What is Search Term Update?
Google search term is also known as a search query. The term is referred to a particular word that can be typed on a search engine which could be possibly anything, maybe a phrase in no particular order. People bid on google search term phrase or word and create campaigns surrounding the same term/keyword.
Now, before we head on to understand the latest Google search term update, let us dive into some of the basics.
What is the difference between a Keyword and a Search Term?
Search term includes a set of words that a customer enters on a search engine to find an answer to a query. In contrast, a keyword consists of words that have been created for a certain ad group meant for targeting ads to the customers.
Marketers use Google search terms for creating PPC and SEO campaigns. When browsing people use specific words, based on which they get internet results and ads which include the embedded keywords.
What is a Search Term Report?
The search term report is a feature available within Google ads that lets you see exactly the terms which trigger the Google ads to appear. It also shows how the terms are related to the keywords which you have been targeting.
For example: If you are searching for a specific keyword, “party wear shoes,” and someone else is searching for the same thing by typing a more particular term like “party wear black stilettos,” then the latter would appear in the search term report.
Majorly advertisers and agencies are dependent on the Google search term report for optimizing their Google ads for a great performance.
The data obtained by Google search report was used for other purposes like:
- Identification of new search terms so you can add those to the keyword list
- Generate a list of negative keywords
- Identify the best match for a particular set of keywords
- It will ensure that the budget you are spending is allocated properly and is not spent on disinterested consumers. Also, it avoids spending a budget on low-profit keywords.
Latest Changes in the Google Search Term Report
Google announced on September 1 that all the search term reports that exist within Google ads would only showcase search terms after they reach a certain threshold. With this campaign, the ad campaigns’ visibility caused a concern immediately among various agencies and advertisers.
With the Google search term update, the question arises- why did this happen, and how it can uphold the returns otherwise promised by PPC.
So, with the latest update, you won’t be able to search for all the terms triggering the advertisements. In particular, you may have to look out for the search terms which have a very low search volume.
Google Search Term Report Impact on Visibility
Read the points mentioned below to check how the changes in the similar audiences google ads search term report will impact the visibility:
Change in the Conversion Rate
Although the conversion rate was still affected minutely, it can be termed as a sizable drop. For keyword searches, one is more dependent upon suggestions given by Google. The terms which will have high volume will become better keywords. With fewer converting terms, digital marketers will have to wait for a certain amount of time to identify opportunities.
It has slowed down the pace of improvisation of keywords, unlike before the update.
Fluctuation in Cost
With the update, most business accounts lost their visibility, and their monthly budgets dropped down.
Change in number of Clicks
With the update, the number of clicks required to reach a result has changed drastically. You cannot see what the maximum number of people are searching for! There will be no clarity about where the massive part of the budget will be spent. The search volume on one-off search terms has decreased massively.
The impact of the search term update is not limited. With the search term update, small, proactive tweaks could lead to big leaks in spending on the ad. Here are some other changes
- With this, keyword mining becomes all the way more difficult
- It has made broad search term match unusable
- It has drastically reduced the conversion rate and has led to lower bidding
- Now, creating a single keyword ad group has become all the way more challenging.
Ever wondered why Google is doing this?
This is what Google has to say regarding the same- they said that the update had been made to maintain and strengthen user data privacy and protection standards. Now, the latest changes include terms in the report which only a specific amount of users have searched for.
Some of the recommendations for you to navigate through the update:
● Stay aware of the minutest of the changes in trends and continue optimizing
● Make sure to review the Bing search query report. You can use advertising tools offered by Microsoft. Bing and Google share similar trends; the search campaigns can easily map out new search terms in Bing. You can regularly review the search queries with Microsoft advertising and optimize the Bing search campaigns. The Bing query report will help you find the negative and new keywords.
● Keep broadening your skillset and work on the shortcomings. As the changes are unforeseen and meet with the dynamics, you must at all times keep yourself updated. Now is the right time to learn new skills and various viable digital marketing skills to develop your business.
Some of the skills in market demand include- website CRO, data analysis, email marketing, social media ad management, and SEO.
● To optimize for the hidden search terms, you must use smart bidding strategies to target CPA and enhance the CPC.
● Take the help of dynamic search ads for searching new keywords. And, why not? Dynamic ads can work great when targeting your ads based on your landing pages. Dynamic ads can help audiences reach for the search terms which you couldn’t cover with the keywords.
There remain many unanswered questions surrounding Google search term update? How will it affect the advertising trends in the long term? Can we anticipate any more changes?
