Search Terms Report

The Search Terms Report is a Google Ads report that displays the actual search queries users entered on Google that triggered your ads. It shows performance metrics for each query, helping advertisers identify valuable new keywords to add and irrelevant terms to exclude as negative keywords.

Key Takeaways

• Shows real user queries that matched your keywords and triggered ad impressions
• Essential for negative keyword management and keyword discovery
• Available for Search campaigns and the search component of Performance Max
• Google redacts low-volume queries for privacy, limiting full visibility
• Should be reviewed weekly for active campaign optimization

What Is the Search Terms Report

The Search Terms Report bridges the gap between your keyword list and actual user behavior. Your keywords are what you bid on; search terms are what users actually type. With broad match and phrase match, one keyword can trigger ads for hundreds of different search queries — and not all of them will be relevant.

Concept	Definition	Example
Keyword	The term you add to your ad group	”running shoes” (broad match)
Search term	What the user actually searched	”best running shoes for flat feet 2026”
Match type	How closely the query must match your keyword	Broad, Phrase, Exact

The report is found under Campaigns > Insights and reports > Search terms in the 2026 interface, or at the keyword level by selecting keywords and choosing “Search terms.”

How It Works

For each search term that triggered your ad, the report shows:

1. The exact query the user entered (when volume is sufficient)
2. The keyword it matched to and the match type used
3. Performance metrics: impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, conversions, cost
4. Status: whether the term is already added as a keyword or negative

You can take action directly from the report:

• Add as keyword — Promote high-performing search terms to your keyword list with appropriate match types
• Add as negative keyword — Block irrelevant terms from triggering your ads
• Filter and segment — Sort by conversions, cost, or CTR to prioritize review

Google privacy thresholds mean that search terms with very low volume are grouped under “Other search terms” and not individually visible. This redacted portion can represent 20-40% of total traffic in some accounts.

Practical Example

A B2B software company reviews its weekly Search Terms Report:

Search Term	Clicks	Cost	Conversions	Action
”crm software for small business”	45	$135	8	Add as phrase match keyword
”crm software free”	62	$186	0	Add as negative keyword
”salesforce alternatives 2026”	28	$84	5	Add as exact match keyword
”what is crm”	95	$285	1	Add as negative keyword
”crm developer jobs”	15	$45	0	Add as negative keyword

Results of this single weekly review:

• Two new keywords added, expected to generate 13+ conversions/month
• Three negative keywords added, saving approximately $516/month in wasted spend
• Projected CPA improvement: from $42 to $35 (-17%)

Why It Matters

The Search Terms Report is the single most important optimization report in Google Ads. Without regular review, broad match keywords will inevitably match to irrelevant queries, draining budget without generating conversions. It is equally valuable for keyword discovery — the report reveals exactly how users search for your products, often surfacing long-tail variations and intent patterns that Keyword Planner data alone cannot capture. Weekly review is considered best practice for active accounts.