Quick answer: The search terms report shows what people actually searched before clicking your ads. Review it weekly to add negatives and new keywords.
The search terms report is the most useful report in a Search campaign. It shows the actual searches that triggered your ads, which can be quite different from the keywords you chose.
Where to find it
In Google Ads, open a campaign and go to Insights and reports → Search terms (in some layouts it’s under Keywords → Search terms). Set the date range to the last 30 days to start.
Google doesn’t show every search. Searches made by very few people may be hidden for privacy, so you’ll see most of your spend, not all of it.
What to look for
Add the Conversions and Cost per conversion columns if they aren’t visible, then sort by cost.
- Irrelevant searches costing money: add them as negative keywords.
- Relevant searches with conversions: add them as keywords (often exact match) so you can bid on them directly.
- Patterns: if you see several job searches, add “jobs”, “careers” and “hiring” as negatives rather than each search one by one.
- Wrong locations: searches containing places you don’t serve.
- Competitor names: decide whether you want to appear for them. Often you don’t.
How to add negatives from the report
Tick the searches you want to block, then choose Add as negative keyword. Choose whether to add them to the ad group, the campaign or a shared negative list. Shared lists save time across campaigns. Read negative keywords.
How often to check
- New campaigns: every two or three days for the first few weeks.
- Settled campaigns: weekly or fortnightly.
- After adding broad match: more often again, until you’re confident it’s behaving.
Performance Max has a search terms report too
Since 2025, Performance Max shows search terms and supports campaign-level negatives. Read Search vs Performance Max.
A five-minute weekly routine
- Open Search terms, last 7 days, sorted by cost.
- Add obvious waste as negatives.
- Add converting searches as keywords.
- Note any patterns to add to shared negative lists.
Sources and further reading
Written by Gregory
20 years building websites and running lead generation, mostly with my own money on the line. Based in Sydney, working with clients worldwide. How I work →