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Intermediate · Guide 5 of 5

Search Terms Report Mastery

What you'll learn
  • How to access and read the Search Terms report
  • Finding wasted spend in 15 minutes
  • How to add negatives directly from the report
  • Building a weekly optimization routine that compounds over time
8 min read
Guide 5 of 5 · Intermediate Path

Keywords vs Search Terms: The Critical Difference

You bid on keywords. Users type search terms. These are not the same thing.

When you use broad match or phrase match, Google shows your ads for search terms that it considers related to your keyword. A keyword like "running shoes" might trigger searches for "buy women's trail running shoes size 8," "running shoe reviews 2026," or "cheap sneakers for running." Some of those are great. Some are terrible.

The gap is where waste hides

The bigger the gap between your keywords and the actual searches triggering them, the more budget you're wasting on irrelevant traffic. The Search Terms report makes this gap visible.

Accessing the Search Terms Report

  1. In Google Ads, navigate to Campaigns → Keywords in the left sidebar.
  2. Click the "Search Terms" tab at the top of the page (not the Keywords tab, that shows your bidded keywords).
  3. Set your date range to the last 30 days for a meaningful sample. Longer periods can dilute recent changes.
  4. Add required columns: Impressions, Clicks, Cost, Conversions, Conversion Value, Conv. Rate. Remove columns you don't need to keep the view clean.

The 15-Minute Weekly Audit

This process, done weekly, will do more for your account than almost any other optimization:

  1. Sort by Cost descending. The most expensive search terms appear first. These are where you'll find the biggest waste first.
  2. Scan for expensive non-converting terms. Look for search terms with cost greater than your target CPA and 0 conversions. Mark them.
  3. Evaluate relevance. Is the search term related to what you sell? A term can have 0 conversions this month but still be relevant, apply judgment, not just rules.
  4. Add irrelevant terms as negatives. Check the box next to irrelevant terms → Add as Negative Keyword. Choose campaign-level or account-level negative lists.
  5. Note keyword expansion opportunities. High-performing search terms you're not bidding on explicitly become candidates for new exact match keywords.

Identifying the Three Types of Waste

Most wasted search term spend falls into three categories:

  • Wrong intent: Informational searches like "how to clean running shoes" or "running shoe size guide." These users aren't ready to buy. Add "how to," "guide," "DIY," and similar modifiers to your negative list.
  • Wrong audience: Job seekers ("running shoe jobs"), students ("running shoe essay"), competitors researching your niche. Hard to filter completely but important to identify.
  • Wrong product: Unrelated searches that somehow match your keywords through broad match. A keyword for "running shoes" triggering a search for "running back shoes football" is a classic example.

Finding Keyword Expansion Opportunities

The Search Terms report isn't just for finding waste, it's a goldmine for discovering new keywords you should be bidding on explicitly.

Look for search terms that have generated conversions or clicks at a good conversion rate. If a search term performs well, adding it as an exact match keyword gives you:

  • Direct control over the bid for that specific query
  • Ability to write a more tailored ad for that search intent
  • Often a better Quality Score than the broad keyword that originally triggered it
Pro tip

When you add a search term as an exact match keyword, also add it as a negative to the campaign or ad group containing the broad keyword that triggered it. This prevents both from competing for the same query.

Scaling the Process for Multiple Campaigns

If you manage multiple campaigns, review the search terms at the account level instead of campaign by campaign. This gives you a complete picture and lets you prioritize your time on the highest-spend campaigns first.

In Google Ads, you can access account-level search terms by going to Reports → Predefined Reports → Basic → Search Terms. This shows all search terms across all campaigns in one view, which you can download and analyze in a spreadsheet for larger accounts.

The Weekly Routine

Block 15-20 minutes every Monday morning for this single habit. It compounds: each week's negatives save budget in all future weeks.

  • Monday: Open search terms report → sort by cost → scan top 30-50 terms → add negatives → flag expansion opportunities
  • Monthly: Review flagged expansion keywords → create new ad groups or exact match keywords → assess whether negative lists need pruning
The compounding effect

Accounts that do this weekly for 6 months typically reduce wasted spend by 15-30% while maintaining or improving conversion volume. This single habit improves account performance more than any other weekly optimization.

Test your knowledge

Click each question to reveal the answer.

What is the difference between a keyword and a search term?
✓
Keywords are what you bid on; search terms are what users actually type into Google. With broad or phrase match, the two can differ significantly, that gap is where wasted spend accumulates.
When should you add a search term as a negative?
✓
When it has significant cost but zero conversions AND it is clearly irrelevant to what you sell. Cost alone isn't enough, apply judgment. A relevant term with 0 conversions this month may still convert next month.
High-performing search terms can be:
✓
Added as exact match keywords for better control over bids and ad messaging. This also typically improves Quality Score for that query compared to the broad keyword that originally triggered it.
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