The search terms report in Google Ads shows the actual searches that triggered your ads and the clicks, cost and conversions each one produced. It is the most useful report in a search account and the most neglected. Keywords describe your intent; search terms describe what Google decided your intent meant, and with broad and phrase match those can be very far apart.
Here is the weekly routine we run on every search account, in about twenty minutes.
Set up the search terms report view
Filter to the last seven days, sort by cost, and add columns for conversions, cost per conversion and conversion rate. Save the view so it opens the same way every week. Low-volume terms are hidden for privacy, so the report never shows everything, but it shows where the money went.
Three decisions for every expensive term
Add it as a keyword if it converts well and is not already a keyword. Adding it gives you control over its bid and ad copy, and stops Google from matching it loosely through another keyword.
Exclude it as a negative if it is clearly irrelevant or has spent meaningfully with no conversions over a fair sample. Job searches, free versions, competitor support queries, research terms and wrong locations are the usual culprits. The negative keywords audit lists the patterns that recur across industries.
Leave it if it is relevant but too new to judge. Deleting relevant terms after a handful of clicks starves the account of learning.
Choose the right negative match type
A negative exact match blocks only that search. A negative phrase match blocks any search containing the phrase. A negative broad match blocks searches containing all the words in any order. Use phrase negatives for themes such as "jobs", "free" or "course", and exact negatives for single bad searches that share words with good ones.
Keep a shared negative list at account level for themes that apply everywhere, and campaign-level negatives for terms that are wrong in one campaign but right in another.
What the search terms report tells you about structure
If one keyword is pulling in dozens of loosely related terms, the match type or the keyword itself is too broad. If good terms are scattered across many ad groups, the structure needs consolidating; Google search campaign structure shows a cleaner layout.
Performance Max hides most of this detail, which is one reason to keep core search terms in standard search campaigns where you can see and control them.
Make it a habit, not a project
A monthly clean-up lets four weeks of waste accumulate first. Twenty minutes every week is cheaper. If you would like a second pair of eyes on an account that has gone unreviewed for a while, our free ad account audit starts with exactly this report.
Questions people ask before hiring
What is the search terms report in Google Ads?
It lists the actual searches that triggered your ads, with clicks, cost and conversions for each. It shows what you paid for, which can differ widely from the keywords you chose.
How often should I check the search terms report?
Weekly for active accounts. Monthly reviews let several weeks of irrelevant spend build up before anyone notices.
Why does the report not show all searches?
Google hides low-volume search terms for privacy reasons. The report still shows where most of the money went, which is what matters for decisions.
Should I add every converting search term as a keyword?
Add the ones that convert well and spend meaningfully. Making them keywords gives you control over bids and ad copy for those searches.