Broad Versus Exact Match SEO Keywords

Every business needs a strong SEO strategy to start ranking on search engines. As you spend time fine-tuning and strengthening your campaign, you should start seeing lead changes as your website moves up in rankings on the SERP. A main component to any SEO campaign is your keyword strategy. Choosing the right keywords is crucial to how well your website is going to rank. If you want to rank on the first page, you should be choosing the best keywords to beat out your competitors.

So, how do you choose the best keywords? There are a lot of factors you need to consider like competition, search volume, and business growth. When considering how to target your audience, you need to think about the type of keywords you want to use. With that in mind, let’s discuss two types of keywords to consider for your website: broad (low intent) and exact match (high intent) SEO keywords.

There’s value in both broad and exact match keywords. The key to choosing which is best for your strategy is to identify the goal of your business. There are a few things you should be aware of when using broad and exact match keywords in your SEO strategy. Let’s dive into the main factors between the two types of keywords.

Broad (Low-Intent) Keywords

According to Google a broad keyword is, “A keyword option that allows your [search result] to show when someone searches for that keyword, variations of it, as well as other related topics.”

Broad match keywords are less specific types of keywords. They cast a wide net and bring in a large number of users to your website. For example, if a user goes to Google and searches for “plumbing” it will pull a wide variety of results. You may see plumbing definitions, videos about plumbing, images specific to plumbing, and possibly a few different ads or businesses. The search will pull up a variety of “broad” results for the user.

Depending on your SEO keyword strategy, These can be a good option for your campaign. Broad match keywords are less targeted. You’re not assuming they need to buy anything specifically or need prices on services or products. The user may just be looking for general information about the topic. Broad match keywords help to bring more traffic. Broad keywords are good if you’re a brand looking to extend your reach and build your reputation. If your business’ KPI is clout and branding and you want to provide information that will lead someone down a journey, then using broad match keywords can bring you success.

There can be some drawbacks to using broad match keywords. They are considered low intent. This means the traffic they bring to your website won’t be high intent (leading the user to a conversion or transaction). If you are looking to make a sale, broad match keywords are low-intent. Therefore, these won’t be as effective in driving a sale on your website. Additionally, you won’t draw in a specific target audience to your site. Most of your visitors will be random from their broad searches. Because these keywords are broad, they may not be completely relevant to the topics on your website or on your blog post. Be aware of the keywords you use to bring in a broader audience. Try to stay as relevant to your content as possible.

Exact (High-Intent) Keywords

Google defines an exact match keyword as “a keyword setting that allows your [search result] to show only when someone searches for your keyword or close variants of your keyword.” These keywords are high intent, meaning they are search terms the consumer uses that indicate a higher likelihood to take an action on a website.

If your end goal is to get the user to take action, like making a purchase, then you want to consider using exact match keywords in your strategy. They bring in a specific audience looking for an exact product or service. For example, if a user goes to Google and searches for “plumbing prices in San Diego” it will pull a specific set of results. You are more likely to see specific business websites and their specific pricing pages higher in the SERP. As opposed to broad information about plumbing. These are your potential customers who are looking for your specific services and products that are offered in your area. If you want to capture this audience, you need to make sure to fine-tune your exact match keywords in your SEO campaign. 

Exact match keywords can have some drawbacks, as well. Because these keywords are more specific and don’t cast as wide of a net, you aren’t always going to pull in the traffic. However, it can still pull in high conversions. If your competition is using the same exact match keywords in their campaign, it may be difficult to rank in your area.

For a lot of these high intent keywords, where the process is lower down the funnel, to be the first in organic search your site needs to be optimized. Rank for these terms on specific pages on your website. For example, If the keywords specify a location, make sure your location page is well optimized and up to date. It can be more work on your end but it’s worth it if it brings you higher conversions. Each strategy will be different, but make sure the keywords are relevant to your end goal.

Which is Better for My Business?

Which of the two keyword strategies are best for your business? The main thing to consider for what is right for you is to identify the goal of your business. What is your end goal for your website? Are you building a brand and brand awareness? Do you cast a wider net to gain followers or subscriptions? Are you selling a service or a product and looking to increase sales through your website? Is there an action you want the user to take on your site?

By using broad match keywords, your goals would most likely be to build your clout and branding. It could also lead someone down a journey by providing information. Your focus may be more towards traffic and not towards an action on the page. However, if your goal is to convert and to get that action from the customer like making a sale, you want to utilize those exact match keywords to bring that specific traffic to your site.

Overall, if you’re a business looking to make sales, exact match keywords are the way to go. You need to do the research and choose high intent keywords. These keywords are further down the funnel in terms of the buying process. When a user searches for a specific term, you would assume that they know what they are looking for. You could also assume that they have done research, know their price range, and are ready to buy if you present them with a landing page that solves their problem for them.

Exact match keywords are the opposite of broad keywords. The search query has to match the keyword almost exactly for your search to show up on the SERP. This can make it difficult for your website to rank, however, the traffic you can generate through exact match keywords can be easier to convert once your customers are on your site.

Remember E-A-T: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. The better optimized your site is, the more search engines like Google will recognize you as an authority and expert in the services you provide. Spend time building your campaign with the right keywords and build trust with search engines. If you are working on your campaign, presenting accurate information, making the right updates to your website, and offering relevant content, you will bring in the right traffic to help reach our overall business goals.

Let Boostability help your business and start ranking! Learn more about how our SEO services can help your business rank.