Bing Ads Casts Broad Keyword Net, Helps Ad Targeting

Magnifying GlassMicrosoft has begun to allow advertisers to target Bing Ads using broad-match keywords, which targets ads based off keyword bids. The search platform no longer takes into consideration the order of the words -- giving marketers broader targeting capabilities -- and targets ads based on keywords closely related to the search terms.

About 30% of daily searches are new to Bing, which means the search phrases have not been used before. Forty percent of searches are too refined for advertisers to predict using exact-match keyword technology, according to Microsoft research.

Broad match stretches the meaning to capture and identify more possible related searches. When marketers do not use broad match keywords, 57% of the potential impressions and 43% of the potential clicks are lost to competitors, per Stephen Sirich, GM in the applications and services group at Microsoft.

Bing ads rely on keyword match types to determine the link between terms and words in search queries. While many advertisers use Exact Match keywords successfully, trying to find every keyword that consumers could potentially search to find their business in real-time becomes virtually impossible.

Using a mix of Exact and Broad Match allows brands to capture new and existing business not possible through exact match alone.

Sirich also provides some tips in broad-match types. "Opt into Broad Match to get maximum reach without sacrificing quality of other match types," he writes in a blog post. "Adjust depending on conversion value by bidding explicitly for each match type relative to performance."

Use negative keywords to block unwanted query mappings and refine the campaign with other negative keywords as needed, Sirich explains. If necessary, tap into broad-match modifiers to set restrictive limits, remembering the modifier can block up to 90% of broad match’s potential volume.

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