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How will PPC Marketers Use Google Modified Broad Match?

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Google recently developed a new AdWords keyword match type called Modified Broad Match. It's triggered by using a "+" sign immediately next to a term: +marketing. Affectionately becoming known as BMM, or Broad Match Modifier, this new match type is being positioned "between" standard broad match and phrase match in terms of volume and performance. Search engine PPC marketers will need to quickly understand the ramifications and practical applications for this new match type. Here are some of our thoughts following Google's Webinar on this topic.

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What do you think? Please comment below. We'd love to read your opinions and especially hear about any real-world results you may have seen with BMM.

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Visualizing Modified Broad Match Type Volume

We always ask: Why? (Sure, it drove our parents and teachers crazy raising us but also serves us well as professionals.) So why did Google implement this new match type?

In looking at the surface area of this image from Google, you can see the answer. Modified Broad match greatly enhances the footprint volume of phrase match. This alternative helps bridge the two match types.

Why use Broad Match Modifier?

Google has noted three primary reasons for using this new modified broad match type:

1. If you want more volume from your phrase match terms
2. If you turned off poor performance broad match terms in the past and want to re-try those terms; this may be the push they need to gain positive ROI
3. If you turned off or never used certain broad match terms due to difficult negative match type management

We agree with those reasons for why you should try modified broad match. To us, #1 is probably the most important and the first area we'd attack. All of our PPC campaigns are hyper-targeted to meet strict performance metrics so we're always looking for ways to increase volume while maintaining those target cost per returns.

But perhaps the biggest reason we see for using BMM: The + modifier eliminates synonyms that are part of the standard broad match type. So if you sell only cowboy and work boots, under the standard broad match type boots would have triggered shoes, sandals, sneakers, and more. Under the new Modified Broad Match +boots will only trigger stemmed variations and mispellings, thus dramatically eliminating the -negative match guessing game you would have to play with Google under standard broad match.

What BMM Can't Do

While you can "combo" other keyword match types within Google AdWords, from what we saw in the webinar we attened modified broad match can't be mixed and matched with others. We could be wrong on this, so please share if you know otherwise. We captured some chat and moderator Q&A that seems to say combo match examples won't work with BMM:

• Incorrect BMM Use Example: +women's "formal shoes"
• Acceptable BMM Use Example: +women's +formal shoes

Final Thoughts on Modifed Broad Match Type

If the chasm between standard broad and phrase match is simply too large, it hurts the effectiveness of both match types. So to that extent modified broad match may help. It's PPC's answer to the gap wedge; for you golfers out there that get our primitive analogy. We can't wait to see more real-world numbers and we certainly welcome more options (more the merrier), so thanks Google! But at the end of the day the skeptic in us says: This is a way for Google to generate more CPC volume, or revenue, and its impact for PPC marketers is yet to be determined.

Read More: If you haven't already, we recommended checking out Google's blog post on Modified Broad Match Type; and sharing your commments below.