Most sellers believe exact match keywords are the gold standard for PPC performance on Amazon.
After all, if someone types “wireless charger” and clicks on your ad for “wireless charger,” that should be the most relevant match… right?
Not always.
In fact, over-relying on exact match keywords can limit your reach, kill your discoverability, and prevent long-term optimization.
Let’s dive into why broad match might be your secret weapon — and how to use it strategically.
🎯 Understanding Match Types in Amazon PPC
1. Exact Match
- Triggers only when the exact keyword or a close variation is typed
- High control, low discovery
- Best for high-converting proven keywords
2. Phrase Match
- Triggers when the keyword phrase appears in exact order with other words before/after
- Moderate control and moderate discovery
3. Broad Match
- Triggers when any variation or related phrase includes the words
- Highest reach and highest discovery potential
🧠 Why Broad Match Wins (When Used Correctly)
1. It Fuels Discovery
Amazon’s search behavior is dynamic. Shoppers rarely use the same phrasing, spelling, or order.
Broad match allows you to:
✅ Discover long-tail keywords
✅ Find customer language you hadn’t considered
✅ Uncover new product use cases
Example:
Targeting “resistance bands” with exact match gets you only that term.
Broad match might uncover:
- “home gym resistance band set”
- “workout bands for physical therapy”
- “resistance loops for legs”
These are high-converting terms you’d never find otherwise.
2. It Reduces Ad Fatigue
When you only run exact match, you hit the same audience again and again.
This creates:
- Lower CTR over time
- Higher CPC as competition intensifies
- Limited impression share
Broad match keeps your audience fresh and diverse, tapping into related terms at scale.
3. It’s a Goldmine for Search Term Mining
Smart sellers use broad match as a data tool.
Here’s how:
- Launch broad match campaign
- Run for 7–14 days
- Pull Search Term Report
- Identify converting keywords
- Move those into exact or phrase match campaigns
This creates a self-optimizing flywheel that keeps feeding your growth.
🧱 Campaign Structure for Broad Match Success
Don’t just “turn on” broad match and hope for the best. Use structure and guardrails:
Recommended Structure:
- One broad match keyword per ad group
- Low daily budgets ($10–$25)
- 20–30% higher bids than exact match (to gain traction)
- Negative match irrelevant terms weekly
💡 Tip: Use Search Term Isolation — any term that converts gets moved to its own exact match campaign for better control.
💸 Budgeting Broad Match Properly
A common fear: “Broad match wastes money.”
It can — if you don’t set rules.
Controls to put in place:
- Add a max ACoS target and pause high-spend, no-sale keywords
- Use auto rules to add negatives after $10–15 in spend without a sale
- Set duration-based reviews (every 5–7 days)
When managed, broad match becomes a cost-effective testing engine.
📊 Real Seller Results
Brand: Pet Accessories
Old strategy: Exact match only
New test: Added 10 broad match campaigns with isolated keywords
30-Day Results:
- 27% increase in total sales
- 18 new profitable keywords discovered
- Average ACoS on broad match: 21.7%
- Top 5 new keywords moved into exact and scaled
🚫 When Broad Match Can Hurt
- 🚫 If your listing isn’t fully optimized (it’ll attract the wrong traffic)
- 🚫 If you don’t monitor search terms weekly
- 🚫 If you don’t move winners to exact match
- 🚫 If your budget is too high and unmanaged
✅ When to Use Broad Match
| Scenario | Use Broad Match? |
|---|---|
| Launching a new product | ✅ Yes |
| Testing new niches or angles | ✅ Yes |
| Already found top 20 keywords | ✅ Still useful |
| Low budget without oversight | ❌ Not ideal |
| Niche with high CPCs | ✅ With limits |
🧠 The Bottom Line
Broad match is not the enemy — ignorance is.
Used well, broad match is the best-kept secret for:
✅ Scaling new products
✅ Mining valuable search terms
✅ Keeping campaign performance fresh
✅ Reducing long-term CPCs
It’s not about broad vs. exact — it’s about using each where they shine.
🛠 Want Help With It?
At Marketplace Valet, we build custom PPC systems that:
✅ Combine match types effectively
✅ Automate discovery + promotion
✅ Monitor spend, ACoS, and keyword lifecycle
✅ Maximize your PPC ROI without wasting budget