The actual words and phrases people typed into Google that triggered your ads, shown in the Search Terms report.
What are Search Terms in Google Ads? Search Terms are the actual queries people typed that triggered your ads, shown in the Search Terms report. They differ from keywords—keywords are what you bid on, search terms are what users searched. Review the report weekly to find irrelevant terms to block (add as negative keywords) and high-performers to target (add as exact match keywords). Typically reveals 15-30% wasted budget.
Search Terms are the actual queries people typed into Google Search that triggered your ads to show. According to Google, the Search Terms report is "a list of search terms that a significant number of people have used before seeing your ad." These are different from your keywords—keywords are what you bid on, search terms are what users actually searched. For example, your keyword might be "running shoes," but search terms could be "best trail running shoes 2024," "cheap running shoes near me," or "running shoes for flat feet."
The Search Terms report shows which real-world searches are matching your keywords and how those searches perform. This data is critical because broad and phrase match keywords trigger ads for variations, synonyms, and related searches you might not expect. You might bid on "CRM software" and discover your ad showed for "free CRM download," "CRM jobs," or "CRM training"—searches you don't want. The report shows impressions, clicks, conversions, and costs for each search term, helping you identify both high-performers to add as keywords and poor performers to block with negative keywords.
Not all search terms appear in the report—Google only shows terms used by a significant number of users for privacy reasons. Typically you'll see 60-80% of your clicks attributed to specific search terms, with the remainder grouped as "other search terms." Low-volume or unique searches are hidden to protect user privacy. The report updates daily, showing performance data from the last 90 days maximum.
Official Source: Definition verified from Google Ads Help Center (Last verified: January 2026)
"The search terms report provides insight into the searches that trigger your ads and how those searches are performing."
A SaaS company selling project management software reviews their Search Terms report and finds mixed results.
Search Terms Analysis (Past 30 Days): High-Performing Terms (Add as Keywords): - "best project management software for teams" → 45 clicks, 8 conversions, $225 cost, $28 CPA ✅ - "project management tool with gantt charts" → 28 clicks, 5 conversions, $168 cost, $34 CPA ✅ - "agile project management platform" → 35 clicks, 6 conversions, $210 cost, $35 CPA ✅ Action: Add these as exact match keywords with dedicated ads Irrelevant Terms (Add as Negatives): - "free project management software" → 120 clicks, 0 conversions, $540 wasted ❌ - "project management certification online" → 65 clicks, 0 conversions, $325 wasted ❌ - "project management jobs remote" → 85 clicks, 0 conversions, $425 wasted ❌ - "project management templates free download" → 45 clicks, 0 conversions, $225 wasted ❌ Action: Add negatives: free, certification, jobs, job, templates, download Total Waste: $1,515 (30% of budget) Potential Savings: $1,515/month by adding 6 negative keywords
The Search Terms report is your most powerful optimization tool for finding wasted spend and new opportunities. Reviewing it weekly typically reveals 10-20 irrelevant searches wasting 15-30% of budget that should be added as negative keywords. It also uncovers high-performing searches you hadn't targeted—adding these as exact match keywords gives you more control and often improves performance since you can write specific ads for them.
Search terms also reveal match type effectiveness. If your phrase match keyword "laptop computers" triggers searches for "laptop repair," "laptop parts," or "free laptop," your match type is too broad or you need more negative keywords. Conversely, if exact match ["laptops for sale"] only triggers that one search and nothing else, you might be missing variations like "laptops on sale" or "buy laptops online." The Search Terms report shows the gap between your targeting intent and actual delivery, letting you close that gap through keyword additions, match type changes, and negative keyword updates.
Not reviewing Search Terms report regularly (should be weekly minimum)
Only looking at high-cost terms while ignoring high-volume low-converting terms
Adding every search term as a keyword without checking if performance actually improved
Not cross-checking search terms against negative keyword list (same term can appear repeatedly)
Ignoring "other search terms" bucket which can hide significant waste
Review Search Terms report every 7-10 days without fail—set a calendar reminder
Sort by "Conversions" descending to find high-performing terms to add as exact match keywords
Sort by "Cost" descending to find expensive irrelevant terms to add as negative keywords
Look for patterns in irrelevant searches (all contain "free" or "jobs") and add those as negatives
Add top-performing search terms as exact match keywords for better control and lower CPC
Check CTR column—search terms with <2% CTR are likely irrelevant and should be blocked
Download report monthly and analyze trends over time to catch seasonal irrelevant searches
Keywords that prevent your ads from showing for specific search terms, helping you avoid irrelevant clicks and wasted budget.
Settings that control how closely a keyword must match someone's search query for your ad to show: Broad Match, Phrase Match, or Exact Match.
Words or phrases you target in Google Ads to match your ads with what people are searching for.
Check the Search Terms report every 7-10 days minimum, weekly is ideal. New irrelevant searches appear constantly as Google interprets your keywords, and waiting too long means wasted budget accumulates. New campaigns should be checked every 2-3 days for the first two weeks since they generate the most unexpected matches initially. Spend 15-20 minutes per review: sort by cost to find expensive waste, sort by conversions to find winners, add 5-10 negative keywords, and add 2-3 high-performers as exact match keywords. Monthly reviews are too infrequent—you'll waste 30+ days of budget on irrelevant clicks you could have blocked on day 7. Set a recurring calendar reminder for "Review Search Terms - Google Ads" every Monday morning.
Get a complete audit of your Google Ads account and see exactly where you stand on Search Terms and 46 other critical factors.
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