Key Takeaways
- The search terms report shows actual queries that triggered your ads, distinct from your target keyword list.
- Reviewing it regularly reveals irrelevant matches worth excluding as negative keywords.
- Genuinely relevant, high-performing terms represent concrete opportunities to expand targeting.
- Prioritize review by spend and volume, since these carry the greatest potential impact.
You read and act on a PPC search terms report by reviewing which actual queries triggered your ads, identifying irrelevant matches to exclude as negative keywords, and spotting genuinely relevant terms worth adding to your target keyword list. The search terms report reveals the actual queries triggering your ads, offering some of the most directly actionable data available in any PPC account.
What Does the Search Terms Report Actually Show?
Unlike your keyword list, which reflects what you’re targeting, the search terms report shows the literal queries searchers used that matched your keywords, revealing the real-world gap between intended and actual targeting.
How Do You Identify Irrelevant Matches to Exclude?
Reviewing this report regularly reveals search queries clearly unrelated to your business, which should be added as negative keywords to prevent future wasted spend on genuinely irrelevant traffic.
How Do You Discover New Keyword Opportunities From This Report?
Genuinely relevant, high-performing search terms not yet in your keyword list represent concrete opportunities to expand targeting toward proven demand you weren’t previously deliberately capturing.
How Does This Report Reveal Match Type Behavior in Practice?
Comparing actual matched search terms against your keyword match types reveals how much flexibility your current settings are actually allowing, informing whether tighter or looser matching is warranted.
How Should Review Be Prioritized When Time Is Limited?
Focus initial review on search terms consuming the most budget, since these carry the greatest potential impact from either adding as a keyword or excluding as negative.
How Often Should This Report Be Reviewed?
Rather than a one-time review, establishing a consistent, regular schedule for search terms report analysis prevents wasted spend from silently accumulating over time between reviews.
Can Insights From One Campaign Apply to Others?
Yes, patterns discovered in one campaign’s search terms often reveal relevant negative keywords or opportunities applicable across other campaigns as well, especially within related product or service areas.
Should Exclusions Be Applied Aggressively or Cautiously?
Excluding too broadly based on limited data risks inadvertently blocking genuinely relevant future traffic — apply judgment rather than mechanically excluding every unfamiliar term without genuine consideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should the search terms report be reviewed for a new campaign?
More frequently early on, since new campaigns generate more unpredictable matching behavior before patterns stabilize.
Can search terms review help improve Quality Score too?
Yes, since excluding irrelevant terms improves overall ad relevance and click-through rate, both of which factor into Quality Score.
Should every new relevant search term immediately become a target keyword?
Not automatically — evaluate genuine relevance and potential volume before adding, rather than expanding indiscriminately.
Does the search terms report differ between search and shopping campaigns?
The underlying concept is similar, though shopping campaigns rely on product data rather than manual keywords, changing how the report should be interpreted.
