Could a newly launched broad-match campaign reduce leads from established Google Ads phrase- and exact-match campaigns? I recently received this question from an advertiser who had run three Search campaigns successfully for more than a year. The business wanted extra leads and launched a new broad-match campaign instead of adding broad keywords to the existing campaigns. Within a few days, leads from the old campaigns appeared to decline.
It is a good question because Google Ads campaign growth should ideally bring incremental customers, not just redistribute the same queries and conversions across campaign reports.
Watch My Answer: Broad Match Strategy Without Losing Lead Volume
Watch the full video on Ali Raza Marketing.
The video is under four minutes. I discuss broad-match overlap, phrase-match expansion, keyword research and localized campaign testing. Here is my fuller explanation, including an important nuance from Google’s latest keyword-prioritization rules.
The advertiser’s question: “Is broad match taking traffic from the old campaigns?”
My immediate reaction in the video is that there can be overlap. Broad match may reach many searches that wouldn’t be captured by narrower keywords and can affect the distribution of traffic between eligible campaigns. However, I would not treat the timing alone as proof that broad match caused the decline.
Google does not simply send all queries to the broad-match campaign. According to its keyword-prioritization documentation, an eligible exact-match keyword that is identical to the user’s search term is normally preferred over a broad or phrase keyword. When the search differs or the exact keyword is not eligible, relevance, Ad Rank, campaign budgets and other targeting conditions become important.
Some campaign-level broad-match settings operate differently and have been migrating to AI Max since September 2026. That is another reason to inspect the actual campaign settings before reaching a conclusion.
The number I would check first: Total account-wide qualified leads
Imagine Campaign A generated 30 leads, Campaign B generated 20 and Campaign C generated 10 before you started broad match. That’s 60 total leads.
Now suppose your older campaigns generate 42 leads combined and broad match generates 22. Your old campaigns are down, but the total has increased to 64. The results aren’t necessarily bad. The issue is whether those 64 leads are genuine, qualified and profitable.
These numbers are purely illustrative. The advertiser didn’t provide before-and-after account totals in the question.
My approach for growing a mature Google Ads account
1. Search for new phrase-match opportunities first
In the video, I suggest broadening the keyword list with new commercial-intent phrase-match terms rather than immediately duplicating the same successful keywords as broad match. For many mature accounts, that’s a useful low-disruption first test.
Use Google Keyword Planner to research new topics and forecast demand. Review existing Search Terms to identify relevant variants and actual converting queries. Phrase match can still attract unhelpful traffic, so monitor the report and maintain sensible negatives.
2. Don’t dismiss broad match completely
I am cautious about unconstrained broad match because it can expand into loosely related intent, especially where tracking is weak. But there is an important distinction between a broad-match campaign with no meaningful conversion data and a mature account using accurate conversion tracking and conversion-based Smart Bidding.
Google’s current guidance supports broad match together with Smart Bidding in suitable accounts, including established accounts. I would evaluate it through a structured test, not rule it out because a campaign is old. The success metric should be incremental qualified leads or revenue, not raw click growth.
3. Expand by location where it actually helps
My video also discusses the possibility of building campaigns around different service areas and writing more specific ads for each. That’s worth exploring when customers respond differently across cities or when locations have separate budgets, offers or landing pages.
Still, creating ten campaigns for ten areas isn’t always the best choice. If each area has little data, excessive fragmentation can make automated learning and management less efficient. Start with location reports and split only where there is a real operational reason.
4. Investigate the “traffic shift” with data
Compare old and new campaigns over a suitable baseline window. Pay special attention to Search Terms, which keyword matched the query, budget constraints, lost impression share, changes made around launch, and the number and value of qualified leads. Also review the Search Terms reporting guide; some queries are omitted for privacy reasons, so the report is not a complete auction log.
If conversion tracking has been changed, test it before judging the new campaign. In lead generation, a call click or form button isn’t necessarily the same as a customer enquiry.
Should broad match live in a separate campaign?
My answer: it depends on the type of test and how you want to manage budgets. Separating it can make spending, experimentation and reporting clearer; adding new themes within an existing campaign can preserve a shared goal and simplify data collection. Neither configuration guarantees that traffic can never overlap.
Rather than relying on account structure as a wall between match types, I prefer defining the intended audience, testing new themes, checking conversion attribution and gradually expanding what works.
Four practical mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a decline in a single campaign means the entire account has lost customers.
- Adding broad keywords while conversion tracking is incomplete or counting low-quality actions as successes.
- Using negative keywords recklessly just to force which campaign serves.
- Creating a separate campaign for every location without enough budget, unique messaging or meaningful data.
My final recommendation
For this specific advertiser, I would begin by auditing the old campaigns, confirming actual qualified lead volume, and looking for new intent-rich phrase keywords. Then I’d test additional coverage carefully, including broad match with Smart Bidding if the conversion data and goals support it. Local campaigns could be explored where location data justifies them.
The objective is not to protect the appearance of old campaign reports. It is to grow overall profitable leads.
If you’d like a professional review, my team at AARSWEBS offers Google Ads management and a free Google Ads audit. You might also enjoy my earlier negative keywords guide and high-CPC troubleshooting article.
References: Google prioritization rules, Search Terms reporting, keyword matching options. The initial campaign scenario is based on the question discussed in my video; additional explanations reflect Google’s current guidance.
