> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/features/search-term-analysis.md). # Search Term Analysis Search Term Analysis is SMAQ's deepest paid-search feature. It reads every search term that triggered your Google Ads keywords over a window, classifies them, and surfaces: * **Wasted spend** — search terms with significant spend and no conversions, especially off-brand. * **Underutilized winners** — search terms with strong conversion rates but capped by low impression share. * **Drift** — search terms broadening your keyword's intent over time. * **Brand vs off-brand split** — based on your on-brand / off-brand keyword list. Available as: * The [Search Term Analysis automation](/documentation/features/automations/reference.md#search-term-analysis) — runs on a schedule. * The `/search-terms/` page in any project — interactive view. > **\[Screenshot needed]** Search Term Analysis page showing a table of search terms with spend, conversions, conversion rate, and a "Wasted" / "Underutilized" / "Healthy" classification column. ### Setup #### Configure on-brand / off-brand keywords SMAQ needs to know which terms are "brand" (people searching for you by name) and which are "off-brand" (generic intent). 1. In project settings, find the **Search Term Analysis** section (or trigger the configuration prompt on first run). 2. **On-brand keywords**: list your brand variations — company name, common misspellings, signature products. 3. **Off-brand keywords**: leave blank for "everything not on-brand," or specify particular off-brand themes you want monitored. #### Run the analysis * **On the Search Terms page**: click **Analyze** to run on-demand. SMAQ pulls the last 30 days by default — adjust if needed. * **As an automation**: see [Search Term Analysis automation](/documentation/features/automations/reference.md#search-term-analysis) — runs on a schedule and emails findings. ### Reading the output Output groups search terms into buckets: * **Wasted (off-brand, no conversions)** — kill candidates. Add as negative keywords. * **Wasted (on-brand, no conversions)** — weird. Often signals tracking issues or duplicate ad showing. * **Strong but underutilized** — search terms with conversion rate well above account average but limited by low impression share. Push more aggressively. * **Healthy** — performing in line with account averages. No action. * **Drift** — search terms now matching your keyword that didn't 30 days ago. Worth reviewing for intent shift. > **\[Screenshot needed]** Search term table with the four classifications color-coded and one "Wasted off-brand" row expanded showing AI rationale. ### AI rationale Click any search term to see the AI's classification rationale: spend, conversion rate, impression share, brand match score, and the reasoning chain. ### Actions For each search term, you can: * **Add as negative keyword** — generates the negative keyword text formatted for Google Ads. (SMAQ doesn't push to Google Ads on your behalf — copy and paste into your Google Ads account.) * **Mark as reviewed** — clears it from future runs even if it would otherwise be flagged again. * **Add to project knowledge base** — useful for terms you want to remember context on. ### Configuration fields (automation form) When setting up the automation specifically: * **Additional instructions** — free text to bias the AI (e.g. "Focus on terms below $100 spend"). * **On-brand keywords** — same as project setup but per-automation if you want to scope differently. * **Off-brand keywords** — same. * **Lookback days** — default 30. * **Min spend** — minimum spend per term to consider (default $10 — filters out long-tail noise). * **Min clicks** — minimum clicks (default 5). * **Max search terms** — cap the output (default 100; raise for deep audits). ### Tips * **Run weekly, not daily.** Search term data is noisy at the daily level. * **Update on-brand keywords periodically.** New product launches, new sub-brands. * **Trust the off-brand wasted bucket the most.** It's the highest-confidence cleanup. ### Tier availability * **Starter** — Search Term Lite (capped weekly, narrow scope). * **Growth / Scale / Agency** — full Search Term Analysis. ### Related * [Google Ads connection](/documentation/connections/google-ads.md). * [Keyword Exploration](/documentation/features/automations/reference.md#keyword-exploration) — finds new opportunities; companion to Search Term Analysis which cleans up existing. * [Quality Score Monitor](/documentation/features/automations/reference.md#quality-score-monitor). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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