Google Ads Expands Exact Match Close Variants to Same-Meaning Searches

Google is once again changing what [exact match] keywords mean in Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords). Ads can now be triggered by exact match close variants that share the same meaning and search intent as the keyword.

We’ve often stressed, including in our Google AdWords tips for 2018, how much keyword selection matters, along with the punctuation that sets each keyword’s match type (“phrase match,” [exact match], +broad +match +modifier, and so on). As Search Engine Land reports, Google has rolled out a machine learning update that lets exact match keywords trigger ads for close variants of those keywords.

How Exact Match Has Evolved

Originally, exact match meant one thing only: the keyword had to match the user’s search exactly. Then, in 2014, Google AdWords began including close variants such as plurals and misspellings. In 2017, it went further: exact match keywords could ignore word order and function words such as prepositions, conjunctions, and articles.

On Thursday, September 6, 2018, Google announced another change: exact match keywords can now trigger ads for close variants that include implied words and paraphrases.

What Does This Mean in Practice?

In its announcement, Google gave a practical example. An exact match keyword like [yosemite camping] could now show ads for searches such as yosemite national park ca camping (implied words), yosemite campground (paraphrase), or campsites in yosemite (same intent).

Google added that the system is designed to understand the searcher’s intent. In other words, the ad won’t show for searches like “Yosemite hotel” or “motels in Yosemite”, because the searcher wants a campsite, not a hotel or a motel.

Why Is Google Making This Change?

There are several reasons behind this latest change to exact match in Google Ads. First, Google keeps getting better at understanding search intent, which lets it fine-tune when ads appear.

Second, Google says that 15% of the searches it sees every day are new. By broadening exact match, Google gives advertisers a better chance of reaching people searching for their products without building exhaustive keyword lists.

Finally, according to Google’s early tests, advertisers using mostly exact match keywords saw on average 3% more clicks and conversions. Measuring that kind of lift in your own account depends on solid Google Ads conversion tracking.

The change will roll out in October for English-language keywords and over the following months for other languages. It’s a good time to review your search terms reports even more closely and add negative keywords where needed.

Where Things Stand in 2026

Match types kept evolving after this change. In February 2021, Google expanded phrase match to absorb broad match modifier behavior, and advertisers could no longer create new broad match modifier keywords as of July 2021. Exact match still includes same-meaning close variants, which is why regularly reviewing search terms and negative keywords remains essential. For a refresher on the basics, see how Google Ads works.

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