what ad distribution must i select so my ads show strickly to persons searching on my keywords

Hi Lance,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform! My name is Jefferson, and I will be assisting you with this query.

It seems you're aiming to ensure your ads appear only to users actively searching for your specific keywords. Here's what you need to know to make that happen:

Please note that with ad distribution settings, it can only be used to determine where your ads are shown across Microsoft’s advertising network. These settings allow advertisers to choose whether their ads appear on the entire Microsoft Advertising Network or Microsoft sites and select traffic. You can learn more here.

To ensure your ads are displayed specifically to users searching for your keywords, you should focus on the "Exact Match" keyword option. This match type allows your ad to be displayed when the exact meaning of your keyword appears in a search query. This matching option gives you the most control over who views your ad but reaches fewer searches than both phrase and broad match. More information on this link. 

Here's a breakdown of how you can set this up:

1. Choose the Right Match Type: Utilize the Exact match type for your keywords. For instance, if your keyword is "running shoes," the ad will only show when users search for "running shoes" (including singular/plural variations).
2. Set Targeting Criteria: You can refine your audience further by utilizing geo-targeting and time-of-day settings. Make sure to set relevant geographic locations where you want your ads to appear, thereby enhancing the likelihood that your ads will show to the right users. How to target customers
3. Utilize Negative Keywords: To avoid showing your ads to irrelevant searches, add negative keywords. This will help filter out search terms that are not aligned with your keywords, ensuring more precise targeting. Learn about using negative keywords to get to the right customers
4. Review Location Intent: You can set your location intent criterion to "People in" if you want your ads to show only to users physically in your targeted region, or "People In Or Searching For Or Viewing Pages" if you want to capture users looking for information about that location, regardless of their physical presence. This can be set under the campaign settings.

Our support teams are happy to discuss your account in more detail via phone, chat or email to provide review assistance, please see our support page to reach out! 

I hope this information helps. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support. I have also sent you a PM in case you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Jefferson | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 1-800-518-5689