Google Ads announced that exact match type will now also apply for terms with similar intent. The PPC space has since been flooded with opinions about this change. Here is how PPCers responded when this update was announced.
Some of the handpicked tweets, with the majority not happy with this change.
Literally just got an email from our Google rep claiming the new “exact” match is “making keyword management more simple.” RRRRRIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHTTTTTT#ppcchat #SimpleIsTheNewEnhanced
— Melissa Mackey (@Mel66) September 10, 2018
Google is reducing keywords as a concept to taxonomy style categories that can be layered with audiences.
It’s just doing it slowly enough that the industry accepts the eventual destination.#ppcchat
— Andrew McGarry (@beyondcontent) September 7, 2018
Exact match is now irrelevant. Google money grab. +modifier is your only friend. #ppc #ppcchat https://t.co/7vhGCP1e1c
— David Sonn (@davidsonn) September 8, 2018
It’s about time for a new match type. *variant match* , *AI match* , +[exact match modifier]
How can you in good faith still refer to the exact match type as an “exact match” #PPCchat @GoogleAds #GoogleAds #exactmatch
— Jimmy Dalgleish (@JIMMYDonline) September 7, 2018
New ways to call Exact Match:
Mostly Exact Match
Roughly Exact Match
Vaguely Exact MatchPartial Broad Match Modified
or “good enough”
or… product update to generate more revenue#ppcchat— Sam Lalonde (@sam_lalonde) September 7, 2018
Another ridiculous way for @GoogleAds to squeeze more money out of advertisers. They should just cancel exact match because this is just broad match. What would broad match be doing now? Just matching to every query known to man? #ppcchat
— daniel Vardi (@360vardi) September 7, 2018
I just can’t believe that now I”m going to find new terms based off an Exact Match SQR… what. Then if you add a new query you need to use negatives to force match to the new query, because you know the old one can pick it up. #PPCchat
— Mark Gustafson (@markpgus) September 7, 2018
So now you are going to need to use negative keywords in exact match adgroups, if this causes you issues. I say it all the time, PPC is more defense at this point. #ppcchat
— markkennedysem (@markkennedysem) September 7, 2018
I’d welcome new matching variants – if they were in a match type that wasn’t called “Exact”. Makes no sense. These variants should be added for keywords w/o an advertiser set match type (aka broad). Then the added power & flexibility would actually help. #ppcchat #whycallitexact?
— Greg Finn (@gregfinn) September 7, 2018
This change in Exact match is a bloody nightmare #ppc #GoogleAds #adwords – going to add hours of work to get my accounts back into shape #thanksbutnothanks #Google
— Richard Thomas (@thebigfixer) September 11, 2018
Funny. Exact match is becoming more broad than modified broad and phrase match. ? #ppc #googleads https://t.co/DIbPHmiaPL
— Vojta Satrapa (@Vojtasatrapa) September 9, 2018
@GoogleAds don’t take our control on what exact keywords we want to show our ads for, if your intent is to democratize value of ML with this exact match close variants feature & not just making money then let’s have a separate exact match variants match type #SEM #measure
— Arpit Srivastava (@arpitconsultant) September 9, 2018
Shouldn’t broad and phrase be the feedback loop? Just get rid of exact match if “exact” doesn’t mean exact any more. What Google really wants is advertisers to say “My budget is X, you spend it how you think it should be spent Google…”
— Geoff (@JMUGeoff) September 8, 2018
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