Amazon keyword match types: broad, phrase and exact
Broad finds the searches. Exact pays for the ones that work. Here's how each match type behaves, and how to move a search term from one to the other.
Short answer
Sponsored Products keywords have three match types. Broad match can show your ad for searches with your keyword's words in any order, plus plurals, variations and synonyms. Phrase match needs your words in the same order, with other words allowed around them. Exact match needs the same words in the same order, plurals included. Use auto and broad campaigns to discover search terms, then move the ones that convert to exact match, where you control the bid.
On this page
The three match types
A keyword is what you bid on. A search term is what the shopper actually typed. The match type decides how far apart those two are allowed to be.
| Match type | Matches searches with |
|---|---|
| Broad | Your words in any order, other words around them, and plurals, variations or synonyms Amazon judges close |
| Phrase | Your words in the same order, plurals included, with other words before or after |
| Exact | Your words in the same order, plurals included, and nothing else |
Broad reaches the most searches with the least control. Exact is the reverse. Phrase sits in between.
Those definitions follow Amazon's own targeting guide. Amazon refines how matching works over time, so the search term report, not the definition, is the final word on what you actually paid for.
One keyword, three match types
Here's how the keyword dog bed might match real searches. It's an illustration, not a guarantee: broad match in particular is Amazon's judgment call.
| Search term | Broad | Phrase | Exact |
|---|---|---|---|
| dog bed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| dog beds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| large dog bed | Yes | Yes | No |
| dog bed washable | Yes | Yes | No |
| bed for dog | Yes | No | No |
| pet bed | Maybe (synonym) | No | No |
| dog bed pattern | Yes | Yes | No |
Look at the last row. Phrase and broad both happily match someone who wants to sew a dog bed, not buy one. That's what negative keywords are for.
Automatic targeting: Amazon picks the searches
Auto campaigns skip keywords. Amazon reads your listing and decides where to show the ad, in four targeting groups you can bid on or switch off separately:
| Group | Where your ad may show |
|---|---|
| Close match | Searches closely related to your product |
| Loose match | Searches loosely related to your product |
| Substitutes | Detail pages of products similar to yours |
| Complements | Detail pages of products that go with yours |
Auto campaigns are a discovery engine. They find search terms you'd never think of, and some you'll wish they hadn't. Loose match and complements are usually where relevance gets thinnest, so check them first in the search term report.
Manual campaigns can also target products instead of keywords: specific ASINs or whole categories. Same idea, applied to where shoppers browse instead of what they type.
A structure that uses all three
Match types work best as a pipeline, not a choice:
- Discover. Run an auto campaign and a broad-match campaign on your core terms. Bid modestly. Their job is to find search terms, not to be profitable on day one.
- Harvest. Every week or two, open the search term report. Find terms with enough orders at an ACoS below your break-even.
- Promote. Add each winner as an exact-match keyword in a separate exact campaign, where you set its bid on its own.
- Fence. Add the same term as a negative exact in the discovery campaign, so the two don't keep catching the same search.
- Prune. Terms with plenty of clicks and no orders become negatives. Finding wasted ad spend has the click thresholds.
| Campaign | Uses | Job | Bids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Auto, broad | Find new search terms | Low |
| Phrase (optional) | Phrase | Cover a proven phrase | Medium |
| Performance | Exact | Spend on proven terms | Per keyword |
If you're new to this, start with the discovery and performance campaigns. Add phrase when you notice a phrase that keeps converting with different words around it.
Common mistakes
- Exact match only. You'll get clean data and no new searches. Your keyword list stops at the edge of your imagination.
- Broad match without negatives. Broad will find your customers and plenty of people who aren't. Without regular negatives it slowly becomes a donation.
- The same keyword in five campaigns. It's hard to tell which bid is doing the work, and your reports start arguing with each other. Fence harvested terms with negatives.
- Judging a keyword after three clicks. Wait until clicks pass about 2 ÷ your conversion rate before deciding it doesn't convert.
Let your AI do the harvesting
Harvesting is the step everybody skips because it means exporting, filtering and cross-checking. With your ads account connected, it's one question:
Ask your AI
From my auto and broad campaigns in the last 30 days, list search terms with at least 2 orders and ACoS under 30% that aren't exact-match keywords yet. Show the source campaign, clicks, orders and ACoS.
Connected through WavyCloud, your AI app can also prepare the negatives for the source campaign. You see a preview and confirm before anything reaches Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between broad, phrase and exact match on Amazon?
Broad match can show your ad for searches containing your keyword's words in any order, plus plurals, variations and synonyms. Phrase match requires your words in the same order but allows extra words around them. Exact match requires the same words in the same order, with plurals included.
Does exact match on Amazon include plurals?
Yes. Amazon's targeting guide says exact match includes plurals, so the keyword “dog bed” in exact can match the search “dog beds.” It won't match searches with extra words, like “large dog bed.”
Does Amazon have broad match modifier?
No. Sponsored Products offers broad, phrase and exact for keywords. Broad match modifier was a Google Ads feature, which Google retired in 2021. On Amazon, phrase match is the closest way to require specific words.
Should I use automatic or manual campaigns?
Both. Automatic campaigns are good at discovering search terms you didn't think of. Manual campaigns, especially exact match, let you bid precisely on terms you know convert. Most sellers run auto for discovery and move proven terms into manual exact campaigns.
Which match type is cheapest?
None is cheap by default: cost per click is set by your bid and the competition for each search. Broad and auto tend to spend on more varied searches with lower conversion rates, while exact focuses spend on terms you've already proven, which usually makes its ACoS easier to control.