The report that shows what users actually typed before clicking your ad. It used to show everything. Google restricted it in 2020, citing privacy, and the share of visible queries has declined since. What remains is still the most direct feedback loop in search: your keywords, the real queries they matched, and what that cost you. Monitoring it regularly is how you find negative keywords worth adding and match type behavior worth questioning. Less data than before. Still the most important report in the account.
Ad tech glossary
Search Terms Report
Technical definition
A report showing the actual search queries that triggered your ads and resulted in clicks.
The ADLINGO translation
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Related terms
- Ad Rank
- Broad Match Modifier (RIP)
- Discovery Campaigns
- FLEDGE (First Locally-Executed Decision over Groups Experiment)
- FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts)
- Local Service Ads
- Match Types
- Maximize Conversion Value
- Negative Keywords
- Performance Max
- PRAM (Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media)
- Privacy Sandbox
Where this shows up
Google Monopoly for the CMO
When asked what today's ruling against Google means for advertisers, here is what I say. (Without making a prediction about a breakup.)
Monetizing AI Overviews
Ads in Google's AI Overviews are already natively integrated for immediate shoppability. What does this mean for advertisers, publishers, and the future of the ad supported Internet?
