Grasping the subtleties of Google Ads advertising, including its extensive jargon, presents a significant challenge.
A common confusion, even among seasoned advertisers, is the interchangeable use of "keyword" and "search term" (or "search query"). While both play crucial roles in Google Ads advertising and share a connection, they convey different meanings.
Distinguishing Between Keywords and Search Terms
Keywords are specific words or phrases that marketers use as a target in a paid or organic search campaign.
For instance, if you want to win an auction for the phrase "orange shoes", that becomes your keyword.
Marketers and advertisers select these keywords based on their relevance to the business and the product or service they advertise. They are integral to shaping their overall marketing strategy.
On the other hand, search terms or queries are the exact words a user enters into a search box. These phrases might be jumbled, have additional words attached, be only vaguely related to the intended search term, or even contain typos.
The Trigger
The fundamental distinction between keywords and search terms lies in their usage and purpose.
Marketers utilize keywords to create PPC campaigns.
People use search queries to find information on the internet.
Generally, users aren't aware of what keywords or which specific ones are targeted by brands. They enter words into a search box to discover information about a product or service that suits their needs.
In contrast, marketers use data from search terms and queries to guide their choice of keywords. It would be impractical to target every unique search query entered by users.
As a result, marketers aim to analyze these search queries and strategize accordingly to determine the most relevant keywords that align with what potential customers are looking for.
A user might be using those search terms (queries) to find what they want:
- orange shoes ny
- orange shoes near me
- orange shoes size 9
- orange shoes walmart size 10
- shoes orange cheap
- inexpensive orange shoes
All of those search terms can trigger a keyword in your campaign:
- orange shoes
So by simply adding "orange shoes" as a keyword, your ad can show for many search terms.
To give you another example:
| Keyword | Search Terms |
| used books |
used books |
"where to buy used books" (search term) -> "used books" (keyword) -> ad shows
In essence: Search terms trigger keywords, and keywords trigger the ad to show.
Understanding the distinction between Google Ads keywords and search terms opens up numerous opportunities for refining and enhancing your campaigns.
The Trap
I've seen countless accounts managed by clients or ad managers who do not know the distinction, costing them money. And we are not even talking about using different match types.
They go to the 'Search keywords' report and see this (keywords hidden for privacy reasons):
Then, they think, "People clicked 243 times on my ad when searching for 'used books'".
There were 243 clicks from different search queries. The data on clicks has been aggregated to represent all search queries that activated a particular keyword.
We need to look under the hood to see what's really going on. We can see what search terms triggered this keyword by simply clicking on the box and then Search terms:
Then, you'll see this search query report:
Now we almost get the full picture. Notice that this keyword had 243 clicks when we looked at it from the Search keywords report. Now we can see how many clicks we got for the search query "used books".
It's, in fact, 20 clicks. The rest of the clicks come from the other search queries triggered by the "used books" keyword.
But something doesn't add up.
243 clicks from the Search Keywords report
- 138 from the Total Filtered Search Terms
= 105 clicks
| Search Keywords Report | 243 clicks |
| Search Terms Report | 138 clicks |
| Other Search Terms | 105 clicks |
In September 2020, Google made changes to the Search Terms Report. Not all of the search terms are displayed.
The Optimization
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Monitor Your Search Term Report: Regularly check your search term report to see what search queries are triggering your ads. If there are irrelevant queries, consider adding them as negative keywords to prevent wasting money on clicks that won't convert.
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Use Broad Match Wisely: Broad match keywords can trigger your ads for a wider range of search terms. However, this can sometimes lead to irrelevant queries. Use it judiciously and pair it with a robust list of negative keywords to ensure relevance.
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Leverage Exact and Phrase Match: These match types allow you to have tighter control over what queries trigger your ads. Use them to target high-converting search terms identified in your search term report.
- Utilize Keyword Insertion: This feature allows you to dynamically insert your triggered keyword into your ad text, making your ads appear more relevant to the searcher. You can learn more here about dynamic keyword insertion.
Remember, keywords tell Google what you want to bid on, while search terms are what people are actually searching for.
You can create more relevant, high-performing campaigns that drive results by effectively aligning these two elements.
The Summary
Understanding the distinction between keywords and search terms is more than just a theoretical exercise. It can lead to tangible improvements in your Google Ads campaigns, leading to better performance, increased conversions, and lower costs.
So, whether you're a seasoned advertiser or a beginner in the world of Google Ads, invest time in understanding and applying this knowledge to your campaigns.
And remember - always strive to improve your Google Ads game, even just a little bit, each and every day.
