A keyword list only shows what an advertiser is targeting. A search terms report shows what people actually typed. The gap between the two is often where budget quietly leaks.
Here is what a pay-per-click (PPC) search terms report actually shows, what to look for when reviewing it, and how it connects to ad relevance and negative keywords.
What a PPC search terms report actually shows
A search terms report shows the actual search queries that triggered an ad, as distinct from the keywords being targeted in a campaign.
Keyword match types determine how loosely a targeted keyword can trigger these queries. According to Google Ads Help, match types dictate how closely a keyword needs to match a search query for an ad to be considered in the auction. Broader match types capture more related searches than narrower ones.
This distinction matters because a keyword list alone tells an advertiser almost nothing about what actually triggered a given click. The search terms report is where that reality becomes visible.
What to look for when reviewing the report
Irrelevant queries are the first thing to scan for. A campaign targeting digital marketing audit might also show for searches like free audit template or audit checklist jobs, neither of which reflects someone looking to hire.
Queries with strong intent that are not yet targeted keywords deserve attention too. A recurring, high-intent search term that keeps appearing organically in the report may be worth adding directly as its own keyword.
An isolated irrelevant query is usually not worth acting on right away. A pattern across several similar irrelevant queries, though, is a signal that a match type or targeting setting needs adjustment.
How the report connects to ad relevance and negative keywords
A search terms report full of irrelevant queries usually signals a match type or targeting issue, not just bad luck in who happened to click.
A PPC ads agency reviewing an account will typically treat the search terms report as a starting point for two separate but related tasks: tightening match types and building out a negative keyword list.
The report itself is the same data source behind both efforts. Reviewing it consistently is what makes either one possible in the first place. This kind of budget-leak cleanup is one of the recurring themes Michelle Chance-Sangthong writes about in her book on getting more from an existing marketing budget — small structural fixes tend to outperform bigger spend.
What this looks like in practice for a PPC account
An account had steady spend and a healthy volume of clicks, but conversion rate stayed persistently low despite reasonably strong ad copy.
A review of the search terms report found it full of loosely related queries triggered by overly broad match types. Many of the triggering searches had little to do with what the campaign was actually meant to sell.
Once match types were tightened and the report began getting reviewed on a regular cadence, wasted spend on irrelevant queries dropped, and conversion rate improved without any change to the total budget.
The clicks had never been the problem. The queries triggering those clicks simply were not the right ones to begin with.
What to do with what the report shows you
Genuinely new, high-intent queries that show up repeatedly are worth adding directly as their own keywords, since they represent demand the campaign was not deliberately targeting yet.
Irrelevant patterns should be flagged for exclusion, either through tighter match types or through a negative keyword list built from exactly this kind of recurring, unwanted query.
A consistent review cadence matters more than any single fix. The report is only useful if someone actually looks at it regularly, since new irrelevant queries and new opportunities both tend to appear as a campaign continues running.
Frequently asked questions
Advertisers tend to ask similar questions once they start reviewing a search terms report for the first time.
What is the difference between a keyword and a search term?
A keyword is what an advertiser is targeting. A search term is what a person actually typed into the search engine that triggered the ad. The two often differ, sometimes significantly.
What are keyword match types?
Broad, phrase, and exact match are the three main match types, each determining how closely a search query must resemble a targeted keyword before an ad can be considered for that search.
How often should I review my search terms report?
A weekly or biweekly review works well for most active accounts, though the right cadence depends on how much traffic and spend a campaign generates.
Should every new search term become a keyword?
No. Genuinely high-intent, recurring terms are worth adding, but not every query that appears in the report deserves that treatment. Selective judgment matters more than adding everything indiscriminately.
Key Takeaways
– A search terms report shows what people actually typed, not just what an advertiser is targeting.
– Match types determine how loosely a keyword can trigger unrelated search queries.
– A recurring pattern of irrelevant queries usually signals a targeting issue worth fixing.
– The report only helps if it gets reviewed on a consistent, ongoing basis.
Get a clearer picture of what your ads are actually triggering
A keyword list only tells half the story. Get an Audit and get a clear picture of where your search terms report says your budget is actually going.
