How to read a Google Ads search terms report

Keywords are what you bid on. Search terms are what people actually typed. The gap between the two is where most small Google Ads accounts quietly lose money, and the search terms report is the only place you can see it.

If you only open one report in Google Ads each week, make it this one. Here is how to read it without getting lost.

Where to find it

In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. Set the date range to the last 30 days for a first look, or the last 7 days once you review it weekly. Add the columns for cost, conversions and cost per conversion if they are not already showing.

Each row is a real search that triggered your ad and earned at least one impression. Next to it you will see the keyword that matched it and the match type. Google hides some low-volume terms for privacy, so the list will never add up to your full spend. That is normal.

Read it by spend, not alphabetically

Sort the report by cost, highest first. The top twenty rows usually tell you most of what you need to know. For each one, ask a single question: would I be happy paying for this click again tomorrow?

You will usually find terms in four groups:

• Clear winners: specific, high-intent searches that convert. Make sure each has its own keyword so you control the bid and the ad text.
• Reasonable but untested: relevant terms with some spend and no conversions yet. Leave them alone until they have had a fair amount of spend, then decide.
• Wrong intent: people looking for jobs, free versions, DIY instructions, a competitor's login page or a different service. These become negative keywords.
• Wrong place: searches that include a city or region you do not serve. Add the location as a negative, and check your location settings too.

Turn findings into negative keywords

A negative keyword tells Google not to show your ad for searches that contain that word or phrase. Rather than adding every bad search term in full, look for the word that makes it irrelevant. If you see "plumber jobs", "plumbing apprenticeship" and "plumber salary", the useful negatives are jobs, apprenticeship and salary.

Keep a shared negative keyword list for words that are never relevant to your business, such as careers, free, template or course, and apply it to every campaign. Add campaign-level negatives when a word is wrong for one campaign but fine for another.

Be careful with broad negatives. A negative for "cheap" might block a searcher who would happily pay for an affordable, good service. When in doubt, use phrase or exact match negatives so you only block what you meant to block.

Turn winners into keywords

When a search term converts well, add it as its own keyword, usually in exact or phrase match. This gives it its own bid and quality score, and lets you write an ad that repeats the searcher's own words back to them. That relevance tends to improve click-through rate and the experience on your landing page.

If several winning terms share a theme, that is often a sign they deserve their own ad group with a dedicated ad and landing page.

Watch for match-type drift

Broad match and, increasingly, phrase match will show your ads for searches Google considers related. Sometimes that finds useful new demand. Sometimes it pairs your keyword for a premium service with searches for something completely different. The search terms report is how you catch the second case early.

If one keyword keeps matching to irrelevant searches, consider tightening its match type before you add dozens of negatives around it.

Make it a habit, not a project

New accounts and newly launched campaigns need this review every few days. Once an account settles, a short weekly session is enough for most small businesses. Keep a simple log of the negatives you add and why, so anyone who touches the account later understands the decisions.

Done consistently, this one habit keeps your budget pointed at the people who are actually looking for what you sell.