Search Terms vs Keywords: Know the Difference or Burn Cash

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In the Google Ads world, confusing keywords with search terms is a common misconception. They might seem similar at first, but if you don’t know the difference, you’re going to make some very expensive mistakes. 

So let’s clear this up. 

Keywords: Your Paid Search Intentions Keywords are the phrases you tell Google you want to show ads for. They’re what you bid on. Think of them as your strategic starting point, the inputs into Google’s system that say, “Hey, show my ad when people are looking for this kind of thing.” 

For example: If you’re bidding on the keyword +vegan +meal +prep, you’re hoping to catch people searching for phrases related to vegan meal prep. You pick the match type (broad, phrase, exact), set the bid, and craft your ad and landing page accordingly. 

Search Terms: What People Actually Type, Search terms, are the real life phrases people enter into Google when they see and click your ad. Using the same example, you might see users actually typed: “easy vegan meal prep for beginners” “vegan meal prep near me” “is vegan meal prep expensive”, Not all of these are a perfect match.

In fact, some may be completely irrelevant. That’s why this distinction matters. 

Why It’s Dangerous to Ignore the Difference: When you don’t monitor search terms, you’re flying blind. Here’s what can go wrong: 

1. You’ll Pay for Irrelevant Clicks, Let’s say you’re selling a premium vegan meal delivery service. If someone searches “free vegan recipes,” they’re not your customer. But if your broad match keyword triggers that term? You’re paying for it anyway.
2. Your Quality Score Suffers, Google wants to serve relevant ads. If your keywords trigger search terms that don’t match your ad or landing page, your clickthrough rate drops,and so does your Quality Score. Lower Quality Score = higher cost per click. 
3. You Waste Budget on Low Intent Traffic, Not all traffic is equal. Some search terms are window shoppers. Others are high intent buyers. If you treat them the same, you’re wasting ad spend. 

How to Actually Use This Knowledge

 

1.  Review your search terms report (weekly!): Inside Google Ads, go to keywords → Search Terms. This shows you exactly what users typed when your ads appeared. 
2. Add negative keywords: If you’re getting junk like “free,” “jobs,” or “DIY” in your search terms, add those as negatives to stop wasting money. This tightens your targeting instantly. 
3. Use search terms to refine your keyword strategy: Sometimes, your best performing search terms aren’t even in your keyword list yet. Steal those terms and make them your new exact-match best friends. 

Pro Tip from Digital Cheddar 

At Digital Cheddar, we treat the search terms report like a gold mine. It’s not just about eliminating waste, it’s about discovering intent you never planned for. We’ve found entire winning campaign angles just by reverse engineering what real users are searching for. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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