Google Ads has rolled out major changes to its search query matching system in 2024. These updates will change how advertisers run their campaigns and connect with potential customers. One of the biggest changes is that advertisers will now see about 9% more data in their search query reports. This means you'll have a much better idea of how people are finding your ads, even when they make spelling mistakes.
Google has also added new ways to control how your brand appears in searches. There are new brand inclusion lists for broad match campaigns, and brand exclusion lists now work for all types of keyword matching and Dynamic Search Ads. These tools give you more say over when and where your brand shows up in search results.
Another big update is how Google handles misspellings. The system is now smarter at dealing with typos in both search term reports and negative keywords. This should make running your campaigns easier and give you more accurate information about how your ads are doing.
In this article, we'll explore these new features in depth. We'll explain how they work and what they mean for your Google Ads strategy. Our goal is to help you understand and make the most of these updates, so you can improve your advertising efforts in 2024 and beyond.
Brand inclusion and exclusion lists: New features and controls
Adjustments to brand inclusion and exclusion options have been made across various campaign types, yet Google continues to recognize the demand for additional control measures.
Brand inclusion lists for broad match
Google has introduced brand inclusion lists for broad match campaigns, addressing a common concern among advertisers. Broad match keywords are known for their wide reach, but this can sometimes lead to your ads showing up for irrelevant searches. The new brand inclusion lists aim to fix this issue.
Here's how it works: Google will now offer suggestions in your recommendations tab for brand inclusion lists you should apply to your campaign. This feature helps you maintain better control over your brand terms, ensuring they're used more effectively in broad match campaigns.
However, it’s essential to note the following details; When you apply this recommendation, Google will automatically switch your campaign setting to use broad match for all keywords. This is a substantial change that could greatly affect how your ads are delivered.
Now let’s take a quick look at what it looks like in an existing campaign:
For those who are hesitant about using broad match keywords, this might not be the best option. However, if you're open to trying it, Google suggests using this feature with smart bidding for the best results. Smart bidding uses machine learning to optimize your bids in real-time, which can work well with the broader reach of broad match keywords.
This update gives you more control over your brand terms in broad match campaigns, but it's important to weigh the benefits against the potential risks of switching all your keywords to broad match.
Brand exclusion lists for all match types and dynamic search ads
In addition to brand inclusion lists, Google has expanded the use of brand exclusion lists. Previously, these were only available for Performance Max campaigns, but now they're being rolled out to all match types and Dynamic Search Ads campaigns.
This expansion gives advertisers more control over which brands they don't want their ads to show for. It's particularly helpful for businesses that have trouble distinguishing their brand from others or want to avoid appearing in searches for competitor brands.
For example, if you sell smartphones but don't want your ads to show up for searches related to a specific brand you don't carry, you can now easily exclude that brand across all your campaigns.
This feature is straightforward to implement and can help you avoid wasting ad spend on irrelevant searches. It's especially useful for businesses in competitive industries where brand terms can significantly impact ad performance.
Updates to Google Ads query matching for misspellings
Misspellings are a common human error, and there have been various strategies over time for handling them in search terms. Previously, advertisers included numerous misspelled keywords, particularly incorrect variations of brand names, in their campaigns to ensure comprehensive coverage. Eventually, these misspellings were captured through close variant matching.
Google's latest update introduces two key changes affecting misspellings. First, search term reporting will now include data on misspelled queries, allowing advertisers to see this information more clearly. Second, misspelled versions of a term will automatically be applied to the main negative keyword term, reducing the need for advertisers to manually add these misspelled variations as additional negative keywords.
Improved visibility for misspellings
Google has implemented a notable update to its method of reporting misspelled search terms. This adjustment will provide advertisers with a more accurate understanding of how their ads are performing. Previously, many misspelled queries were lumped together under the "Other" category in search term reports because they didn't meet the privacy threshold for individual reporting.
With the new update, these misspelled queries will now be grouped with the correct spelling of the keyword. While you won't see new line items for each misspelling, the data from these misspelled searches will be included in the totals for the correctly spelled term.
This change is expected to increase the visible data in your search term reports by about 9%. That's a substantial improvement in data transparency, allowing you to see a more accurate representation of how users are finding your ads.
For advertisers, this means you'll have a better understanding of the true performance of your keywords, including variations that users commonly misspell. This additional data can help you make more informed decisions about your keyword strategy and ad copy.
Improved misspelling matches for negative keywords
Another important update relates to how negative keywords handle misspellings. In the past, negative keywords only blocked the exact spelling you entered. This meant that to block all variations of a word, you had to add every possible misspelling as a separate negative keyword – a time-consuming and often impractical task.
Now, Google has extended the same misspelling expansion to negative keywords that it uses for regular keywords. This means that when you add a negative keyword, it will automatically block common misspellings of that word as well.
For instance, if you add "youtube" as a negative keyword, it will also block searches for "youtub," "utube," and other common misspellings. This saves advertisers a significant amount of time and effort in managing their negative keyword lists.
This update is particularly beneficial for advertisers dealing with complex or commonly misspelled terms. It helps ensure that your ads don't show up for irrelevant searches due to simple spelling errors, potentially saving you money and improving the quality of your ad traffic.
How these changes affect your Google ads strategy
1. Rethinking your approach to broad match
The introduction of brand inclusion lists for broad match campaigns offers new opportunities, but it also requires careful consideration. Broad match can now be more controlled when it comes to brand terms, which might make it more appealing to advertisers who previously avoided this match type.
However, it's important to approach this change cautiously. While applying the recommendation for brand inclusion lists can improve your control over brand terms, it also switches all your keywords to broad match. This is something that could dramatically alter your campaign's performance.
If you decide to experiment with this new feature, it's important to monitor your campaign performance closely. Watch for changes in impressions, clicks, and conversions. You might see an increase in reach, but make sure this translates to valuable traffic and not just higher costs.
Consider starting with a small test campaign before applying this change to all your ads. This way, you can compare performance and make an informed decision about whether the broader reach is beneficial for your specific goals.
2. Simplifying negative keyword management
The updates to how negative keywords handle misspellings can greatly simplify your keyword management process. You no longer need to spend time adding numerous variations of misspelled negative keywords to your lists.
Take this opportunity to review and streamline your negative keyword lists. Remove any misspelled variations you've added in the past, as these will now be covered automatically. Focus on adding the correct spellings of negative keywords, and let Google's system handle the variations.
This update can save you time in campaign management, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your advertising strategy. It's especially beneficial for campaigns targeting industries or products with commonly misspelled terms.
3. Improving campaign segmentation
The expansion of brand exclusion lists to all match types and Dynamic Search Ads provides new opportunities for better campaign segmentation. You can now more easily separate brand and non-brand traffic across all your campaigns.
Consider creating separate campaigns for brand and non-brand terms if you haven't already. Use brand exclusion lists in your non-brand campaigns to ensure they remain focused on generic or competitor terms. This can help you allocate your budget more effectively and tailor your ad copy and landing pages to different types of searches.
For businesses with multiple brands or product lines, you can use these lists to prevent cannibalization between campaigns. This ensures that each campaign focuses on its intended targets without competing with other campaigns in your account.
4. Analyzing search term reports with new insights
The changes to how misspellings are reported in search term reports will affect how you analyze your campaign data. You'll likely see an increased volume on correctly spelled search terms, as the data from misspelled variations is now included.
This more complete data can lead to better decision-making about your keyword strategy. You might discover that certain keywords are performing better than you previously thought when misspellings are accounted for. Conversely, you might find that some keywords are attracting more irrelevant traffic than you realized.
Use this new data to refine your keyword lists. You might identify new keyword opportunities or discover terms that need to be added to your negative keyword lists. Pay attention to how this affects your quality scores and ad relevance metrics as well.
Conclusion
The 2024 updates to Google Ads search query matching bring big changes that can help advertisers improve their campaign performance. We've looked at how brand inclusion and exclusion lists give you more control over where your ads pop up, especially for broad match campaigns. The improvements in handling typos, both in search term reports and negative keywords, offer clearer insights and make managing campaigns less of a headache.
These changes open doors to fine-tune your keyword strategies, split up your campaigns more effectively, and get a more accurate picture of how your ads are doing. Keep in mind, while these updates aim to make things easier, you still need to keep a close eye on your campaigns and tweak them as needed.
As you get used to these new features, keep testing and checking your results. Stay in the loop about future updates, and be ready to switch up your approach as Google Ads keeps introducing new updates. By embracing these changes and using them smartly, you can step up your advertising game and see better results for your business.
