Glossary/Brand & Performance Marketing/Exact Match
Brand & Performance Marketing
Exact Match
The tightest keyword match type, showing ads only for searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
Exact match is the tightest keyword match type in search advertising. It shows ads only for searches that have the same meaning or intent as the keyword, which can include close variants such as plurals or misspellings. It gives advertisers the most control over traffic and spend, at the cost of reach.