LINE Yahoo search query matching: setup and decision criteria
Search query matching expands Search Ads delivery in LINE Yahoo Ads using search intent, registered keywords, ad copy, and landing page content. Ads may appear for a relevant query even without a registered keyword. See the official help.
Before enabling it, prepare to check whether the additional searches represent potential customers. This guide covers the distinction from broad match, setup eligibility, a decision checklist, and a review template.
How it differs from broad match
Broad match, called intent match in Japanese, is a match type assigned to a keyword alongside exact and phrase match. It controls the relationship between that keyword and searches. See the match type documentation.
Search query matching is an expansion setting managed at campaign and ad group level. Choosing broad match does not complete this separate setup.
LINE Yahoo launched the feature on September 14, 2026, after changing its announced name from AI keyword expansion. Check the name when reading older material. Launch announcement
Decide whether you are ready
The following are suggested operating criteria, rather than platform requirements or guarantees.
| Your situation | Next action |
|---|---|
| Completed inquiries are not measured | Fix conversion measurement first |
| Different products and audiences share an unclear landing page | Clarify the ad group's offer and destination |
| Recruitment, information seekers, or unsupported locations dominate inquiries | Define irrelevant intent and exclusion candidates |
| Conversions are measured and you want to find additional prospects | Set evaluation criteria and test a limited scope |
| Additional spending is unacceptable | Establish spending limits and stop conditions before proceeding |
For example, a business selling corporate office cleaning would distinguish purchase inquiries from household cleaning advice and cleaning jobs. This is an illustrative scenario. Base actual exclusions on your own query report and inquiries.
Align ad copy and the landing page first
Because the system uses both, make the intended offer clear before widening delivery.
- Describe the ad group's product or service in one sentence.
- Check the intended customer, service area, and conditions in both the ad and landing page.
- Extract irrelevant intent from actual query reports.
- Define a business outcome such as a qualified inquiry.
- Record the test scope, acceptable spending, review date, and stop conditions.
Use the guide to search intent to clarify the questions you want to answer.
Where to enable it
The official help identifies Standard campaigns and their ad groups as eligible. Enable the feature in campaign and ad group settings; the parent campaign must be enabled for an ad group to use it. Setup requirements
Check each ad group's state when limiting scope. Save the previous settings. Keeping budgets, copy, and landing pages stable makes changes easier to interpret.
Review queries and lead quality
The search query report labels applicable delivery as search query matching in its match type column. Reporting announcement
| Evidence | Question |
|---|---|
| Search queries | Are these related to buying or making an inquiry? |
| Cost and conversions | Is acquisition cost acceptable? |
| Inquiry details | Do location, use case, and contract conditions fit? |
| Overall ad group outcomes | How did business results change across all delivery? |
| Concurrent changes | Did budget, landing pages, seasonality, or measurement also change? |
Results from expanded queries and the effect on the whole campaign are different questions. A before-and-after comparison alone does not establish causality.
AI review template
Paste this into ChatGPT or Gemini after removing personal information.
Review a plan to test search query matching in LINE Yahoo Search Ads.
Product and intended customer:
Campaign and ad group:
Ad copy and landing page description:
Current queries, costs, and conversions:
Definition of a qualified inquiry:
Acceptable spending and acquisition cost:
Excluded use cases and locations:
Other planned setting changes:
Return:
- Missing information to check before setup
- Settings to keep fixed
- Reports and inquiry details to review afterward
- Conditions for continuing, revising, or withholding judgment
Do not invent delivery forecasts or improvement rates.
Do not infer causality from a before-and-after comparison alone.
Start with one ad group and one definition of a qualified inquiry. You can discuss evaluation criteria in Shoryaku AI chat using your business conditions. Shoryaku AI does not integrate LINE Yahoo Ads data, so prepare any required aggregates yourself.