In my recent posts, I talked about the 4 levels of optimizations, some new and updated Amazon features, and how to create different levels of variations. But we shouldn’t forget the basics.

Just like on Google, Amazon allows you to target keywords within your PPC structure. These keywords have 3 different match types – broad, phrase, and exact match type. You can imagine the keywords spread as an upside pyramid.

Broad KW match type

This match type is the widest and biggest part of the pyramid. When you select your keyword target phrase, the broad match type allows Amazon to insert words anywhere in your search term.

If your phrase is “Christmas decorations,” Amazon could add “sparkly Christmas decoration for a Christmas tree.” It could also switch and change the order of your keywords – “decoration for holidays and Christmas Eve.”

You can find many new keywords combinations that way, but you have very little control.

Phrase KW match type

It is way more controlled than the broad match type. Phrase match type does not allow Amazon to split your words in your search term. The platform could add words before or after your keyword phrase but not in between.

In our example above, Amazon could create ” new Christmas decoration 2021″. This way, you are sure that your phrase would appear the same way as your potential customers would type it.

In most cases, the phrase match type is more convertible than the broad match type. However, the discoverability of new terms is much lower.

Exact KW match type

This is the most precise KW match type where you have the most control. Amazon is not allowed to split your words or to add words in the phrase. The only thing it could do is to change singular to plural names or to add adjectives.

The “Christmas decoration” example could be “Christmas decorations” or “the Christmas decoration”.

In AMZ bees, we prefer to make broad match type bids lower than the other types. The broad KW type is the widest, so we don’t want to waste budgets on one-click keywords, but still maintain the ability to find and mine new search terms.