How to Read and Use a Search Term Report: A Beginner's Guide

Reading a Search Term Report can feel overwhelming at first, but with a few simple steps you can extract high-impact insights that improve ad relevance, reduce wasted spend, and inform product choices. This guide walks a beginner through practical interpretation, actions, and examples.

Step 1 — Export and prepare the data

1. Open the platform that generated the Search Term Report (Google Ads, Amazon, Bing, or your site search analytics).
2. Select a sensible time range — usually the last 30 or 90 days for enough volume.
3. Export the data to a spreadsheet so you can sort and filter (or use platform filters if you prefer).

Step 2 — Establish priority filters

• Start by sorting queries by conversions or conversion value to see which search terms drive results.
• Then look at high-cost or high-impression queries to identify waste.
• Finally, use click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate to identify relevance issues.

Step 3 — Identify three quick-win categories

• Add as keywords: High-converting queries that you aren’t explicitly bidding on are prime candidates to add as targeted keywords.
• Create negatives: Irrelevant queries that generate clicks but no value should be added as negative keywords to stop wasted spend.
• Improve landing pages: Queries with high clicks but low conversions often indicate a mismatch between the search intent and your landing page content.

Step 4 — Map queries to business outcomes

Ask: does this query indicate product interest, research intent, or informational intent? For example:

• "Buy waterproof hiking boots" shows strong purchase intent — use product campaigns and product availability signals.
• "How to break in hiking boots" is informational — consider content marketing rather than product ads.

Step 5 — Adjust match types and bids

If a query performs well but was matched via broad match, consider adding it as a phrase or exact match keyword and set a higher bid to capture more controlled traffic. Conversely, for poor-performing broad matches, tighten match types or add negatives.

Step 6 — Use the report for SEO and site search improvements

• Add common search phrases to product titles, meta descriptions, and category pages to improve organic relevance.
• For internal site search, ensure top queries return useful results and surface related products or articles.

Step 7 — Tie findings to inventory and fulfillment

Repeated queries for out-of-stock items or for product variations you don’t carry are real signals to purchasing and fulfillment teams. Share top demand phrases with merchandisers so they can evaluate stocking or sourcing decisions — this closes the loop between marketing insight and warehouse action.

Practical example

Imagine your store sells kitchenware. From a Search Term Report you find high clicks and conversions for "non-stick ceramic frying pan 10 inch" but you don’t have a dedicated product page optimized for that phrase. Actions:

1. Add an exact keyword in campaigns for that phrase, with a dedicated landing page.
2. Optimize the product title and description to include "non-stick ceramic" and size details.
3. Check inventory levels and forecast demand, ensuring fulfillment readiness.

Metrics to monitor after changes

• Click-through rate (CTR) for the new keyword
• Conversion rate and cost-per-acquisition (CPA)
• Impressions and search visibility
• Inventory turnover related to the product

Tools and automation tips

• Use automated rules in advertising platforms to add negatives when queries exceed a cost threshold with no conversions.
• Set up dashboards in analytics tools (Google Analytics, Looker, or your platform’s reporting) to monitor search-term-driven conversions.
• Consider daily or weekly alerts for sudden spikes in particular search phrases that may indicate trending demand.

Common beginner pitfalls to avoid

• Reacting to single-data-point spikes: Wait for meaningful sample sizes before making large bid changes.
• Removing queries too quickly: Some queries need optimization rather than exclusion — test landing page or match-type changes first.
• Ignoring long-tail queries: Low-volume long-tail queries can be highly profitable and indicate niche demand.

Final friendly advice

Think of a Search Term Report as a conversation: users tell you what they want in their own words. Your job is to listen, respond with relevant content or offers, and track results. Start with small, measurable tests — add one new keyword, create three negatives, and optimize one landing page — and you’ll build confidence and a system for continuous improvement.