Overture's new Advanced match type simplifies account management

[Nacho]

Just got this in via email:

Originally Posted by Overture

When Overture advertisers speak, we listen. In response to advertiser feedback, we've simplified our match types.

Phrase and Broad match types will be streamlined into one match type: Advanced. Now it will be easier than ever to manage your account, put your business in more relevant searches and drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Simpler is better with Advanced match type:

• Advanced will encompass both Phrase and Broad match types-You will no longer designate one or the other. Your current Phrase and/or Broad match type listings will become Advanced match type listings at the time of launch.
  Advanced will leverage your existing keywords-You won't have to add keywords or receive additional editorial review.
• Advanced will use the same bid as Standard-One bid means no more managing multiple bids.
• Advanced will offer excluded words at the account level-You will be able to select excluded words across your entire account or for each individual listing.

You won't have to do anything to change your current Phrase and Broad keywords to Advanced. They will be switched automatically as early as October 2. If your Phrase or Broad bids differ from your Standard bids, they will default to the Standard bid amount when the Advanced match type launches.

You may opt out of Phrase and Broad match types at any time before the Advanced match type launch. You can also opt in and out of the Advanced match type at any time after the launch using the Match Types option within the DirecTraffic Center®.

Overture's new Advanced match type provides simplified bidding, easier account management and the opportunity to drive more traffic. It launches as early as October 2, so watch for it.

[eragon]

I received this message this morning and it got me to thinking about how I manage my Overture account. I currently have 9,000+ keyword phrases with almost half that waiting to be activated. I use a template of about 100 phrases. When my company extends its service to another city/state, I just substitute the city and state names in that template and upload to Overture.

Is this Advanced match type supposed to reduce my need to have so many combinations of keywords phrases? I should point out that a good portion of the keywords receive few hits, but the logic goes that it's better to have them and get a few hits than to not have them at all and not get any hits.

[dannysullivan]

You'll find some more discussion about this in an earlier thread: Overture Going Broad Match. A link to my article on the change is also at the top of that.

[eragon]

Thanks, Danny. After reading it, I feel better about what the way I'm handling things.

[danielray]

Hello everyone,

could someone please help me to understand what are this Phrase and Broad match?

Many thanks

[rustybrick]

To the best of my understanding:

Broad Match: The default option for all keywords, if you enter "widget" into your keywords box, then you should come up for all sorts of widgets. You would probably come up for "blue widgets", "red widgets", "widget" without the s, and probably keywords that are like widget. So you need to be careful with this for two reasons. First reason is, if you don't sell "blue widgets", you will be paying for clicks when you don't have that product to sell. Second, sometimes if your keyword is strongly associated with a brand name that is trademarked, you might find yourself bidding on someone's trademark.
Phrase Match: If you select this option with a keyword phrase in the format of "blue widget" then you will only come up for blue widget. The order and spelling is how phrase match works. It will also look for broad matched combinations of "widget" but only if it includes "blue". Hope that makes sense.
Exact Match: This is probably the most tight form of the matches. So if you use [blue widget] then you will only come up for blue widget, and no other permutations of widget or blue.
Negative Keywords: This match type is helpful by excluding trademarks or styles/colors of product that you don't sell. -blue would stop you from ranking for the keyword blue widgets.