skill-022-broad-match-smart-bidding-alignment

Skill 022: Broad Match + Smart Bidding Alignment Check

Purpose

Google recommends using broad match keywords with Smart Bidding because the algorithm can adjust bids in real-time based on conversion likelihood. Broad match without Smart Bidding creates high risk of overpaying for irrelevant queries. This skill identifies misalignments where broad match lacks proper bid optimization.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Standard

Standard Data:

• data/account/campaigns/*/campaign.md - Campaign bidding strategy
• data/account/campaigns/*/*/keywords.md - Keyword match types
• data/account/bidding_strategies.md - Portfolio bidding strategies
• data/performance/campaigns/*/*/keywords_metrics_30_days.md - Performance by match type

Reference GAQL:

SELECT
  campaign.name,
  campaign.bidding_strategy_type,
  ad_group.name,
  ad_group_criterion.keyword.text,
  ad_group_criterion.keyword.match_type,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.cost_micros
FROM keyword_view
WHERE ad_group_criterion.status = 'ENABLED'
  AND segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS

Use /google-ads:get-custom if you need to analyze performance differences by match type.

Analysis Steps

1. Classify campaign bidding strategies: Smart Bidding (tCPA, tROAS, Max Conv, Max Conv Value) vs Non-Smart (Manual CPC, ECPC, Max Clicks, Target Impression Share)
2. Inventory match types by campaign: Count broad, phrase, exact keywords and calculate percentages
3. Flag misalignments: Broad + Manual CPC, Smart Bidding + 0% broad, Heavy broad (>50%) + Manual CPC
4. Assess performance impact: Compare efficiency (CPA/ROAS) of broad match across bidding strategies

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
Broad >= 50% AND Manual CPC	Critical
Any broad AND Manual CPC	Warning
Smart Bidding AND Broad < 20%	Info
Smart Bidding AND Broad = 0%	Info
ECPC + Broad match	Warning

Output

Short (default):

## Broad Match + Smart Bidding Audit
**Account:** [Name] | **Campaigns:** [X] | **Misalignments:** [Y]

### Critical ([Count])
- **[Campaign]**: [X]% broad match + Manual CPC ([Y] keywords) -> Switch to Smart Bidding or narrow match types

### Warnings ([Count])
- **[Campaign]**: [Issue] -> [Fix]

### Recommendations
1. [Priority action]