How is a search term different from a keyword?
A keyword is the instruction. A search term is the result. You add "locksmith geelong" as a keyword, and on broad match Google may show your ad to someone typing "locksmith course geelong", "how to open a locked car" or "key cutting near me". Some of those are customers. One wants a career change.
Google Ads Help ("About the search terms report") describes the report as a list of the searches that triggered your ads, and suggests the two things to do with it: add irrelevant terms as negative keywords so the ad stops showing on them, and adjust the match type of keywords that are drifting. The report is also where new keywords come from, when a search you had not thought of books jobs.
What did a Geelong locksmith's ads show up for last month? (example figures)
A mobile locksmith in Geelong, one van and one apprentice, spent $1,150 on Google Ads in September on three keywords. Sorted by cost, the top of the search terms report read:
| Search term | Clicks | Cost | Calls | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| locksmith geelong | 62 | $310 | 14 | Keep |
| locked out of house geelong | 31 | $186 | 11 | Keep, add as its own keyword |
| locksmith course | 24 | $108 | 0 | Negative: course |
| locksmith jobs | 19 | $76 | 0 | Negative: jobs |
| key cutting bunnings | 27 | $95 | 0 | Negative: bunnings |
| car key replacement geelong | 16 | $88 | 3 | Keep, own ad group later |
Three searches with no hope of a call cost $279 between them, almost a quarter of the month's spend. Three negative keywords stop most of it. Meanwhile "locked out of house geelong" booked a call from about one click in three, the best rate in the account, and was not a keyword at all: broad match had found it. Adding it as a keyword lets the owner write an ad for it ("Locked out? On the way in 30 minutes") and bid on it directly.
Why are some searches missing from the report?
Google leaves out search terms that too few people typed, to meet its privacy standards, so the rows never add up to the campaign's total spend. In a small account the hidden share can be large. The rows you can see are still the ones that cost most, which are the ones worth acting on.
To open the report, select Campaigns in the left menu, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. The Match type column shows how each search matched your keyword. The Keyword column, which says which of your keywords caught it, is hidden by default: switch it on from Columns, under Attributes.
How does the report fit into your plan with Cora?
CoraVision reads spend, clicks and conversions for every Google Ads campaign each night, which shows when a campaign's cost per call is drifting. The search terms behind that drift are read on your screen, during a session you start. When clearing them out is a step in your action plan, Cora teaches it on the report itself, pill mode points at the next click, and you add each negative keyword yourself.
Questions
How often should I read my search terms?
Weekly while a campaign is new, then monthly once the obvious waste is blocked. Set the date range to cover enough clicks to see patterns, usually the last 30 days for an owner-sized account, and sort by cost so the expensive mistakes come first.
Why does a search I never added show up?
Because of match types. A keyword on broad or phrase match can show your ad for searches with the same meaning or a related one, worded differently. Exact match keeps it closest, and negative keywords block what you never want.
Do Performance Max campaigns have a search terms report?
They show search terms insights, which group searches into themes and categories rather than listing every one. The detail Google shows there has changed over time, so check the Insights page in your own account.