Quick answer: The Search Terms Report in Google Ads shows you the actual queries that triggered your ads, which is different from the keywords you bid on. It is the single most useful report in any Google Ads account because it reveals which search terms are working, which are wasting budget, and which negative keywords you should add.
What Is the Search Term Report?
The Search Term Report in Google Ads shows you the actual words and phrases users typed into Google that triggered your ads and resulted in a click. Unlike keywords, which are what you bid on, search terms are what users actually searched for.
These are different things, especially with Broad Match or Phrase Match. Your keyword “kitchen fitter Bristol” might trigger “kitchen installer near me” (good) or “kitchen fitting courses Bristol” (bad).
Why the Search Term Report Is Essential
- Find irrelevant queries: Add them as negative keywords to stop wasting budget
- Discover new keyword opportunities: Relevant queries you had not thought to bid on directly
- Understand user intent: How people actually describe what they are looking for
- Identify match type problems: If broad match is pulling in too many irrelevant terms, it is visible here
How to Access It
In Google Ads: Campaigns > Keywords > Search Terms tab.
Google Has Reduced Search Term Visibility
Since 2020, Google has progressively hidden search terms that drive low impression volume, citing privacy. This means you cannot see 100% of the queries triggering your ads, a significant limitation for manual optimisation.
Reviewing the Search Term Report weekly is one of the core tasks in our PPC management service.
What the Report Shows
For every search query that triggered an ad, you see:
- The exact query the user searched.
- Which keyword in your account matched it (and the match type used).
- Performance metrics: impressions, clicks, CTR, conversions, cost.
How to Use the Report
- Find new negative keywords. Sort by cost descending. Any high-cost queries that did not convert are negative keyword candidates.
- Find new positive keywords. Sort by conversions descending. Queries converting well that are not in your account as exact-match keywords are worth adding.
- Spot match-type leakage. Phrase or broad match keywords matching unexpectedly broad queries reveal where the algorithm is interpreting too loosely.
- Identify intent shifts. Trending queries you have not noticed may suggest new campaigns or new ad copy.
How Often to Review
Weekly for the first month of any new campaign. Fortnightly thereafter for active campaigns. Monthly is acceptable for stable, mature accounts. The Search Terms report is where Smart Bidding hides its mistakes; ignoring it is the most common reason Google Ads accounts plateau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my keyword match different searches?
Modern match types (especially phrase and broad) deliberately match a wider range of queries than the literal keyword. The Search Terms report reveals exactly which searches Google is interpreting as relevant. If those interpretations are wrong, negative keywords are how you correct course.
How far back does the Search Terms report go?
Up to 3 years for queries that received clicks; queries with only impressions show up to 14 months. Within that window you can filter by date range to focus on recent or longer-term trends.
Why do some search terms show as "other search terms"?
Privacy filtering. If a query was searched by very few users, Google aggregates them under "other search terms" to prevent identifying individual users. Smaller campaigns see more of this; larger ones see less.
Can I export the Search Terms report?
Yes. Click the download icon in the report toolbar to export to CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets. Many advertisers run weekly negative keyword analysis from a downloaded copy because the export is faster to filter and pivot than the in-platform UI.
Take this further
The Search Terms report is the single most valuable diagnostic tool in Google Ads. Most accounts have weeks of unreviewed data sitting there with obvious negative keyword wins.
Ready to apply this to your own site? Book a free discovery call, or explore our PPC packages.