How To Use Google Ads Search Term Report

How-to-use-the-Google-Ad-Search-Term-Report by Aurafic Academy

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Unlock the full potential of your Google Ads campaigns by harnessing the power of the indispensable Google Ads Search Terms Report. Discover effective tactics to fine-tune your keyword selection, optimize targeting parameters, and elevate your return on investment.

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An essential element of a successful Google Ads strategy lies in effectively connecting with the right audience, delivering the perfect message precisely when they’re actively searching.

Achieving this requires a deep understanding of your ad performance and the specific keywords potential customers employ in their searches. 

That’s where the Google Ads search terms report proves invaluable.

The insights provided in this report are like striking gold for anyone managing a Google Ads account. By revealing the precise phrases that trigger your ads, the search terms report serves as a powerful tool for:

  • Fine-tuning your keyword strategy
  • Improving your targeting efforts
  • Amplifying your return on investment (ROI)

Let’s delve deeper into why the Google Ads search terms report isn’t just helpful, but absolutely crucial for optimizing Google Ads performance and profitability.

What Is The Google Ads Search Term Report?

The search terms report is a handy tool that reveals how well your ads performed when they appeared in response to real searches on the Google Search Network.

This report provides insights into the specific terms and phrases that caused your ads to display, aiding in the assessment of whether your keyword selection and match types are optimal.

Identifying irrelevant search terms enables you to swiftly add them to your repository of negative keywords. 

This proactive approach ensures that your advertising budget is utilized efficiently, as it prevents your ads from being triggered by searches that aren’t valuable to your business.

It’s important to note the distinction between a search term and a keyword:

  • Search Term refers to the exact words or phrases entered by users on the Google Search Network, which trigger the display of an ad.
  • Keyword is the term or phrase that Google Ads advertisers target and bid on to showcase their ads to potential customers.

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How To Create A Google Search Term Report

Here’s a guide on how to generate a Google Search Term Report effortlessly within your Google Ads account. Even better, you can automate this process!

To access your search terms report, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
  2. Go to “Campaigns” >> “Insights & reports” >> “Search terms”.

Below, you’ll find a visual example on where to locate the search terms report tab within your Google Ads account interface.

Google Ads interface displaying the "Search Terms Report" tab by Aurafic Academy
Screenshot taken by author, May 2024

Once you’ve generated this report, there are various actions you can take as a marketer:

  • Incorporate high-performing search queries into relevant ad groups as keywords.
  • Choose the appropriate match type (like broad, phrase, or exact) when adding new keywords.
  • Exclude irrelevant search terms by adding them to a negative keyword list.

3 Ways To Utilise Search Terms Data

There are many ways to leverage search term report data to enhance your campaign performance. 

Here are three examples of how you can use this report to maximize your return on investment.

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1. Optimize Existing Keyword Lists

The search terms report is a valuable tool for refining your existing keyword lists. By analyzing the report, you can uncover opportunities such as:

  • Identifying searches that lead to conversions.
  • Spotting irrelevant searches.
  • Noticing searches with high impressions but low clicks.
  • Understanding how searches align with your current keywords and ad groups.

For searches that drive conversions, consider adding them as keywords to an existing ad group or creating a new one. If you find searches irrelevant to your product or service, add them as negative keywords to prevent your ad from appearing for those searches in the future.

Searches with high impressions but few clicks require further analysis. If these keywords are valuable, it might indicate that your bid strategy needs to be more competitive.

When a search term is triggered by multiple keywords and ad groups, it can lead to keyword cross-pollution, which reduces ROI by driving up costs. To address this, you can:

  • Review and update keyword match types as needed.
  • Add negative keywords at the ad group or campaign level to prevent cross-pollution.

Using the search terms report in this manner helps you identify high-performing elements and eliminate underperforming ones, optimizing your overall strategy.

2. Understanding How Your Audience Searches For Products and Services Online

I often notice a disconnect between how companies describe their products or services and how customers actually search for them.

If you’re targeting keywords you believe represent your offerings but aren’t seeing results, you might be misaligning with customer expectations. Surprisingly, the terms that drive conversions are often ones you’d never consider without examining the search terms report.

This report is a goldmine for uncovering lesser-known search phrases that lead customers to your products. Identifying these keywords can inspire new campaigns, especially when the search terms don’t fit within your existing ad groups.

Creating campaigns around different search themes allows for tailored bidding strategies, as not all keywords hold the same value. Understanding how customers articulate their needs not only refines your keyword strategy but also enhances your product positioning.

This brings us to another valuable aspect of the search terms report: its potential to significantly improve your campaigns.

3. Refine Ad Copies and Landing Pages

As mentioned in point #2 above, the language and phrases used by customers can offer valuable insights into their needs and preferences. 

Marketers can leverage the search terms report to refine their ad copy, ensuring it resonates more with potential customers. 

It’s also crucial to pay attention to the landing page. When users click on an ad, they expect the website content to align with their search intent. 

Regularly updating the landing page to match searcher intent can enhance user experience and boost conversion rates.

How to Boost Your ROI with the Search Terms Report

The above three examples have illustrated how the search terms report can enhance campaign ROI. 

How So?

Let’s dive into each example further.

How Refining Keywords Boosts ROI

Refining existing keywords involves eliminating irrelevant search terms that trigger an ad. 

A strong negative keyword strategy eliminates unnecessary spending on keywords that don’t align with your goals. 

This previously “wasted” expenditure is then redirected to campaigns that consistently generate higher ROI.

Moreover, incorporating top-performing search terms gives you better control over your bid strategy. By adjusting bids according to search themes, you can ultimately achieve better ROI.

Keeping a good understanding of effective strategies and bidding appropriately for different search themes ultimately results in improved return on investment (ROI).

How to Boost ROI Using Audience Intent

By grasping the precise phrases and words potential customers use, marketers can tweak their ad content and landing pages to align closely with these searches.

This adjustment can boost ad relevance and Ad Rank within Google Ads.

These actions also contribute to improving keyword Quality Score, potentially lowering CPCs as your Quality Score climbs.

Ads that are more in tune with what users are looking for tend to attract higher click-through rates, ultimately increasing the chances of turning those clicks into conversions!

How Optimising Ad Copy And Landing Pages Contribute to Better ROI

Imagine you’re tailoring your ad content to fit what your audience is searching for. It’s like customizing your message to speak directly to their needs and interests.

When someone clicks on your ad and lands on a page that perfectly aligns with what they’re looking for, it’s like hitting the jackpot. They instantly feel like they’re in the right place, which makes them more likely to take action.

This kind of alignment between ad and landing page can really amp up your chances of turning that click into a conversion. And when that happens, it’s not just a win for your business—it’s a boost to your return on investment (ROI).

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Explore the Search Term Report for Insights to Make Informed Decisions

When it comes to digital marketing, Google Ads plays a crucial role and usually eats up a big chunk of your marketing funds.

By keeping a close eye on the search terms report, you can smartly adjust your marketing budget to get better results from your Google Ads campaigns.

Making use of this report to guide your decisions based on data not only improves various aspects of managing your campaigns but also helps you spend your ad budget more wisely. This, in turn, boosts conversions and leads to better returns on your investment.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Google Ads Search Term Report?

Ans: The Google Ads Search Term Report shows the actual search queries that triggered your ads. This helps you understand how users are finding your ads and which keywords are driving traffic and conversions.

Q2. Why is the Search Term Report Important for my Google Ads Campaigns?

Ans: The report helps identify high-performing search terms that you can add as new keywords, as well as irrelevant or low-performing terms that you can exclude using negative keywords.

This optimisation can improve your campaign’s performance and return on investment (ROI).

Q3. How Can I Use Search Term Report to Optimise My Ad Spend?

Ans: By analysing the report, you can pinpoint which search terms are converting well and allocate more budget to those keywords.

Conversely, you can identify and exclude irrelevant search terms to avoid wasting your ad spend.

Q4. How Often Should I Review the Search Term Report?

Ans: It’s recommended to review the Search Term Report regularly, at least once or twice a week, to stay on top of new search trends, optimize your keyword list, and ensure your ads are targeting the most relevant and high-converting search terms.

Q5. How can an online digital marketing course help me better understand and utilise the Google Ads Search Term Report?

Ans: An online digital marketing course can provide in-depth training on how to effectively use tools like the Google Ads Search Term Report.

These courses typically cover strategies for keyword research, bid management, and campaign optimisation.

By learning from experts, you can gain valuable insights and practical skills to enhance your ad performance and ROI through targeted keyword analysis and other advanced techniques.

Conclusion

Unlock the full potential of your Google Ads campaigns by harnessing the power of the essential Google Ads Search Terms Report.

This tool is crucial for fine-tuning your keyword selection, optimising targeting parameters, and elevating your return on investment (ROI).

Successful Google Ads strategies rely on effectively connecting with the right audience and delivering the perfect message precisely when they’re actively searching.

The Search Terms Report provides invaluable insights into the specific keywords potential customers use, offering a goldmine of information for anyone managing a “Google Ads account.

By revealing the exact phrases that trigger your ads, you can refine your keyword strategy, improve targeting efforts, and amplify your ROI.

Incorporating the highest-performing search queries into relevant ad groups, choosing the appropriate match type, and excluding irrelevant search terms ensures your advertising budget is utilised efficiently.

By understanding how your audience searches your product, you can adjust your ads and landing pages with their needs, ultimately boosting conversions.

In digital marketing, making data-driven decisions is essential. Elevate your ad skills by enrolling in a well-structured Google Ad course.

A well-designed Google Ad course helps you make the most of your marketing budget by teaching you how to choose the right keywords, reach your target audience, and use negative keywords to avoid irrelevant traffic.

Also, a well-curated PPC marketing course helps you plan and execute more effective campaigns with better returns.

So, choose the right PPC course today and start learning the tricks and techniques that optimise Google Ads performance for greater profitability.

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