Only one keyword from your account is allowed to trigger an ad per search query. The examples below describe what happens when multiple keywords in your account match a single search query at the same time.
Please note that you can use the Find Duplicate Keywords tool in AdWords Editor to check whether you have multiple identical keywords in your account. (AdWords Editor is a free, downloadable application for managing your AdWords account. Learn how to download it, if you haven't already.)
Within the same ad group, multiple keywords are similar to the search query
Within an ad group, you might have several similar keywords that match a query. For example, the broad-matched keywords "plumber course" and "plumber training course" could both match the search query "training course for plumber".
In this situation, the AdWords system uses a set of preferences to determine which of your keywords to use. The preferences rank approximately in the following order:Use a keyword that matches the query exactly, rather than using one that doesn't
If you have a keyword that is identical to the search query, the system will prefer to use this keyword to trigger an ad. This is true even if there are other keywords in your ad group that are similar to the search query.
For example, if the query is "plumber course", and both a broad-match keyword "plumber course" and phrase-match keyword "plumber" exist in your ad group, the system will prefer to use the broad-match keyword that matches the query exactly.
If you have multiple keywords that are the same, the system will prefer to use the keyword with the more restrictive keyword match type.
For example, if the query is "plumber", and both a broad-match keyword "plumber" and exact-match keyword "plumber" exist in your ad group, the system will prefer to use the exact-match keyword.
When several broad-match keywords in your ad group broadly match a search query, the system will prefer to use the keyword with the highest combined Quality Score and cost-per-click (CPC) bid. We call this combination "Ad Rank." Here's an example:
Query: plumber training course
Keyword 1: plumber course, Ad Rank = 1.5
Keyword 2: electrician training course, Ad Rank = 1Keyword 1 will be preferred because it has a higher Ad Rank.
However, the AdWords system has some exceptions that may apply to all of the preferences listed above. The exceptions to the preference rules shown above may occur when:
One keyword is contained within anotherWhen one keyword contains the entirety of another keyword, the system prefers to use the longer keyword. This is an exception to the Ad Rank rule above. Here's an example:
Query: training course for plumber
Keyword 1: plumber course
Keyword 2: plumber training courseKeyword 2 will be preferred because it contains all the words in Keyword 1
On rare occasions, the system will prefer to use a keyword that is cheaper (i.e., it has a lower bid), has a higher Quality Score, and has a higher Ad Rank. Here's an example:
Query: plumber tool
Keyword 1: plumber tools (maximum CPC bid = $0.10, Quality Score = 30, Ad Rank = 3.0)
Keyword 2: plumber tool (maximum CPC bid = $0.15, Quality Score = 4, Ad Rank = 0.6)Ordinarily, Keyword 2 would be preferred because it matches the query more closely than Keyword 1. However, Keyword 1 is cheaper, has a higher a Quality Score, and has a higher Ad Rank. Therefore, the system will prefer showing Keyword 1 in this instance.
Keep in mind that Quality Score is calculated every time your keyword matches a search query -- that is, every time your keyword has the potential to trigger an ad.
Keywords within multiple ad groups are similar to the search query
When multiple ad groups have keywords that match a search query, the AdWords system must make a more complex decision. This is because different ad groups might have different creatives, landing pages, and campaign settings. All of these differences can result in different experiences for users, and can result in different Quality Scores for similar keywords in different ad groups.
In this situation, the AdWords system uses a set of preferences to determine which of your keywords to use. The preferences rank approximately in the following order:
Use a keyword that matches the search query exactly, rather than using one that doesn'tIf one keyword is identical to the search query, the system will prefer to use that keyword to trigger an ad, regardless of the ad group the keyword is in. This is true even if there are other ad groups with keywords similar to the search query.
For example, suppose the query is "plumber course". If one ad group contains the broad-match keyword "plumber course", while another ad group contains the phrase-match keyword "plumber", the system will prefer to use the broad-match keyword that matches the query exactly.
If you have multiple ad groups with keywords that are the same, the system will prefer to use the keyword with the more restrictive keyword match type.
For example, suppose the query is "local plumber". If one ad group contains the broad-match keyword "plumber", while a phrase-match keyword "plumber" is contained in another ad group, the system will prefer to use the phrase-match keyword.
If you have multiple campaigns with keywords that similarly match the query, the system will prefer to use the keyword from a campaign that uses more specific location targeting.
For example, suppose that the search query is "plumber" and that the search is conducted within New York City. If the keyword "plumber" is within a campaign that targets the New York City metropolitan area, while another keyword "plumber" is within a different campaign that targets the entire United States, the system will prefer to use the keyword from the campaign that targets just New York City.
When several ad groups contain keywords that match a search query, the system will prefer to use the keyword with the highest combined Quality Score and cost-per-click (CPC) bid. We call this combination "Ad Rank." Here's an example:
Query: plumber training course
Keyword from ad group 1: plumber course, Ad Rank = 1.5
Keyword from ad group 2: electrician training course, Ad Rank = 1.0Keyword 1 will be preferred because it has a higher Ad Rank.
In rare cases, the keyword with the highest Ad Rank might seem to be less relevant to a particular search query than other eligible keywords. Because higher relevance is generally correlated with a higher Ad Rank, this will happen infrequently. To check for it, run a Search Query Performance report. If you see an instance in which the less relevant keyword triggers an ad, add that search query as a negative keyword to that keyword's ad group.
However, the AdWords system has some exceptions that may apply to all of the preferences listed above. The exceptions to the preference rules shown above may occur when:
A campaign is limited by budgetCampaign daily budget can affect each of the scenarios above. If a keyword is in a budget-restricted campaign -- meaning that the campaign's budget isn't high enough to accrue all possible traffic -- the keyword won't always be able to trigger an ad even if it otherwise could. This helps prevent the campaign from exceeding its budget.
For example, let's look at how a budget-restricted campaign would affect keyword use when multiple keywords are the same but have different match types:
Suppose you have the exact-match keyword "plumber" in Campaign 1 and the broad-match keyword "plumber" in Campaign 2. All else being equal, the exact-matched keyword would trigger an ad for the search query "plumber".
If Campaign 1 were budget-restricted, however, then the exact-matched keyword would sometimes be unable to trigger an ad. This would allow the broad-matched keyword in Campaign 2 to trigger an ad instead.
Learn how to figure out the daily budget needed for a campaign to capture all possible traffic.
On rare occasions, the system will prefer to use a keyword that is cheaper (i.e., it has a lower bid), has a higher Quality Score, and has a higher Ad Rank. Here's an example:
Query: plumber tool
Keyword from ad group 1: plumber tools (maximum CPC bid = $0.10, Quality Score = 30, Ad Rank = 3.0)
Keyword from ad group 2: plumber tool (maximum CPC bid = $0.15, Quality Score = 4, Ad Rank = 0.6)
Ordinarily, the keyword from ad group 2 would be preferred because it matches the query more closely than the keyword from ad group 1. However, the keyword from ad group 1 is cheaper, has a higher a Quality Score, and has a higher Ad Rank. Therefore, the system will prefer showing the keyword from ad group 1 in this instance.
In rare cases, the keyword with the highest Ad Rank might seem to be less relevant to a particular search query than other eligible keywords. Because higher relevance is generally correlated with a higher Ad Rank, this will happen infrequently. To check for it, run a Search Query Performance report. If you see an instance in which the less relevant keyword triggers an ad, add that search query as a negative keyword to that keyword's ad group.
YouTube Promoted Videos are preferred over text ads on YouTube. Here's an example:
Query conducted on YouTube: plumber tool
Keyword from ad group 1: plumber tool (and is associated with a text ad)
Keyword from ad group 2: plumber tools (and is associated with a YouTube Promoted Video)
Ordinarily, the keyword from ad group 1 would be preferred because it matches the query more closely than the keyword from ad group 2. However, the keyword from ad group 2 is associated with a YouTube Promoted Video, and the query was conducted on YouTube. Therefore, the system will prefer showing the keyword from ad group 2 in this instance.
