Updates to Google Ads Search Query Matching in 2025
In recent years, the Google Ads platform has seen several changes regarding how keywords function. From the introduction and later removal of the modified broad match type to the implementation of close variants for exact match, and the evolving application of phrase matching, there’s always something new that affects the performance of Search campaigns. Recently, Google announced another update regarding query matching that we, as advertisers, will need to adapt to. This announcement consists of two main parts that I’d like to discuss. Let’s follow the same order as Google presented it.
Updates to the brand inclusion and exclusion lists
Even with adjustments to brand inclusion and exclusion options in various campaign types, Google continued to receive feedback about the need for more control.
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- Brand inclusion lists for broad match
The initial change will affect brand inclusion lists for broad match campaigns and keywords. Brand keywords are extremely valuable, particularly for promotions, and can be quite specific. In contrast, broad match can sometimes stray and match to unrelated queries. This means that without brand inclusion lists, your brand keywords might end up matching queries that are clearly not focused on the brand.
With this update, Google will provide suggestions right in the recommendations tab regarding which brand inclusion lists to apply to a campaign for improved brand control. However, a significant caveat to this change is mentioned in the next paragraph: “By applying this Recommendation, you will enable the broad match campaign setting in your campaigns.” Here’s a brief overview of how that appears in an existing campaign.
This process alters all of your current keywords to broad match terms and relies on Google’s matching prioritization to decide what to display. It’s worth noting that this feature is only accessible with smart bidding, which I believe is the most effective method for utilizing broad match.
However, if you prefer not to use broad match keywords in your campaign, this may not be the ideal opportunity to pursue.
- Brand exclusion lists for all match types and dynamic search ads
The second new change regarding brand keyword bidding focuses on exclusion. Google has offered brand exclusion lists for Performance Max campaigns for some time, assisting advertisers in preventing PMAX from taking away their branded search query traffic.
With this update, Google is now introducing brand exclusion lists for all match types and Dynamic Search Ads campaigns, giving you greater control over the brands you choose to exclude from your campaigns.
This appears to be a straightforward solution and will probably only affect those who struggle to differentiate their brand from others. If you find yourself in that position, consider using these brand exclusion lists to see if they help you avoid those unwanted queries.
Updates to Google Ads query matching for misspellings
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Misspelled words are a natural part of human communication, and when it comes to search terms, there have been various strategies to address them. Advertisers used to include a wide range of misspelled keywords, particularly incorrect variations of brand names, in their campaigns to ensure comprehensive coverage. Over time, these misspellings began to appear through close variant matching. In Google’s announcement, two key changes will affect how misspellings are handled. First, there will be updates to the search terms reporting for misspelled queries, allowing advertisers to access data on these terms. Second, a misspelled variation of a term will also be linked to the main negative keyword, which will save advertisers the effort of adding these misspelled terms as separate negative keywords.
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Improved visibility for misspellings
According to Google, this change will lead to about a 9% increase in volume attributed to your correctly spelled search queries, while removing data from the “Other” category. I consider this a positive development, even if the system isn’t completely transparent. Previously, when you looked at your Google Ads search terms report, any misspellings would fall under the “Other” category since they didn’t meet the privacy threshold for reporting. Now, these misspellings will be categorized under the correct spelling of the keyword. While there won’t be new line items, the data from the misspellings will be consolidated.
Improved misspelling matches for negative keywords
Previously, negative keywords only worked with the exact spelling you specified. This meant that to prevent misspellings from triggering your ads, you had to revert to strategies from 2010 and manually include every possible misspelled version of your keywords to filter them out.
With this update, Google will now extend the same misspelling expansion to negative keywords. The first line in the table above illustrates this perfectly. By adding “youtube” as a negative keyword, it will also apply to any misspelled versions of the query. The following lines provide a refresher on how brand inclusion and exclusion lists differ from negative keywords. Overall, I really appreciate this change. From my experience, misspellings usually represent a smaller volume segment, but they can be quite troublesome when trying to manage costs and maintain high click quality. This adjustment is a positive development for my accounts and should help me reduce the number of negatives in some accounts where the keywords are more intricate and challenging to get right.
Key takeaways from the latest Google Ads query matching announcements
As Google’s machine learning continues to expand and grow, they’ll continue making changes like this to how the platform works. Ideally, they’re always going to make changes we like. But if they don’t, we still need to stay on top of the changes, understand how they work, so we can keep our accounts and our client accounts in the best position to see results.
Let these latest Google Ads query matching updates be a reminder to regularly reevaluate your PPC keyword targeting strategies. If you’re ready to uncover more ways to take advantage of the latest Google Ads updates as they roll out, see how our solutions can help you optimize your campaigns and maximize your search ads results!
