Hot on the heels of Google AdWords making the change of all exact and phrase match keywords being changed to close variant matching, Bing Ads has announced that they are running a close variant matching test in the US.

Bing has also created a handy chart that shows all the types of variant matching and how the close variant matching will work.

This change is almost certainly in response to Google’s close variant matching change.  After all, many advertisers like the convenience of being able to import and export between both Google AdWords and Bing Ads, and this would bring Bing in line with how Google is handling keywords.

It is worth noting that this is only a test, and only in the US at this time, which should be a relief to some advertisers.  Many AdWords advertisers are very unhappy with the change Google is making, especially since many advertisers will see a reduction in ROI, a raised cost per click and the loss of control for some types of variant keywords that perform much better or worse when close variant matching is applied.  However, like Google, it is bringing up the positives of the change.

Exact match close variants will help drive more highly qualified click volume to your campaigns, maximizing your presence on the queries that are the most relevant to your products and services. Ultimately, this feature will be designed to match your ad to queries that represent exactly the same intent to those you are already using. The close variants feature does the work to optimize for you, ensuring that your ad shows when the query varies only slightly from the keywords you have already selected.

For advertisers that do not want close variants in their exact match, Bing Ads has given advertisers control over this, something AdWords has not done.   To change your preference for close variant matching in Bing Ads, simply go to your Advanced Settings, then choose your matching type under “Keyword Matching Options”.