Google Ads keyword matching systems are optimized to match searches that are likely to meet your goals. These systems work together for you to reach the right user, with the right message, meeting your business objectives. The process that takes a user from a search to finding your keyword-matched ad is:
- As a user searches on Google, the system interprets their input considering spell-corrections, synonyms, and related concepts to establish the most accurate query. This retrieval query is used to retrieve all potentially relevant keywords whose status is “enabled” rather than “low search volume”.
- Among the retrieved keywords, the system checks for eligibility based on keyword match type. For campaign and ad group eligibility, we check budget, geotargeting, audience targeting, negative keywords, that the ad group has at least one approved creative and landing page, time of day restrictions, and more.
- The system then prioritizes eligible keywords that are identical to the search term across all match types. For example, broad match keywords can be used to ensure traffic goes to keywords that are identical to the user’s search term without needing to repeat the same keywords in exact and phrase match.
- For each ad group that has an eligible keyword, the response search ads creative system automatically assembles the best-performance for the user.
- Bids are then calculated for use with Ad Rank.
- The system selects the best combination of relevance and Ad Rank between ad candidates which consist of a matched keyword or landing page, a creative, and a bid.
- The ad with the highest Ad Rank from each advertiser then enters into the auction.
- The auction then runs and ads with the highest Ad Rank across all advertisers show.
Review the example below of how Google Ads keyword matching works for a retrieval query of running shoes:
| If you don’t have a keyword that’s identical to the search query in your account: | If you have a keyword that’s identical to the search query in your account: |
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Broad match keywords in your account: shoes, shoes for running, marathon shoes, footwear for running. All the keywords are eligible. |
Broad match keywords in your account: shoes, shoes for running, marathon shoes, footwear for running. All the keywords are eligible. |
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Keywords chosen to move to the next step: shoes for running, footwear for running. These are the most relevant keywords in your account and you don’t have an identical keyword to the search query. |
Keywords chosen to move to the next step: running shoes. This keyword is selected because you have an identical keyword to the search query. |
| Responsive search ad: Google Ads automatically creates a relevant ad for each of the keywords shoes for running, footwear for running. | Responsive search ad: Google Ads automatically creates a relevant ad for running shoes. |
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Smart bidding: Uses machine learning to set a precise bid for each query, ad, and user. Manual bidding: Uses the bid you provide to set a fixed bid for every query. |
Smart bidding: Uses machine learning to set a precise bid for each query, ad, and user. Manual bidding: Uses the bid you provide to set a fixed bid for every query. |
| Ad Rank: Ad Rank is calculated for the responsive search ads and the one with the highest Ad Rank is sent to the auction. | Ad Rank: Ad Rank is calculated for the responsive search ad. |
| Auction: The auction runs and the ad with the highest Ad Rank across all advertisers is shown to the user. | Auction: The auction runs and the ad with the highest Ad Rank across all advertisers is shown to the user. |
