Since September last year, the search terms report has been stripped down considerably. Frequently used search terms are therefore no longer visible and excluding search terms has become a lot more difficult and less accurate. Fortunately, there is a solution to find the hidden search terms of Google Ads. You can read all about it in our blog.
The search terms report is an overview of the search terms used by users. This report gives you a good indication of whether you can be found in the right searches. In addition, based on the report, you can exclude certain search terms that are not relevant. The report is essential to optimize the campaigns and spend the budget in the best possible way. The actual searches used are not only important for excluding keywords, but also provide relevant insights for new keywords. If a certain search term yields a lot of conversions, but has not yet been added as a keyword, it is of course valuable to add it.
First you always had insight into all the search terms used on which your ad was visible. However, this is no longer possible since the update. Only search terms that have been used by a ‘significant’ number of users appear in the search term report. As a result, a large number of used search terms are no longer visible. It also happens that search terms that have resulted in a conversion are no longer visible in the search term report. In accounts it often happens that 20% of the costs incurred cannot be traced back to the search terms. We often see in accounts that about 30% of the search terms that lead to conversions cannot be traced. As a result, you miss a lot of valuable information.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Within Google Analytics it is possible to find the inflected searches. This is easy to do by going to Acquisition > Google Ads > Searches. Here you will see an overview of the searches used for your ads. What is immediately noticeable is the amount of used commands that can be found here. That is significantly more than those visible in Google Ads. It gives a clearer picture of the searches used on which your ads have appeared. It therefore also provides more data and more insight into which search terms you can exclude. That way you can make your campaigns more relevant and achieve better results.
Do you want to know more about the search term report and have more insight into your search terms? Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you. Even if you are still looking for a reliable and good partner in the field of SEA marketing, we are happy to help you.