Google tells you that "Exact Match" gives you ultimate control over your ad spen
By Michael Erickson Facchin · April 27, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Google tells you that "Exact Match" gives you ultimate control over your ad spend.
Take a look at the data in the screenshot above.
You bid on the exact match keyword "running shoe". You assume you're targeting high-intent buyers looking for exactly that term.
But what search queries are you actually paying to appear for?
• "trail running shoe"
• "nike shoes for running"
• "best shoes for men trail running"
The result? Your Exact Match Impression Share is a measly 25%. Your queries and keywords actually matched just 1 out of 4 times.
If you are blindly trusting the platform to define what "exact" means, you are bleeding your marketing budget dry. The platform will not magically optimize your spend for you - you have to take control of it yourself.
A ton of highly qualified leads aren't just going to magically show up because you set a campaign to exact match. You have to ruthlessly scrub your search terms and build airtight negative keyword lists.
Because right now? If you aren't actively auditing your search query reports, you are simply subsidizing Google's profit margins instead of your own.
How often are you scrubbing your search terms report? Let me know in the comments.