Keyword Match Type Generator.
Paste a keyword list and this returns it as broad, phrase and exact match, ready to paste into Google Ads Editor. It strips any quotes, brackets or plus signs the list already carries before it wraps anything, so it also works as a match type changer on an ad group you have already built.
Free, no sign up, no email. It runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to us or to anyone else.
4 keywords, 1 removed as blank or duplicate. Existing quotes, brackets, plus signs and minus signs are stripped first, so a list that already has match types can simply be changed.
Phrase
"running shoes" "best running shoes" "trail running shoes" "running shoes for flat feet"
Exact
[running shoes] [best running shoes] [trail running shoes] [running shoes for flat feet]
How this works.
What each match type actually does now
Exact match is no longer exact. It covers same meaning variants, so a plural, a reordering or a close synonym can all trigger it. Phrase match covers the meaning of your phrase wherever it appears in the query. Broad match uses the keyword as one signal among many, alongside the landing page, the rest of the ad group and the account's history.
That shift matters more than the punctuation. Exact still gives you the tightest control of the three, but control is now a matter of degree rather than a promise, which is why a negative keyword list is no longer optional on any account running phrase or broad.
Why this one strips before it wraps
Most of the time you are not building a keyword list from nothing. You are moving an existing ad group from exact to phrase, or cleaning up an export that already has brackets in it. A tool that only wraps what you paste turns a bracketed keyword into a bracketed keyword inside quotes, which Google Ads Editor will reject.
So every line is taken back to the bare keyword first. Quotes, brackets, the old broad match modifier plus signs and the leading minus of a negative are all removed, along with the stray double spaces that survive a copy out of a spreadsheet. Then the match type you asked for is applied.
Duplicates are worth removing before upload
The same keyword in two ad groups does not double your reach. It splits the data that decides which of them wins the auction, and it makes every report harder to read. De-duplication is on by default here for that reason.
Lowercasing is on as well. Match types are not case sensitive, so mixed case only makes a list harder to scan and harder to de-duplicate reliably.
Negatives take the same punctuation
A negative keyword is written the same way as a positive one, with a minus in front. The match types behave slightly differently in the negative direction, though: negatives do not match close variants, so a negative exact of one spelling will not block the plural.
That is the usual reason a negative list looks thorough and still lets the wrong query through. When you are blocking a concept rather than a specific query, negative phrase generally does more work than negative exact.
Questions we get asked.
How do I write keyword match types in Google Ads?
- Broad match is the bare keyword with no punctuation, phrase match is the keyword inside double quotes, and exact match is the keyword inside square brackets. A negative keyword of any type takes a minus sign in front of it.
Is exact match still exact?
- No. Exact match has covered same meaning close variants since 2019, so plurals, reorderings, and close synonyms can all trigger an exact match keyword. It is still the tightest of the three, but it is no longer a guarantee that the query matched your keyword word for word.
Can this change match types on a list that already has them?
- Yes. Every line is reduced to the bare keyword first, so existing quotes, brackets, plus signs and minus signs are removed before the new match type is applied. Paste a bracketed exact match list and select phrase, and you get a clean phrase match list back.
Does the broad match modifier still exist?
- No. Google retired the plus sign modifier in 2021 and folded its behaviour into phrase match. This tool strips any plus signs it finds so an older list can be converted without leaving invalid characters behind.
Is anything I paste here stored or sent anywhere?
- No. The tool runs entirely in your browser, there is no server behind it, and nothing you type leaves the page. There is no sign up and no email gate.
Ready to move the numbers?
Let us talk about your current goals, what is working, what is not, and where the biggest opportunities may be.