If you’re running Amazon ads, one of the first things you need to understand is match types.
Let’s say you sell a phone case and bid on the keyword “phone case.” If a shopper searches “blue phone cases,” should your ad show? What about “iPhone 13 case”? What about just “cases”?
Amazon has to make that decision every time someone searches. Your match type tells Amazon how much flexibility it has in deciding whether a shopper’s search is close enough to your keyword to trigger your ad.
This affects more than just where your ads show. It affects how you read campaign data, how you control bids, how you discover new search terms, and how you avoid wasting budget.
This is a core PPC concept across search platforms, not just Amazon. But Amazon’s version is a little different from Google’s in a few important ways, especially with broad match.
If you’re newer to Amazon advertising, you may also want to read our broader Amazon Advertising articles or our overview of Amazon selling services.
Keywords vs. Search Terms
Before talking about match types, you need to understand the difference between a keyword and a search term.
A keyword is what you target in your campaign.
A search term is what the customer actually typed into Amazon.
That distinction matters because when you look at keyword performance in Campaign Manager — clicks, spend, sales, ACoS, conversion rate — you’re usually looking at the combined performance of multiple search terms that keyword picked up.
For example, you might target the keyword “phone case.” Depending on the match type, that one keyword may pick up searches like:
- phone case
- phone cases
- blue phone case
- phone case for iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 case
- cases
That means a keyword can look like it’s performing well, but when you dig into the search terms report, you may find that most of the sales are coming from one or two specific searches.
It’s also common to see a keyword that looks like it’s doing really well, but when you check the actual search terms, most of the sales are coming from people searching your brand name. That does not necessarily mean the generic keyword is better. It may just be picking up branded searches, which are naturally going to convert better.
So you need to look at keyword performance, but you also need to look underneath the keyword at the search terms that are actually driving the results.
Why Match Types Exist
There are endless variations of what shoppers can type into a search engine.
If you sell phone cases, shoppers might type:
- phone case
- phone cases
- blue phone case
- iPhone 13 case
- case for my phone
- phone case with wallet
- cases
Search engines need a system for deciding which of those should count as a match for a keyword like “phone case.”
That’s what match types do.
They let advertisers tell the platform how strict or flexible to be:
- Exact match is the most restrictive.
- Phrase match is a middle ground.
- Broad match gives Amazon the most flexibility.
The looser the match type, the more search terms a keyword can potentially pick up. The tighter the match type, the more control you have.
Amazon PPC Match Types at a Glance
| Match Type | How It Works | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Exact | The shopper’s search must closely match the keyword. Word order matters, but Amazon can still account for close variations like plurals and misspellings. | Precise targeting and bid control. |
| Phrase | The shopper’s search must include your keyword phrase in the same order, but other words can appear before or after it. | Controlled expansion around a known phrase. |
| Broad | Amazon has the most flexibility to match related searches, different word order, and looser variations. | Discovery and search term mining. |
Exact Match
Exact match is the most specific match type.
If your keyword is “phone case” on exact match, Amazon is looking for searches that match that keyword very closely. Word order matters.
So “phone case” can match, but “case phone” would not match. The words are the same, but the order is wrong.
Amazon does allow some close variations under exact match.
Plurals and singulars are treated the same. So “phone case” can also pick up “phone cases.” You do not need to bid on both versions separately.
Misspellings are handled automatically. If a shopper types something like “pohne case,” Amazon generally understands what they meant. That means you usually do not need to create separate keywords for obvious misspellings.
Exact match gives you the most control, which makes it especially useful when you want to assign a specific bid to a specific search.
For example, if “iPhone 13 case” is a great-performing search term, you may want to target that exact term directly so it has:
- its own bid
- its own performance data
- its own place in your campaign structure
That is one of the main practical uses of exact match.
Phrase Match
Phrase match sits in the middle.
With phrase match, the shopper’s search has to include your keyword phrase in the same order, but Amazon allows additional words before or after it.
So if your phrase match keyword is “phone case,” Amazon could show your ad for:
- blue phone case
- phone case for iPhone 13
- pink phone cases
- protective phone case
But it would not show for:
- case for my phone
Even though the words are similar, the phrase “phone case” is no longer intact and in the right order.
Like exact match, Amazon generally handles plurals, singulars, and misspellings automatically.
Phrase match is useful when you know a phrase matters, but you still want some flexibility around it.
Broad Match
Broad match gives Amazon the most flexibility.
If your keyword is “phone case” on broad match, Amazon can match to searches where the words appear more loosely, and it may also match to related variations.
A broad match keyword like “phone case” might pick up searches such as:
- phone case
- phone cases
- blue phone case
- phone case for iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 case
- cases
This is why broad match is commonly used for discovery. It helps you uncover search terms you may not have thought to target directly.
Then later, if you find a search term that performs well, you can add it as its own exact match keyword and control the bid more precisely.
Amazon Broad Match vs. Google Broad Match
This is where people sometimes get confused.
On Google, broad match can be very broad. It can pull in searches that are only loosely related to the topic, which often leads to irrelevant traffic.
On Amazon, broad match is usually not that broad. Amazon is a product search engine. Shoppers are there to find products to buy, not to gather information. Because of that, Amazon is generally better at keeping broad match focused on product-related searches.
That does not mean you should blindly trust it. You still need to monitor the search terms report. But broad match on Amazon is usually more controlled than broad match on Google.
How the Same Keyword Can Match Different Searches
Assume the keyword is “phone case.”
| Shopper Search | Exact | Phrase | Broad |
|---|---|---|---|
| phone case | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| phone cases | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| blue phone case | No | Yes | Yes |
| phone case for iPhone 13 | No | Yes | Yes |
| case for my phone | No | No | Possible |
| iPhone 13 case | No | No | Possible |
| cases | No | No | Possible |
| laptop bag | No | No | No |
This is why keyword-level data can be misleading. If you’re looking at the performance of the broad match keyword “phone case,” you are looking at the combined results from all the different searches it picked up.
How Match Types Help You Control Bids
One of the most practical uses of match types is bid control.
Here’s the simple version:
- Broad and phrase help you discover and collect data.
- Exact helps you isolate the searches that matter most.
Let’s say you’re running the phrase match keyword “phone case.” Then in your search terms report, you notice that “iPhone 13 case” converts really well.
If you want to bid more aggressively on that specific search, the way to do it is to add “iPhone 13 case” as its own exact match keyword and assign the bid you want.
Now that search term has:
- its own bid
- its own data
- more direct control
A lot of brands start broad because they don’t yet know which search terms will perform best. Then over time, they become more specific as they learn which terms deserve their own exact-match bids.
Negative Keywords
So far, we’ve been talking about match types that control what you do want to show for.
Negative keywords are how you control what you do not want to show for.
On Amazon, there are only two negative keyword match types:
- Negative exact
- Negative phrase
There is no broad negative on Amazon.
Negative Exact
Negative exact blocks your ad when the shopper’s search matches that negative term exactly.
For example, if you add “black tea” as a negative exact keyword, your ad would be blocked when someone searches exactly “black tea.”
It would not necessarily block longer searches that contain additional words.
Negative Phrase
Negative phrase blocks your ad any time the shopper’s search contains that phrase.
For example, if you add “kids shoes” as a negative phrase keyword, your ad could be blocked for searches like:
- red kids shoes
- kids shoes for sports
- blue kids shoes size 4
That makes negative phrase broader and more aggressive than negative exact.
Negative Keyword Types and When to Use Them
| Negative Type | What It Blocks | Best Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative Exact | Only the exact search. | When one specific search is bad, but close variations may still be useful. | Block “black tea” only. |
| Negative Phrase | Any search containing that phrase. | When a phrase consistently signals irrelevant traffic. | Block searches containing “iPhone 12.” |
Example: Using Negatives for Product Compatibility
Let’s say you sell a phone case that fits iPhone 13, but not iPhone 12, iPhone 15, or iPhone 16.
A smart use of negatives would be to add these as negative phrase keywords:
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 16
That way, if a shopper includes one of those model numbers in the search, your ad won’t show. You avoid paying for clicks from shoppers whose phones your product doesn’t fit.
Be Careful Not to Negate Too Much
Negative keywords are helpful, but they can also cause problems if you block too broadly.
For example, say you sell a commercial coffee machine and you don’t want to show for “small coffee machine.”
It may seem like a good idea to negate “small.” But if you add “small” as a negative phrase, you may also block searches like:
- coffee machine for small businesses
That search could actually be relevant.
So the rule with negatives is simple:
Don’t negate more than you intend to.
The same logic applies if you sell phone cases. You would not want to negate “cases” just because one search involving that word performed poorly. That would be far too broad and could block a huge amount of relevant traffic.
Using Negatives to Separate Branded and Non-Branded Campaigns
Another common use of negative keywords is campaign control.
It’s very common to separate:
- branded campaigns
- non-branded campaigns
You may want all searches containing your brand name to go into a dedicated branded campaign. If that’s the case, you can add your brand name as a negative phrase keyword inside your generic or non-branded campaigns.
That helps keep branded traffic from bleeding into your regular campaigns, which makes your reporting cleaner and gives you more control over bidding strategy.
If you’re thinking through broader account structure, our article on whether to hire an Amazon agency or manage Amazon yourself may also be useful. For brands comparing outside support options, see our breakdown of Amazon agency pricing models.
A Simple Framework for Using Match Types
If you want a practical way to think about this, here it is.
Use Broad Match For:
- discovery
- finding new search terms
- early-stage testing
Use Phrase Match For:
- controlled expansion
- keeping your phrase intact while allowing modifiers
- testing around a known core phrase
Use Exact Match For:
- precision
- search terms you already know are important
- direct bid control
Use Negative Keywords For:
- blocking incompatible traffic
- preventing irrelevant searches
- separating branded and non-branded traffic
- reducing wasted spend
Common Mistakes Brands Make
1. Confusing Keywords With Search Terms
A keyword is what you target. A search term is what the customer typed. If you treat them as the same thing, you’ll misread your data.
2. Judging a Keyword Without Checking the Search Terms
A keyword can look good on the surface while hiding weak search term performance underneath.
3. Creating Unnecessary Plural and Misspelling Variations
Amazon usually handles plural forms and misspellings automatically, so in most cases you don’t need to build those out separately.
4. Leaving Strong Search Terms Buried Inside Broad or Phrase
If a search term performs well, isolate it with exact match and give it its own bid.
5. Using Negative Phrase Too Aggressively
Negative phrase can block more than you think. Be specific and think through the consequences before adding it.
FAQ
What is the difference between a keyword and a search term in Amazon PPC?
A keyword is what you target in your campaign. A search term is what the customer actually typed into Amazon.
Does Amazon exact match include plurals?
Yes. Amazon generally treats plural and singular forms as the same under exact match.
Do I need to bid on misspellings?
Usually no. Amazon generally figures out what the shopper meant and handles misspellings automatically.
Is Amazon broad match as broad as Google broad match?
No. Amazon broad match is usually more product-focused because Amazon is a shopping platform, not a general search engine.
Does Amazon have broad negative keywords?
No. Amazon negative match types are limited to negative exact and negative phrase.
How do I assign a specific bid to a specific search term?
Add that search term as its own exact match keyword and set the bid you want.
Final Thoughts
Amazon PPC match types are one of the basic building blocks of managing ads well.
If you understand the difference between keywords and search terms, and you understand how exact, phrase, broad, and negative keywords actually behave, your campaign data gets a lot easier to interpret.
Broad helps you discover.
Phrase gives you a middle ground.
Exact gives you control.
Negative keywords help you avoid wasting money.
That’s the core idea.
If you want help applying this to your brand, email customerservice@fivestarcommerce.com or schedule an info call using the Schedule info call button on our website.
