June 2025 transformed Google keyword strategy. Broad Match evolved with AI-powered intent matching — it now understood context, synonyms, and user journey stage rather than just matching words.
"Luxury watches" could trigger for "premium timepieces" or "high-end wrist accessories." This made Broad Match incredibly powerful for discovering new queries but also dangerous without proper negative keyword hygiene.
One client saw a 200% increase in search query volume overnight after switching to the new Broad Match, with 40% of queries being irrelevant.
The solution: aggressive negative keyword sculpting. We built master negative lists by vertical (healthcare, e-commerce, real estate) and applied them across all campaigns.
The AI-powered Broad Match also improved when combined with Smart Bidding — the algorithm could value each query differently based on predicted conversion probability. A campaign using Broad Match + tROAS outperformed an equivalent Phrase + Manual CPC campaign by 18% on CPA.
