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Input vs. Output: The Core Distinction

You control one, but you pay for the other.

New advertisers often use these words interchangeably, but in Google Ads, they mean two very different things.

Keywords (The Input): These are the words you give to Google. They are your best guess at what you think people are searching for.

Search Terms (The Output): These are the exact words a user actually types into the Google search bar before clicking your ad.

The "Menu" Analogy:

Keyword: You order "Steak" from the menu.

Search Term: The chef brings you a "Ribeye with peppercorn sauce." It is technically what you asked for, but it might not be exactly what you expected.

Why They Rarely Match

The role of Match Types.

Unless you are using strict [Exact Match] keywords, your Keyword and the User's Search Term will rarely be identical.

Example Scenario:

Your Keyword: "cleaning services" (Phrase Match).

Actual Search Terms that trigger your ad:

“Home cleaning services near me” (Good)

“Cheap cleaning services” (Okay)

“Pool cleaning services” (Bad - if you only clean houses!)

“How to start a cleaning services business” (Terrible - wasted money)

The Lesson: You bid on the Keyword, but you pay for the Search Term. The gap between the two is where budget gets wasted.

The "Truth Serum": The Search Terms Report

How to see what you are actually paying for.

Google doesn't show you the messy details on the main dashboard. To see the reality, you must look deeper.

Go to Keywords in the left menu.

Select Search Terms.

This list shows the exact queries users typed.

How to use this report:

Find Gold: If you see a Search Term with many conversions that isn't a keyword yet, add it as an Exact Match Keyword to bid more aggressively on it.

Find Trash: If you see irrelevant terms (like "Pool cleaning" in the example above), click the box and add it as a Negative Keyword.

Search Terms and Fraud Detection

Can bots hide in your search terms?

Sophisticated click fraud bots often use legitimate-looking Search Terms to trick you. They might search for your exact high-value keyword (e.g., "Emergency Plumber") to make their traffic look real.

Why Manual Review Isn't Enough: You can look at your Search Terms report and see "Emergency Plumber"—it looks perfect. But you can't see who typed it.

Was it a homeowner with a leak?

Or a bot farm clicking your ad 50 times?

The Solution: While you audit your Search Terms for relevance (words), ClickSambo audits the traffic for validity (behavior). We block the bad actors, even if they use the "right" words.