This is a simple question, but one that marketers ask a lot. So what are the different match types? And why do they matter?

There are 4 different types of keyword match types: Broad Match, +Broad +Match +Modified, “Phrase Match” and [Exact Match.] Here is how they are broken out and when you should use them.

Broad Match: Broad match will allow Google to find just about anything that relates to your keyword. So if your keyword is shoes, you could get just about any search term coming through about shoes.

+Broad +Match +Modified: Broad Match Modified will allow you to still get volume, but set qualifiying words that must be within the search term for the keyword to be trigured. For example if your keyword is +hiking shoes the search term could look like hiking shoes for long hikes.

“Phrase Match”: Phrase Match allows you to have the exact search term you want, but words can come before or after it. “Best Hiking shoe” could turn into Best Hiking Shoe Store Near Me.