Many people think they can run Google Ads on their own. They may even decide they don't have the time and hire an agency to do the work for them. Either way, be careful about the suggestions that Google Ads provides; they might not make the most sense for your business. We'll discuss in this article why the suggestion of using a broad match type might not make sense.
Average Budget
Most small businesses, which represent the majority of businesses in the US, run an average $1,000 a month budget in Google Ads. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with this amount; it is a sizeable amount to spend on Google Ads when you consider all the other marketing that a small business spends, which could total up to $3,000 a month in total. Because of this amount, using a broad match type might not make sense.
For one, a broad match type will pull in many different keywords, many of which will not make sense for your business. Even if your location targeting is correct, you will still show up for terms you don't want, and it will be an endless game of whack-a-mole trying not to show up for some terms. For instance, you might sell Nike but not Adidas, but if you use the term Nike Shoes, for instance, instead of "Nike Shoes," Adidas could pull up because it's a shoe brand, too.
Instead of using a broad match, try combining phrases and an exact match. For one, you'll still get about 80% of the search volume you'd get from that particular keyword. More importantly, 80% will be more focused on your ideal customer profile, assuming you have done the research to determine keywords that make the most sense for you.
Performance Max
Something else to consider with a $1,000 budget is using Performance Max. Certainly, it's tempting to dump your $1,000 into Performance Max and let the system roll with the right conversion setup. Unfortunately, there will most certainly be an issue with conversions.
Performance Max works best with about 30 monthly conversions streaming through EACH campaign. A workaround people have done is using soft conversions like 3+ pageviews or over 90 seconds on the site, but then you're teaching the system to go after vanity metrics that might not move the needle.
So unless your conversions are less than $35, I would probably stay away from Performance Max and stay focused on a search campaign, but be mindful that using a broad match type might not make sense.
When Broad Makes Sense
Certainly, broad is not wrong all the time. If you're a company with a large Google Ads budget, broad makes a lot of sense. You need to fish for new keywords that you might not have thought of before, and broad can help you find those nuggets of gold.
Once you have found those golden nuggets, port them over to a new campaign where you can use a phrase and exact to target these newfound sources to get more out of them than just some luck from broad match.
Conclusion
We hope this clarifies why using a broad match type might not make sense. If you have questions about Google Ads or want someone else to worry about this, please call us.