Microsoft Advertising is a widely used platform by digital marketers to run search ads on the Bing search engine. It is essential for businesses that aim to reach new customers and promote their products or services. Choosing the right keywords is a crucial aspect of a successful search advertising campaign, and the use of broad match modifier (BMM) keywords has become increasingly popular. BMM keywords enable advertisers to broaden their reach while retaining some control over which searches trigger their ads.
Microsoft Advertising has recently announced that it will change the way BMM keywords serve for search ads. From March 15, BMM keywords will serve as broad match instead of their previous function as phrase match. This change aims to improve broad match’s algorithmic performance and provide high-quality results to advertisers. In this article, we will explain the specifics of this change, its potential impact on digital marketers, and what advertisers can do to maintain their search advertising performance during this transition.
“The Change in BMM Keyword Serving”
Currently, BMM keywords function as phrase match, which entails that keywords containing the search term (or similar versions) in the same order as the user’s input are considered a match. However, with the new update, BMM keywords will operate as broad match, indicating that the ads will appear for any search query that contains the keyword words, regardless of the order in which they appear.
To ensure that its performance is unaffected, Microsoft Advertising plans to implement the change in a gradual manner. By gradually rolling out the change, the company anticipates that stable performance will be maintained during the transition.
Microsoft Advertising has several goals, including:
1. Helping businesses connect with their target audience through targeted advertising.
2. Providing tools and resources to help businesses optimize their advertising campaigns.
3. Offering a range of ad formats and placements to meet the needs of different business types and industries.
4. Providing insights and analytics to help businesses measure the success of their advertising strategies.
5. Promoting transparency and trust in digital advertising by adhering to industry standards and best practices.
The company states that this change is a part of Microsoft Advertising’s continuous efforts to enhance the algorithmic performance of broad match. Through the utilization of machine learning and artificial intelligence, Microsoft Advertising strives to provide advertisers with top-notch results that can drive business performance.
Prior to the official rollout of the change, Microsoft Advertising permitted a select group of advertisers to trial the new system. The outcomes of these tests were predominantly favorable, with numerous advertisers reporting a rise in conversion volume while retaining their cost per acquisition (CPA). Some advertisers discovered that the augmented traffic generated from broad match enabled them to reach fresh audiences, thus resulting in higher conversion rates.
Monitoring Performance
Microsoft Advertising recommends that advertisers monitor their campaign performance carefully during this transition, particularly in the first two weeks after March 15th, when the changes take effect. Advertisers may observe changes in their click-through rates, impressions, and cost per click, as more search queries could trigger their ads. By paying close attention to these metrics, advertisers can stay ahead of any performance changes and make necessary campaign adjustments.
“Bidding Strategies”
The change in BMM keyword serving will not impact bidding strategies or third-party bidding. Microsoft Advertising encourages advertisers to continue using their autobidding system to optimize their ad performance on the search engine.
If advertisers choose to modify their match type, Microsoft Advertising strongly recommends making the changes in the User Interface (UI). This will prevent the creation of new keyword IDs and the loss of historical data, which could have a negative impact on performance.
Potential impact on ad serving
Changes in BMM keyword serving could have significant consequences for how ads are served on the Microsoft platform. More search queries will now be eligible to trigger ads, which could cause some advertisers’ ads to appear in irrelevant search queries. To avoid this, it is crucial for advertisers to use negative keywords and monitor their ad performance to ensure that their ads are only being shown to relevant searches.
The transition from phrase match to broad match for BMM keywords on Microsoft Advertising represents a significant change. While Microsoft Advertising anticipates that this change will provide high-quality results for advertisers, it is important for them to monitor their campaigns closely during the transition. By paying attention to their metrics and utilizing negative keywords and monitoring tools, advertisers can maintain their search advertising performance amidst this industry shift.