Amazon glossary

What is Keyword match types?

Keyword match types stands for Broad, Phrase, and Exact match.

By AIAdKing Editorial Team · Reviewed July 13, 2026

Keyword match types — Broad, Phrase, and Exact match: Amazon keyword match types (Broad, Phrase, Exact) control how closely a shopper's search must match your keyword before your ad is eligible to show. Broad casts the widest net, Exact only fires on the specific phrase, and Phrase sits between them — each has a different ACoS and discovery profile.

In depth

Match types are the primary lever between discovery and control. Broad is a research tool — it surfaces search terms you would never have picked but usually with worse ACoS. Phrase requires the keyword to appear as a contiguous phrase inside the search. Exact only fires on the exact phrase (with plurals and minor variants). A healthy Sponsored Products account typically runs all three: Broad and Auto campaigns discover new terms, converting terms graduate to Phrase and Exact where you can bid confidently.

Formula

Reach: Broad > Phrase > Exact | ACoS control (typical): Exact > Phrase > Broad

Worked example

You target the keyword "stainless steel water bottle" in three match types with a ₹18 bid each. Broad matches "insulated bottle for gym", "metal water flask 1l", and "steel tiffin" — 900 clicks, 42 orders, ACoS 38%. Phrase requires the phrase intact, matching "buy stainless steel water bottle online" and "stainless steel water bottle 750ml" — 340 clicks, 28 orders, ACoS 24%. Exact fires only on "stainless steel water bottle" and its plural — 110 clicks, 14 orders, ACoS 17%. Playbook: keep Exact at ₹22, hold Phrase at ₹18, drop Broad to ₹12 and negate the 8 non-converting search terms it surfaced.

When to use it

Use Broad and Auto campaigns for discovery on new products and quarterly refreshes. Use Phrase for terms you have seen convert at least once but want mild variant coverage. Reserve Exact for your proven top 20–50 converting search terms — that is where the highest bids and tightest ACoS control belong.

Common mistakes

Running only Exact match on a new product — you never surface the long-tail search terms shoppers actually type, and you cap growth at the keywords you personally guessed.
Leaving Broad match uncapped forever — Broad is a discovery tool, not a permanent buy; without a lower bid and monthly negative-keyword harvest it becomes the top spender with the worst ACoS.
Forgetting to add converting search terms from Auto/Broad as negatives in the lower-tier campaign after graduating them to Exact — the same term then competes against itself in two campaigns, inflating CPCs.

How AIAdKing handles Keyword match types

AIAdKing tracks every search term across all three match types nightly, graduates converters into tighter matches, and negates the wasteful ones — so Broad stays a discovery engine instead of a budget leak, and Exact carries your proven winners at the right bid.

Keyword match types — quick answers