Unintentional Broad Match

You chose phrase and exact match on purpose.

Start Your Trial

Cause Auto-apply broad match keyword recommendation is switched on for this account. Account
Applied One click on a Google recommendation, no approval requested. Yesterday

What you get

The cause, named exactly

Three settings can do this. PPC Sherpa says which one did.

Fixed in one click

All three are switched off from inside PPC Sherpa.

Every affected keyword listed

Every affected keyword and ad group, each one shown.

You hear about it next day

A bell alert and an email when a setting turns on.

How it works

Three settings can broaden your keywords

Causes checked

AI Max search term matching

Left on at the ad group level. Broadens matching for that ad group.

Ad group

Legacy broad match setting

An older campaign-level setting still switched on.

Campaign

Auto-apply broad match recommendation

The account is still subscribed, so Google applies it for you.

Account

PPC Sherpa names which one applies

Cause identified

Search - Emergency AC

Cause AI Max search term matching

Switched on at Ad group level

Scope 300 keywords, 20 ad groups

Your keywords were set to phrase and exact. This setting overrode that choice.

Every affected ad group is listed

Affected ad groups

Search - Emergency AC

300 keywords across 20 ad groups

AI Max search term matching is on

Prefer to do it yourself? Switch it off in Google Ads.

Turned on by an account user.

Ad group Keywords Emergency - Exact 30 AC Repair - Phrase 25 Same Day Service - Exact 20 AC Installation - Phrase 20 Furnace Repair - Exact 15 Heating - Phrase 10

6 ad groups selected Fix in one click

You fix it in one click

Confirm the fix

You hear about it the next day

In the app

Notifications Mark all read

Unintentional Broad Match Keywords broadened without your approval Auto-apply broad match recommendation is on for this account. 6 hours ago

Unintentional Broad Match AI Max search term matching switched on Search - Brand, ad groups now matching beyond your keywords. 1 day ago

Inbox

PPC Sherpa <alerts@ppcsherpa.com> Back from the mountain, Sep 15

Back from the mountain

Here's what I scouted while you slept.

3 alerts across 2 accounts

Summit Air & Heating

555-000-1111

Date	Category	Alert
Sep 14	Unintentional Broad Match	Keywords broadened without your approval
Sep 14	Unintentional Broad Match	AI Max search term matching switched on

Northgate Plumbing

555-000-2222

Date	Category	Alert
Sep 14	Unintentional Broad Match	Legacy campaign broad match setting found on

Nobody re-checks a setting they never changed

One setting can rewrite how every keyword matches

Every one caused by broadened matching, all legitimate.

One click can broaden your keywords overnight

Ad groups change without warning. PPC Sherpa catches it the next day.

Three settings, three different places

PPC Sherpa names the one that applies and fixes it.

Two more checks worth reading

Finds Negative Keyword Recommendations Broadened keywords pull in searches you never chose. See how it works Monitors Performance Anomalies Catch the day your cost per conversion moved. See how it works

Find out what is overriding your match types.

Connect your Google Ads account and see which setting did it.

Start Your Trial