Last updated on August 12th, 2021 at 03:52 pm
Amazon Ads Modified Broad Match Tutorial - The Secret 4th Match Type
Not many Amazon Sellers know about the secret 4th match type in Amazon Ads… modified broad match.
Nope, not broad match, modified broad match. It’s like broad match but with more control over what keywords your ads show on.
You can’t use it through the regular Amazon Ads interface, it requires adding special symbols in front of keywords that Google Ads veterans will know all about.
- Why use broad match modifiers?
- How do I use it in my ads?
- What are the best strategies for modified broad match?
I answer all these and more in this guide to Amazon’s secret 4th match type.
IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY: In this blog I'll be referring to "keywords" as the target keyword entered in Amazon Ads, and "search terms" as the keyword your ad actually shows up for.
Why use the modified broad matchmodified broad match match type?
Simply put, you can discover new profitable keywords similar to auto campaigns without wasting adspend on irrelevant keywords. You get the best of both worlds.
If automatic & exact match campaigns had a baby, it would be broad match modified.
There are specific use cases I’ll share later on that no other type of campaign can do.
Regular broad match often goes too broad & gets irrelevant search terms Amazon *thinks* is related.
Phrase match expands upon your search terms but is restrictive and doesn’t offer much control.
Modified broad match goes broad like automatic campaign but with HYPER CONTROL over what search terms you show up for. It’s similar to phrase match but does not restrict phrase order.
Amazon Modified Broad Match Explained
Here’s an example of a phrase match campaign. Notice how the target keyword is door bags, and “door bags” shows up in phrase order in all search terms, not as “bags door” anywhere.
Then compare that with modified broad match and you’ll see that rzr, door, and bags are in every customer search term, but the phrase order is in any order.
This gives the Amazon Ads algorithm freedom to find new search terms but with very strict parameters.
By adding the + symbol in front of a keyword, you’re telling Amazon that keyword MUST be present in the search term.
Modified Broad Match Examples
Target Keyword: +shoes +men
Potential Customer Search Terms:
- shoes for men
- mens shoes
- shoes that men wear
- black shoes leather for men
Because the + symbol is placed in front of +shoes and also +men, those keywords must show up in every customer search term, but they can show up in any order.
If you place the + symbol in front of only one keyword, only that keyword must show up, and the other keywords are “suggestions” to the algorithm, similar to how normal broad match works.
How to Use Broad Match Modifiers in Amazon Ads
- Add a + symbol in front of keywords that must show up in all search terms
- Add a + to keywords in bulk with the free Found PPC Keyword Tool
Choose the Broad match type when entering the keyword
- Add a + to keywords in bulk with the free Found PPC Keyword Tool
- Choose Broad as the match type when entering keywords into Amazon Ads campaigns. There is no option to select broad match modified, so you must add the + symbols, then choose regular broad match as the match type.
Best Strategies for Modified Broad Match In Amazon PPC
I don’t recommend just copying over your other campaigns in the new match type, the strategy should be very specific because it’s a very specific match type. Here is what we’ve seen work best with our Amazon PPC Management clients at Kenji ROI.
Branded Campaign
Write every spelling variant of your brand name you can possibly think of, then let broad match modifiers create every possible variant without going too broad
You can do the same strategy with other match types, but the challenge is getting a wide range of search terms without getting irrelevant ones. This is where modified broad match shines.
You want to use a few words as possible to allow the algorithm to fill in the gaps, but use every spelling variant you can think of as a new keyword.
Brand Campaign Example Keywords
Brand Name: Finishing Touch
Keywords:
- +finishing +touch
- +finish +touch
- +finishing +touches
- +finish +touches
- +finish +touching
- +finishing +touching
Some brand names this is much easier than others. If your brand name often brings up search terms for other random products, you’ll have the be more restrictive, but if it uses unique words like “Nike” than you can go very broad.
Hyper Targeted Auto Campaign Mode
Target 1 or 2 word phrases that would qualify any potential search term as relevant to your product.
The idea here is to go as broad as possible but strategically targeting keywords that if that keyword is present in the search term, then 95%+ it’s definitely relevant to your product.
Example
- If your product is a headlight for a 2005 Ford Ranger, targeting generic search terms like “truck headlights” won’t perform well as shoppers may be looking for lights that fit dozens of different truck models.
- This is a great use case for broad match modifiers!
- Do some thinking… what words that if present, would qualify any search term as relevant to my product?
- In this case the best target keyword would be +light +2005 +ranger
- If we did only “+ranger” we’d likely show up for unrelated items like Power Rangers toys or park ranger tools.
- If we did only “+2005 +ranger” that shopper could be looking for hundreds of different parts or accessories for a Ford Ranger.
- It’s not until we get “+light +2005 +ranger” that we can be 95% sure that shopper is definitely looking lights and definitely for the model you are selling.
Remember, the goal of these campaigns is to use the power of the algorithm so use keyword phrases that are no more than 2 words long.
Free Modified Broad Match Bulk Processing Excel Formula
Since we do so much of this work for our Amazon PPC Management clients at Kenji ROI, I’ve created an excel formula that takes lists of keywords and automatically adds the + symbol in front of every keyword, even for multi keyword phrases.
You can use it directly in Amazon Ads bulk upload files for fast processing of your existing campaigns or uploading new ones.
Click here to get the free broad match modified excel formula and instructions on how to use it!
