I’ve been working some with keyword matching with Adwords. You have the following four options available to you:

1. Broad Match (default)
2. Phrase Match
3. Exact Match
4. Negative Keyword

Broad Match is the default setting and will hit for any word, any order, with other search terms, auto plurals and variations. This is the Dick Cheney Shotgun (TM) approach.

Phrase Match (keyword in quotes: “DVD Player”) allows your keyword to only match a search in this particular word order. You will still get matches with additional words (example: Panasonic DVD Player).

Exact Match (keyword in brackets: [DVD Player]) allows your keyword to only match if someone types “DVD Player” with no other search terms. If broad match is a shotgun, exact match is a sniper rifle.

Negative Keyword (excluded keyword with minus sign: -Sony) allows you to exclude searches with specific words. If you’re trying to sell Panasonic DVD Players, you might not want someone to see your add when they search for “Sony DVD Player” or “Free DVD Player”.

So which is best? This is where testing will come into play. If you have landing pages, you can set up different landing page URLs for broad, phrase, and match terms. This way you can learn which type of ad converts the best.