Many Amazon sellers face a common dilemma: despite significant advertising budgets, conversion rates remain stubbornly low. The root cause often lies in insufficient understanding of Amazon's advertising match types. This comprehensive guide examines Amazon's various match types to help sellers target customers more precisely and improve advertising efficiency.
Amazon Advertising Fundamentals
Amazon's product promotion campaigns fall into two primary categories: manual targeting and automatic targeting. When creating an advertising campaign, sellers must first establish the campaign name (recommended format: "keyword + match type"), create an ad group (named according to products for easier management), set start and end dates (default end dates are recommended), and determine daily budgets (based on cost, profit margin, and campaign objectives). The match type (targeting strategy) proves particularly crucial as it directly determines an ad's audience and effectiveness.
Note that match types cannot be modified after campaign creation. However, sellers can add new match types during active campaigns to optimize performance.
Automatic Targeting Match Types: Four Strategic Approaches
Automatic targeting allows Amazon's algorithm to match search terms with ads automatically. Sellers can either set a unified bid for all match types (selecting "default bid") or establish separate bids for each match type (selecting "set bids by targeting group"). Amazon provides suggested bids based on historical data from similar advertisements, updated daily to reflect current market conditions.
Not all match types need activation—sellers should select combinations based on campaign goals and budget constraints.
1. Close Match
Triggers ads when customer search terms closely relate to your product. This approach targets customers with clear purchase intent.
2. Loose Match
Displays ads for search terms with weaker product relevance. While expanding reach to potential customers, this method may generate less qualified traffic.
3. Substitute Products
Shows ads to customers viewing similar products' detail pages. This effective strategy targets consumers actively comparing alternatives.
4. Complementary Products
Displays ads when customers view related products' pages. For example, phone case ads might appear on smartphone product pages. This method facilitates cross-selling opportunities.
Manual Targeting Match Types: Three Keyword Strategies
Manual targeting offers greater control over ad displays through two primary strategies: keyword targeting and product targeting.
Keyword targeting displays ads to customers searching specific terms, while product targeting shows ads on designated product pages.
Keyword targeting employs three principal match types:
1. Broad Match
Generates maximum exposure by matching search terms containing keywords in any order, including synonyms, plurals, and misspellings. While delivering extensive reach, this method requires careful monitoring to filter irrelevant traffic.
2. Phrase Match
Offers greater precision by requiring search terms to include the exact keyword phrase in sequence, though allowing additional words before or after. This approach accommodates plural forms while maintaining better relevance than broad matching.
3. Exact Match
Delivers the most targeted traffic by requiring search terms to match keywords precisely in sequence. This method effectively filters irrelevant searches to boost conversion rates.
Negative Keywords: Refining Ad Targeting
Amazon provides negative keyword options to exclude irrelevant searches:
- Negative phrase: Blocks ads when searches contain specific phrases or variants
- Negative exact: Prevents ads from displaying for exact terms or close variants
Strategic use of negative keywords conserves budgets by avoiding uninterested customers.
Implementation Example: Premium Bluetooth Headphones
Consider these match type applications for high-end Bluetooth headphones:
Automatic Targeting
- Close match: "Bluetooth headphones" or "wireless headphones"
- Loose match: Requires close search term monitoring
- Substitute products: Competitors' headphone pages
- Complementary products: Smartphones or music players
Manual Targeting
- Broad match: "Bluetooth headphones" (with monitoring)
- Phrase match: "premium Bluetooth headphones"
- Exact match: Competing model numbers like "Sony WH-1000XM5"
- Negative keywords: "used" or "refurbished"
Optimization Recommendations
Effective Amazon advertising requires strategic match type selection based on product characteristics, target audiences, and budgets. Regular performance monitoring enables timely adjustments to match types and bidding strategies. Analyzing search term reports to add negative keywords and eliminate wasteful spending remains essential for campaign optimization. Continuous learning and refinement separate successful sellers in Amazon's competitive marketplace.