart you’re being.
Spoiler alert: you’re not.
I’ve seen the receipts.
Accounts that started with tight phrase match or exact, performing well…
Then suddenly, the volume’s way up, CPL’s creeping, and everyone’s panicking.
You dig into search terms and see things like:
- Job seekers when you’re selling a B2B SaaS tool.
- “Free” when nothing on your site is free.
- Irrelevant branded terms that have nothing to do with you.
And guess what? That’s all broad match, baby. Brought to you courtesy of Google’s automated “optimizations.”
Can broad match ever work?
Sure. With conditions.
I’ve tested it successfully when I have:
- A super clean, high-volume account with solid conversion data,
- Strong audience signals layered in (hello, first-party data),
- Tight exclusions already baked in,
- Time and resources to check it often.
But broad match is not a plug-and-play situation. It’s a “handle with care” kind of tool. Like a gas stove—you can cook a great meal with it, or burn down your kitchen.
So why is Google pushing it so hard?
Simple. More reach = more spend.
More spend = more revenue for Google.
And I get it. They’re a business. But you don’t work for Google. You work for your client, your team, your business. You’re responsible for outcomes. Which means pushing back when the algorithm gets lazy or sloppy.
Final thoughts:
- Automation doesn’t mean abdication.
- “Set it and forget it” is not a strategy.
- If you’re using broad match without checking queries weekly (or even daily in some verticals), you’re asking for trouble.
Ask yourself this: Is that increase in traffic actually valuable? Or are you just seeing more people who are kinda-sorta interested in something tangentially related to your offer?
Keep your standards high. Review your search terms like your budget depends on it—because it does.
