Introduction

Broad Match Modifier is a targeting feature for Google Ads that lets you create keywords with greater reach than phrase match, and more control than broad match. Marin Search Marketer is fully compatible with this feature.

How to Implement Broad Match Modifiers

To implement Broad Match Modifier, append a '+' in front of a broad modified keyword and set the match type to Broad. There should be no space between the '+' and the keyword, but there must be spaces between each keyword.

For example:

• Correct: +formal +shoes
• Incorrect: + formal + shoes
• Incorrect: +formal+shoes

As with any keyword, we support the bulk add/edit and export of broad match modified keywords. There are however some caveats with viewing/editing broad match modifiers in Excel.

• When creating bulk sheets in excel, placing a '+' at the beginning of a word can cause a #Name error. To avoid this error:
  • Perform a Find & Replace within Excel by highlighting the Keyword column and selecting Ctrl+F. Then: 
    1. ​Type: "=" as the Find what. 
    2. Leave Replace with blank.
    3. Click Replace All. Excel will evaluate these as strings instead of a formula, avoiding the #Name error.

• There is currently no way to filter keyword match types to include only broad match modifiers. A work around is to filter under the keywords column for Contains "+".

MS Excel has been known to alter keywords and capitalization's for broad match modified keywords. Here is a best practice for opening reports containing broad match modified keywords created in Marin for the purpose of editing in Excel:

1. Click Download to Save your report in Marin as a CSV file.
2. Open up a new blank Excel sheet and click the Data tab at the top and then click the From Text button.
3. Locate the file and click Import.
4. Select Delimited from the first step and click Next.
5. Click Next until you see your Keyword column in the second image below.
6. Click anywhere on the first column to highlight it, and in the Column data format at the top select the Text radio button, then click Finish.
7. Click OK in the next dialog box indicating which cell to insert the data.