In a previous article, I advocated using Google Keyword Tool to perform keyword research. This is because it is the best free tool out there to find out what keywords people are searching online. I mean, this tool gives you Google’s search data on a platter and the fact that is available for use to everyone means that you must take advantage of it.
The part where most beginner keyword researchers get stuck on is figuring out the difference between broad, phrase and exact match and which one they should be using for their research. I hope this article will clear this up for many of you.
Understanding The Terminology
If you’re new to keyword research, understanding the difference between broad, phrase and exact match is crucial. I must admit that when I started doing keyword research, I also had difficulties understanding the difference. I eventually worked it out and I hope this explanation makes it easy for you too. I will be using examples to demonstrate the difference because it is the easiest to way to understand.
Broad Match
This refers to a search query which shows all the keywords which contain the search terms in any order.
For example, if I did a broad match search for “designer wedding gowns”, then the following keywords would appear:
- wedding gowns by designers
- designer wedding dresses and gowns
- designer made wedding gowns
As you can see, all the words in your search query appear in your above keywords in any order.
Phrase Match
This refers to a search query which shows all the keywords which contain the search terms in the same order.
For example, if I did a phrase match search for “designer wedding gowns”, then the following keywords would appear:
- best designer wedding gowns
- designer wedding gowns sydney
- most popular designer wedding gowns in 2010
As you can see, all the words in your search query appear in your above keywords in that order.
Exact Match
This refers to a search query which shows all the keywords which ONLY contain the search terms.
For example, if I did a exact match search for “designer wedding gowns”, then the only keyword that will appear is:
- designer wedding gowns
This type of match search is very specific.
Now that you understand the differences between each match search, you won’t be surprised to find out that there are more searches for broad match than for phrase and exact match. You should be able to see this when you alternate between broad, phrase and exact match on Google Keyword Tool.
Which One Should You Use?
The million dollar question is which type of match search you should use for keyword research. This is something that few SEO consultants talk about. What I’m going to reveal here is something which most gurus will never reveal.
So here goes.
Exact match search is the most accurate estimator of short-term traffic potential.
This is because it is much easier to rank highly for exact match because they have far less competition. However, they also have less searches.
But here’s the good news.
When you start ranking well for exact match, you will then start ranking for phrases which contains your initial exact match keywords. So you will then be able to tap into phrase match which gets more searches and more traffic.
But here’s the best part.
Once you start ranking #1 for a search phrase, there is somewhat of an “authority kick” where you start ranking for your keywords not just in that order but also in different order ie broad match variations. Furthermore, you will start ranking for semantically related phrases too.
Hence, broad match is the most accurate estimator of long-term traffic potential.
What does this all mean?
This essentially means that you should be focusing on ranking for exact match searches first. They may have the least amount of searches but they are also the doorway to ranking highly for phrase match searches and then eventually broad match searches. This is one of the main reasons why I advocated targeting 1 keyword per page in a previous article.
At the end of the day, SEO is a long-term investment in being able to rank highly for broad match searches. You cannot expect results overnight, but by targeting the right keywords, you can be on track to achieving your objective faster than others.