Broad vs Exact

[Carl Brown]

Can anyone explain to me how you can have a 2 word keyword phrase and get <10 for exact and 6,120,000 for broad? I assume a 1 word keyword has to give you the same thing for exact and broad. I'm assume it's not a profitable keyword phrase if the exact is less than 10

[dburk]

Hi Carl,

I assume you are referring to data from the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. Exact match data shows you search volume for that particular keyword.

Broad match shows you data for a group of keywords that might trigger your AdWords ad to be displayed. It is an unknown number of keywords that include every variation of those two words within a phrase, plus extended broad match terms that include alternate keywords that might be related.

[TBInternetMarketing]

Let's take the example 'tennis shoes'.

Broad would include: tennis shoes, tennis, tennis balls, wimbledon tennis, blue shoes, shoes, red shoes etc etc.

Exact would only be: tennis shoes.

So now you can see why broad is so much higher. Always use Exact match when scouting out a keyword. In this case, I'd say no, it's not profitable at all.

[TBInternetMarketing]

Let's take the example 'tennis shoes'.

Broad would include: tennis shoes, tennis, tennis balls, wimbledon tennis, blue shoes, shoes, red shoes etc etc.

Exact would only be: tennis shoes.

So now you can see why broad is so much higher. Always use Exact match when scouting out a keyword. In this case, I'd say no, it's not profitable at all.

[timpears]

The thing I have never really understood about this is that any one of those broad match may very well send you traffic. So isn't the broad match just as telling as the exact. You are going to show up when people do a search for multiple variations of your exact keyword.

I was reading an SEO report the other day and the writer suggested that you use the broad match and his theory was compelling. I don't remember his reasoning, but it did make sense to me as I read it. It has made me think twice about this subject.

[Elzie1]

TBInternetMarketing stated it perfectly. so the thing that you would need to search for is keywords that would give the possibilities of more searches. But yet you don'twant to go to extremeor it will be to broad and you won't be able to rank high enough for the keywords. You might try to put in quotes "in title" "keywords". And see if that will narrow down your search without blowing out your keywords.

[UMS]

Let's take a practical example.

Say your keyphrase is density keyword

GAKT gives you:

broad = 40,500
exact = 170

The main reason for that is that almost everyone will be searching for

keyword density

and not

density keyword


Looking at the broad match figures is very misleading, as you might fully optimize your site for density keyword and then find you are getting very little traffic to it.

[rex546]

i have same qustion , n thanks all the great users of this forum !

[dburk]

Originally Posted by timpears

The thing I have never really understood about this is that any one of those broad match may very well send you traffic. So isn't the broad match just as telling as the exact. You are going to show up when people do a search for multiple variations of your exact keyword.

I was reading an SEO report the other day and the writer suggested that you use the broad match and his theory was compelling. I don't remember his reasoning, but it did make sense to me as I read it. It has made me think twice about this subject.

Hi Tim,

No, I think you are confusing the AdWords ad triggering with Organic search results. Broad match includes many keywords that you are not likely going to be ranking for, but would trigger your ad to display in AdWords.

For broad match to be useful you would need to have top ranking for all those keywords, not just the one you are analyzing. The problem is that you don't even know, with certainty, which keywords are included in that search volume. You have no idea how many extended broad match keywords are included that may not even be related to your niche.

I can't comment on what was in that report since I have know idea what he was saying, but from the way you describe it I remain skeptical.