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BROAD VERSUS EXACT VERSUS PHRASE

by kel
8 replies
If I do a Google External Keyord Tool search on a word like, say, "beans", I notice that the broad count differs from the exact count differs from the phrase count, yet there's only one word. Which verdict is correct?
cheers
Kel
#broad #exact #phrase #versus
  • Profile picture of the author artwebster
    They are all correct.

    The broad count (I will ignore the obvious joke) equates a centile
    The exact count equates to a specific count on the word in a stated time
    The phrase count equates to confusion because, if it differs from both of the others, there is something wrong.
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    • Profile picture of the author kel
      Artwebster, you have too much time on your hands. I seek still the answer.
      Kel
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    Originally Posted by kel View Post

    If I do a Google External Keyord Tool search on a word like, say, "beans", I notice that the broad count differs from the exact count differs from the phrase count, yet there's only one word. Which verdict is correct?
    Actually, I just did a check on "beans" in the KW tool and, as it should be, the broad and phrase matches return the exact same count, while the exact match returns a much lower figure. However, to illustrate the point using a two-word combination:

    web hosting

    Broad match:
    Those two words show up in the search terms somewhere, anywhere.

    cheaper hosting for my web page than godaddy
    buy a web server for hosting accounts
    free hosting for my web site

    Phrase match:
    Those two words show up together in the search terms.

    free web hosting for blogs
    web hosting provider list
    i need web hosting today

    Exact match:
    Only the exact term.

    web hosting

    If you can find an example of one-word terms that have three different search counts, let me know and I will investigate.
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    • Profile picture of the author kel
      Thanks Steven. I guess Im still stumped by why an exact match on a single word, say, "pet" should return a different count to the broad and phrase matches. I would have thought they should all be the same for a single word?
      cheers
      Kel
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      • Profile picture of the author Killer Joe
        Originally Posted by kel View Post

        Thanks Steven. I guess Im still stumped by why an exact match on a single word, say, "pet" should return a different count to the broad and phrase matches. I would have thought they should all be the same for a single word?
        cheers
        Kel
        Hi Kel,

        They won't, and here's why...

        If you take a word, say 'pet', the exact match will show the results for that word as a singularity (used by itself). However, the broad match will also include the results for the words 'pet leashes', as an example.

        So you type in 'pet' using broad match and you get results for words that are part of a phrase, in this case 'pet' is part of 'pet leashes' because it is associated with that (and many other) search phrase.

        The phrase match will also be skewed (most likely less than broad, and more than exact) because it will be used in conjunction with 'stop words' (words that aren't counted) such as "how to pet my cat", as an example.

        The other thing to remember about keyword searches is that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is constantly typing their keywords into the search engine to find their rankings or to do some research. So are the keyword bots. This muddies up things quite a bit.

        It's also the reason why people see keywords with lots of search volume and no traffic to the first page rankings.

        Remember, whether it's Google or anybody else, those search numbers are relative and not absolute. In fact they are a lot closer to fantasy than most folks want to admit.

        KJ
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