How to Use the Google Ads Search Terms Report

The Search Terms Report shows you the actual queries people typed into Google that triggered your ads and resulted in a click. This is different from your keyword list — your keywords tell Google what to bid on, but the Search Terms Report shows what Google actually matched those keywords to.

For example, you might be bidding on the keyword "google ads management" in phrase match. The Search Terms Report might show that this triggered clicks from people searching "google ads management course", "google ads management salary", and "what is google ads management" — none of which are relevant to your business.

This gap between what you're targeting and what you're actually triggering is where most Google Ads waste occurs.

Where to Find the Search Terms Report

1. Sign in to Google Ads
2. In the left navigation, click Campaigns → Keywords
3. Click Search terms in the top menu bar
4. Set your date range (last 30 days is a good starting point)

You can also access it at the campaign or ad group level if you want to filter results.

How to Read the Report

Each row in the report shows:

• Search term — the exact query typed by the user
• Match type — which of your keywords triggered this search term (and by which match type)
• Keyword — which keyword in your account was responsible
• Impressions, Clicks, CTR — how often the term showed and how often it was clicked
• Conversions — whether the click led to a conversion
• Cost — how much you spent on this search term

The most important column combination to focus on: high spend + zero conversions. These are your priority negative keywords.

Step 1: Find and Add Negative Keywords

This is the primary use of the Search Terms Report and should be done weekly for active campaigns.

How to find wasted spend:

1. Sort by Cost descending
2. Scan for search terms that are clearly irrelevant to your business
3. Look specifically for:
• Job-related searches ("jobs", "salary", "careers", "internship")
• Free or DIY intent ("free", "how to do it yourself", "template", "DIY")
• Research or academic intent ("what is", "definition", "meaning", "essay")
• Competitor brand names (if you don't want to bid on competitor terms)
• Wrong industry or product (broad keywords that match unrelated searches)

How to add negatives directly from the report:

1. Check the box next to any irrelevant search terms
2. Click Add as negative keyword in the toolbar that appears
3. Choose whether to add at ad group level, campaign level, or to a shared negative keyword list
4. Review the match type — for most broad negatives, use broad negative; for specific phrases, use phrase negative

Pro tip: Sort by Spend descending and work your way down. A search term that spent $50 with no conversion is more urgent than one that spent $0.50 with no conversion.

Step 2: Find New Keyword Opportunities

The Search Terms Report is also one of the best sources of new keyword ideas — because these are real queries real people used to find something like your business.

Look for:

• Relevant search terms you aren't already bidding on explicitly
• Long-tail variations of your existing keywords that convert well
• Question-based searches that could become content topics
• Geographic modifiers (e.g. "google ads agency kuala lumpur") that suggest a location-specific ad group

How to add new keywords from the report:

1. Check the box next to a relevant, converting search term
2. Click Add as keyword
3. Choose the ad group and match type
4. Set a bid if using manual bidding

Adding high-converting search terms as exact match keywords gives you more control over them — you can write specific ad copy for that term and bid more aggressively on it.

Step 3: Identify Match Type Issues

The Search Terms Report reveals when your match types are working against you. Common patterns to look for:

• Broad match triggering irrelevant searches: If you see a wide variety of unrelated search terms flowing from a single broad match keyword, consider tightening to phrase or exact match for that keyword.

• Phrase match behaving like broad match: Sometimes phrase match keywords trigger more loosely related searches than expected. Review which search terms each phrase keyword is generating.

• Exact match triggering near-variants: Google's "close variant" policy means exact match can trigger searches that aren't identical to your keyword — just semantically similar. Some of these variants are fine; others may not be. Review them and add irrelevant variants as negatives.

Step 4: Improve Ad Relevance

If you notice a cluster of search terms around a theme that you don't have a dedicated ad group for, that's an opportunity to improve Quality Score and ad relevance.

For example, if your "google ads" keyword is triggering a lot of searches containing "quality score", consider building a dedicated ad group for quality score terms with tightly matched ad copy. This will improve your expected CTR and ad relevance — two of the three Quality Score components.

How Often to Review the Report

New campaigns should be reviewed after the first 3–5 days regardless of spend — they accumulate irrelevant search terms fastest before negative keyword lists are built out.

What the Report Doesn't Show You

Since Google's move to more automated bidding and broad match, the Search Terms Report no longer shows all searches that triggered your ads — only those that meet a minimum privacy threshold. This means you may be spending money on search terms you can never see or add as negatives.

This is one reason to be cautious with broad match keywords on lower budgets — some of the matching is essentially invisible to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some search terms in the report not match my keywords at all? Google's close variant and broad match policies allow your keywords to trigger searches that Google deems semantically related, even if the words are different. This is especially common with broad match keywords. Review these variants — some may be valuable; others should be added as negatives.

Can I see search terms for Performance Max campaigns? PMax provides a limited search categories report under Insights, but it doesn't show individual search terms. This is one of the key transparency limitations of Performance Max compared to Search campaigns.

Why are some search terms hidden or not showing? Google hides search terms that don't meet a minimum volume threshold for privacy reasons. This means your report only shows a portion of what triggered your ads — typically the higher-volume and higher-spend terms.

How do I export the Search Terms Report? Click the download button (↓) at the top right of the report table. You can export as CSV or Google Sheets. Exporting is useful for larger accounts where reviewing in-platform is slow.

Should I add search terms as exact match or phrase match keywords? Exact match for your highest-value, highest-converting search terms — it gives you the most control. Phrase match for broader terms where you want some variation. Avoid adding new keywords as broad match unless you intentionally want wide variance.

Related reading: Google Ads Negative Keywords: The Complete List | How to Build a Google Ads Campaign | Google Ads Quality Score Guide | Smart Bidding vs Manual CPC