# What is the Search Term Report in Google Ads? Your Most… > The Search Term Report shows exactly what users searched before clicking your ads. This guide explains how to use it for ongoing campaign optimisation. Source: https://elitedigitalagency.io/blog/what-is-search-term-report-google-ads/ Format: Markdown mirror of the HTML page (text/markdown). Content is identical; the canonical, citable version is the HTML source URL above. --- PPC & Paid Media # What is the Search Term Report in Google Ads? Your Most Valuable Optimisation Tool The Search Term Report shows exactly what users searched before clicking your ads. This guide explains how to use it for ongoing campaign optimisation. By Kaiser Khan · 22 July 2026 · 7 min read Last verified: 22 July 2026 search term report Google Adsactual search terms Googlekeyword search reportwhat users searched Direct Answer The Search Term Report in Google Ads shows the actual search queries that triggered your ads and resulted in impressions and clicks — rather than the keywords you have bid on. Since broad and phrase match keywords can trigger for many related (and sometimes unrelated) queries, the search term report reveals what is actually driving your traffic. It is the primary tool for: identifying negative keywords to add (irrelevant queries wasting budget), discovering new converting keywords to add as exact match targets, and verifying that keyword matching is behaving as intended. The Search Term Report is the most action-rich regular optimisation task in Google Ads management. A weekly review that takes 20-30 minutes can identify thousands of pounds of wasted spend and discover profitable new keyword targets that the initial campaign setup missed. Accounts where the Search Term Report is not reviewed regularly accumulate significant inefficiency over time as broad match keywords generate increasingly irrelevant traffic. ## How to use the Search Term Report effectively - Weekly review — set a recurring calendar appointment; consistency matters more than depth of any single review - Filter for significant spend — sort by cost descending; focus on high-spend search terms first - Add irrelevant queries as negatives — use the 'Add as negative keyword' button directly from the report - Add high-converting queries as exact match keywords — explicitly target your best converting search terms - Look for pattern negatives — if multiple queries containing 'free' or 'how to' waste budget, add pattern-based negatives - Check intent alignment — are the queries triggering your ads from users with purchase intent or information-seeking intent? - Note competitor brand queries triggering your ads — consider whether competitor-targeted campaigns would be appropriate - Track over time — new irrelevant queries emerge regularly; the review should be an ongoing process, not a one-time setup Google Ads management and optimisation Why doesn't the Search Term Report show all searches? Google restricts the Search Term Report to only show queries searched by a minimum threshold of users — to protect individual user privacy. Queries with very low search volume may be grouped into an 'Other search terms' category not visible in the report. This means the Search Term Report shows the majority, but not all, of the queries that triggered ads. The proportion hidden in 'Other' varies by campaign — accounts with many broad match keywords in competitive markets typically have a higher proportion of visible search terms than highly targeted exact match campaigns. How does the Search Term Report differ from the Keyword Report? The Keyword Report shows performance data for the keywords you have bid on — what you told Google to target. The Search Term Report shows performance data for the actual queries users typed — what Google decided your keywords should match. The gap between the two reports shows how well your keyword targeting is matching your intended audience. In well-structured accounts with appropriate match types and negative keywords, the Search Term Report closely resembles the Keyword Report. In poorly managed accounts with broad match keywords and few negatives, the two can look very different. ### Ready to improve your PPC? Get a free consultation from our expert team. Talk to us ### What to do next ### Tags search term report Google Adsactual search terms Googlekeyword search reportwhat users searched KK Kaiser Khan Founder & Director · Elite Digital Agency Kaiser Khan is the founder of Elite Digital Agency (Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd). He specialises in SEO, Answer Engine Optimisation, and AI search strategy for UK businesses and charities. Author page · mrkaiserkhan.com ↗ Keep reading ## Related articles PPC & Paid Media ### What is Lead Generation PPC? Using Paid Search to Fill the Sales Pipeline 8 min read · Kaiser Khan PPC & Paid Media ### What are Google Ads Extensions? 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