Running Google Ads is often an essential part of a business’s marketing strategy and one of the reasons it’s so powerful is the level of data it provides. Advertisers could previously get very specific search term reports, identifying the exact keywords that triggered their ads. But in 2023, Google changed the game by classifying low-volume search terms as “private.” This change has raised a lot of questions about how advertisers should adjust their strategies.
In this blog, we’ll explore exactly what this change means, why it happened and how you can adapt your Google Ads campaigns to continue driving success.
Before we dive deeper, let’s clarify what we mean by low-volume search terms and why Google is now labeling them “private.”
Low-volume search terms refer to highly specific or niche keywords that don’t get a lot of search traffic. Think about someone searching for “eco-friendly water bottles for hiking” instead of the more common search for “water bottles.” These long-tail keywords are usually highly relevant to the specific audience you're trying to reach.
Previously, Google Ads would show you the exact search queries that triggered your ads. This allowed advertisers to gain valuable insights into their campaign performance. However, Google has now started grouping these low-volume queries into broad categories or “aggregated buckets” and has made this data “private.”
In simple terms, Google is masking the exact low-volume search terms, replacing them with more general terms like “eco-friendly products” or “water bottles.”
The privacy-first approach Google adopted isn’t a random shift. This decision is largely driven by two key factors:
Google Ads works by gathering large amounts of data, including the exact terms people search for. With increasing concerns over data privacy and regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Google is taking steps to protect individual search queries. By hiding low-volume terms, they reduce the risk of inadvertently revealing too much personal information.
Google is also aligning with stricter privacy laws around the world. Protecting search data in this manner ensures Google stays compliant with evolving legislation, safeguarding both user and advertiser interests.
In theory, this should give users more control over their data, but for advertisers, this means losing access to detailed insights into their low-volume queries.
While Google’s decision is grounded in privacy, it also has important implications for your Google Ads campaigns. Let’s look at how this change might impact your performance and campaign optimization efforts:
The biggest change here is the loss of granular data. Knowing the exact search queries that triggered your ad was incredibly valuable. It helped advertisers refine keyword targeting, make informed bid adjustments and even create negative keyword lists to filter out irrelevant traffic.
Now, with low-volume queries being hidden, you can no longer see the specific terms that worked well for you. Instead, Google aggregates them into broader categories.
For example, you might have been running ads for “vegan protein powder for muscle gain” and now you’ll just see a report showing that your ads were triggered by the broader keyword “protein powder.” This makes it harder to know which specific search terms are driving results.
Without granular search term data, campaign optimization becomes trickier. To succeed with Google Ads, you often need to:
Track high-converting keywords to adjust bids and allocate budget.
Use negative keywords to avoid irrelevant searches.
Identify long-tail keywords that convert well at a lower cost-per-click (CPC).
These actions are difficult when you no longer have access to specific low-volume search terms. While you can still analyze aggregate performance, the level of detail you previously had is gone.
One of the core strengths of granular data was its ability to help advertisers allocate budgets effectively. By identifying which search terms were bringing in the best conversions, advertisers could move their budget toward those terms.
For example, if a very specific keyword like “vegan protein powder for athletes” was delivering results, you could bid higher on that term. But now, without knowing the exact term, you may miss out on opportunities to optimize your spend.
Marketers who focused on long-tail, low-volume keywords will feel the impact most. Long-tail keywords usually have lower search volumes but offer highly relevant and qualified traffic. With the new structure, Google may prioritize broader keyword sets, which can increase costs and reduce ad targeting precision.
However, keyword strategy adjustments can still help you succeed:
Focus on broad match keywords for greater reach, but be cautious about irrelevant clicks.
Optimize bidding based on the aggregate performance of your campaigns rather than individual keywords.
The good news is that, even though Google has taken away some of the detailed data, there are still ways to optimize your campaigns effectively. Here are practical tips to adapt:
Since Google is now grouping low-volume search terms, it’s important to rely on broad match and phrase match keywords. These match types allow your ads to trigger for a wider variety of search queries. This way, you won’t lose out on opportunities for relevant traffic, even though you won’t see the exact search terms.
However, be mindful that broad match keywords may lead to irrelevant clicks, so keeping an updated negative keyword list is crucial to avoid wasted spend.
With the loss of granular search term data, it’s more important than ever to optimize your negative keyword strategy. Negative keywords help filter out irrelevant searches and prevent your ads from showing to users who are unlikely to convert. Review your search term data frequently and continue to add new negative keywords based on overall performance.
Though Google Ads may hide detailed low-volume query data, Google Analytics and third-party tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs and Moz can still provide valuable insights into your performance.
Google Analytics can show you what users do once they arrive on your site, helping you analyze the effectiveness of different keywords indirectly.
Third-party tools allow you to track keyword performance across different platforms and competitive insights that Google Ads no longer reveals.
Google’s smart bidding strategies such as Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) and Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) use machine learning to automatically adjust bids based on user behavior. This can be a great way to ensure that your bids are optimized for conversions even without seeing exact search terms.
Smart bidding allows you to automate much of the manual bidding process, reducing your reliance on granular keyword data. You can still drive good results by focusing on broader metrics, like conversions, rather than obsessing over individual search terms.
Even if the search terms data is less detailed, A/B testing remains a powerful tool. By testing different ad copies, landing pages and calls-to-action, you can learn what resonates best with your audience. Over time, this helps you optimize your campaigns even without specific search term data.
Ultimately, the success of your Google Ads campaigns isn’t just about the search term data. You can still focus on important performance metrics like CTR (Click-Through Rate), Conversion Rate, CPA and ROAS to assess how your ads are performing. By monitoring these numbers, you can make more informed decisions about which campaigns are worth scaling up.
Google’s move to hide low-volume search terms may seem like a setback, but it doesn’t mean you have to lose control over your campaigns. By adapting your keyword strategies, refining negative keyword lists and leveraging Google’s automated tools, you can continue to drive conversions and optimize your Google Ads campaigns successfully.
Remember, the key to success in digital marketing & advertising is adaptability. Whether you’re working with granular search term data or aggregated reports, staying flexible and testing new strategies will always lead to better results.
