Google Ads Search Terms Report: 10 Optimization Hacks

The Google Ads search terms report is the closest thing you have to reading your customers’ minds: it lists the real queries that triggered your ads, how much each one cost and whether it converted. Yet in most accounts we audit, it is opened once a quarter, skimmed for a few obvious negatives and closed. That is a missed opportunity, because with broad match and Performance Max expanding reach by default, the report is where wasted spend hides and where your next profitable keywords are already waiting.

Below are ten concrete hacks we use on client accounts in the US and Europe, each with an example. They work for Search and Shopping, and several apply to Performance Max search themes as well. Set aside 30 minutes a week and you will usually find 10–25% of spend that can be reallocated to terms that actually convert.

Already suspect your account is bleeding? Our free Google Ads mini-audit runs exactly this analysis on your last 90 days.

Where to find the search terms report (and what changed)

In Google Ads, go to Campaigns → Insights and reports → Search terms. You can view it at account, campaign or ad group level. Since 2020 Google only shows terms searched by a “significant number of users”, so part of your spend sits in an “Other search terms” row you cannot see; Google’s help page on the search terms report explains the thresholds. For Shopping campaigns the report lives under the same menu. For Performance Max, use the campaign’s Insights page and search term categories, which show themes rather than individual queries.

10 search terms report hacks

1. Sort by cost with zero conversions, 90-day window

The simplest filter is still the best one. Set the date range to 90 days, add a filter for Conversions = 0, and sort by Cost descending. Anything above your target cost per acquisition with zero conversions is a candidate for a negative or a bid adjustment. Example: a plumbing client was paying $4.10 per click for “plumber salary” and “plumbing apprenticeship” — $380 in a quarter, zero leads. Two negatives fixed it.

2. Use the “Added/Excluded” column to find keyword gaps

Enable the Added/Excluded column. Terms marked “None” that have converted are queries you are winning by accident via broad or phrase match. Add them as exact match keywords so you control the bid and ad copy. In our experience this is the fastest way to lower cost per conversion without cutting volume.

3. Segment by match type to see what broad match is really buying

Segment the report by Keyword match type. If broad match terms have a conversion rate well below exact match terms for the same ad group, your Smart Bidding signals are thin and broad match is exploring too far. Either tighten negatives, move the budget to phrase, or give Smart Bidding better conversion data first. Our guide to Smart Bidding strategies covers the data thresholds.

4. Build intent buckets with a spreadsheet, not one term at a time

Download the report to Sheets and classify terms into buckets with a formula: informational (how, what, why, guide, diy), job seekers (jobs, salary, career), competitor, local, transactional (buy, price, near me, quote). Sum cost and conversions per bucket. The informational and job buckets alone often account for 10–20% of spend in service-business accounts. Export the bucket as a negative keyword list and apply it at account level.

5. Mine n-grams for hidden patterns

Split every term into single words and two-word phrases and aggregate cost and conversions per n-gram. A term like “free” or “cheap” or a city you do not serve may appear in dozens of low-volume queries that never cross the visibility threshold individually. N-gram analysis surfaces them. Example: an e-commerce furniture client found “ikea” in 140 different queries spending €1,900 with one sale.

6. Find new ad groups, not just new keywords

When a cluster of converting terms shares an intent your ads do not speak to, create a new ad group with dedicated copy and landing page rather than adding keywords to the existing group. A dental client saw “emergency dentist” terms converting inside a generic “dentist near me” group; a dedicated emergency ad group with 24/7 messaging and call-only ads doubled the conversion rate on those queries. See Google Ads for dentists for the structure.

7. Check Shopping search terms against product titles

In Shopping campaigns, high-impression terms with low click-through rate often mean the product title does not match how people search. If “women’s waterproof hiking boots size 8” triggers your ad for “Trailmaster Boot W”, rewrite the title to lead with the attributes shoppers type. This is one of the quickest wins in our Shopping feed optimization tips.

8. Watch for brand and competitor leakage

Filter the report for your brand name and your top three competitors. Brand terms showing in non-brand campaigns inflate their apparent performance; add brand negatives to non-brand campaigns so Smart Bidding does not learn the wrong lesson. Competitor terms, on the other hand, are usually expensive and low-converting unless you have a clear comparison offer; decide deliberately rather than letting broad match decide for you.

9. Localize negatives by market

If you run campaigns across the US, UK and EU, run the report per country. The same product gets different wasted queries in each: “near me” variants in the US, “argos” or “currys” in the UK, “kostenlos” and “gebraucht” in Germany, “pas cher” in France. One global negative list misses most of these. Keep a shared core list plus a per-market list.

10. Turn the report into a weekly 30-minute routine

The compound effect comes from consistency. Every week: 7-day view sorted by cost for new leaks; 30-day view filtered to converted terms with “None” in Added/Excluded for new exact keywords; monthly n-gram pass; quarterly intent-bucket rebuild. Log every change with a note so you can see which negatives moved the cost per conversion.

Weekly search terms checklist

Cadence	View	Action
Weekly	Last 7 days, sort by cost, conversions = 0	Add negatives above target CPA
Weekly	Last 30 days, converted, Added/Excluded = None	Add as exact match keywords
Biweekly	Segment by match type	Compare broad vs exact conversion rate
Monthly	Export, n-gram analysis	Account-level negative list update
Monthly	Shopping terms vs titles	Feed title rewrites
Quarterly	90 days, intent buckets	Restructure ad groups, new landing pages

Mistakes to avoid

• Adding negatives from a 7-day view with tiny data. A term with two clicks and no conversion is noise; judge on 90 days or on spend above your target CPA.
• Negating converting terms because they look odd. If it converts at target, keep it, even if it is misspelled.
• Using broad match negatives. Negative keywords do not have close-variant matching the way positive keywords do, and broad negatives can block far more than intended. Use phrase or exact negatives in most cases.
• Ignoring the “Other search terms” row. If it holds 30%+ of spend, your campaign is relying on queries you cannot audit; tighten match types or move budget to campaigns with visible data.
• Forgetting Performance Max. Brand exclusions and campaign-level negatives are now available in PMax; use them, as explained in our Performance Max optimization tips.

FAQ

Why does the Google Ads search terms report not show all queries?

Google only shows terms searched by a significant number of users for privacy reasons. Low-volume queries are grouped into “Other search terms”. Tighter match types and more conversion data reduce the share of hidden spend.

How often should I review the search terms report?

Weekly for the first three months of a new campaign or after a major change, then biweekly. New accounts and broad-match campaigns need more frequent checks.

Should I add every irrelevant term as a negative?

No. Focus on terms that cost money without converting and on patterns (n-grams) that repeat. Hundreds of one-off negatives add maintenance without impact.

Can I see search terms for Performance Max?

Partially. PMax shows search term categories and, in newer accounts, search themes insights rather than full query lists. Campaign-level negatives and brand exclusions are available.

What is a good conversion rate in the search terms report?

It depends on the industry and intent. Compare terms against your own account average and target CPA rather than external benchmarks; a term at target CPA is good regardless of its rate.

Need help with your campaigns?

If you would rather have someone else run this routine, our Google Ads Management includes weekly search term reviews and negative list maintenance, and a one-time Google Ads Audit gives you the full 90-day waste analysis with a prioritized fix list. Book a free 30-minute call to discuss your account.

Read also

• Google Ads Keyword Match Types Explained (2026 Guide)