Search Term Report

What is the Search Term Report?

The Search Term Report (STR) shows the actual user search queries that triggered taps on your Apple Search Ads. It is fundamentally different from the Keywords Report:

• Keywords Report — performance per keyword you declared
• Search Term Report — performance per actual user query (which may match your keyword exactly, be a Broad-match variant, or be discovered by Search Match)

The Search Term Report is the only way to see what queries Search Match decided to match your ad against. Without it, you operate blind on a large portion of your spend.

Where to find it

Apple Search Ads dashboard:

• Search Term Report is its own report section
• Per-campaign or account-wide views available
• Date ranges configurable (default 30 days; longer is better for low-volume accounts)
• Source column indicates whether the term came from Exact, Broad, or Search Match

API access:

• searchTermsReport endpoint in Apple Search Ads API
• Returns same data as the dashboard with programmatic filtering

What the report shows per row

Each row = one unique search term that triggered ≥1 tap:

Column	Meaning
Search Term	The actual query the user typed
Source	Where it came from (Exact / Broad / Search Match)
Matched Keyword	The keyword in your account that matched (Search Match shows null)
Impressions	How many times users saw your ad on this term
Taps	How many times users tapped
TTR	Taps / Impressions
Installs (new + reattributed)	Conversions
Conversion Rate	Installs / Taps
Spend	Cost generated by this term
Avg CPT	Average paid CPT for taps on this term

How operators actually use the Search Term Report

Use case 1: Find negative keyword candidates

Filter the last 30 days for taps ≥ 20 AND installs = 0. Each row is a waste candidate. Add the most egregious as negative keywords in the relevant ad group.

This is the highest-ROI weekly activity in any ASA account.

Use case 2: Find Discovery promotion winners

Filter source = “Search Match” or “Broad” for the last 30 days. Sort by installs descending. Terms with ≥100 taps and ≥40% conversion rate are promotion candidates:

1. Add the term as Exact match in a new dedicated ad group
2. Set a higher bid (you know it converts)
3. Assign a CPP themed to the intent
4. Add the term as Negative in the original Discovery ad group to prevent double-billing

Use case 3: Spot Search Match drift

Compare Search Match share of total spend week-over-week. If Search Match share rose from 15% to 30% with falling CR, Apple’s algorithm expanded into low-quality terms. Add a batch of negatives to bring share back down.

Use case 4: Diagnose CPI anomalies

When CPI spikes, the Search Term Report tells you whether the cause is a new low-CR term suddenly appearing in your matched set (algorithm shift) or higher CPT on existing terms (auction pressure).

Common review patterns

The weekly STR review checklist:

1. Pull STR for the prior 7 days, ad group with biggest spend.
2. Filter taps ≥ 20 AND installs = 0. Add negatives for clear waste.
3. Filter taps ≥ 100 AND CR ≥ 40%, source = Broad/Search Match. Flag for promotion.
4. Filter Search Match share of spend. If >40%, review the Search Match terms specifically.
5. Document the round’s negatives added and promotions queued.

Common failure modes

• Never reviewing the STR. The single biggest cause of unchecked waste.
• Reviewing only the Keywords Report. Keywords Report hides what Search Match did.
• Adding negatives without checking the broader context. A term with 20 taps and 0 installs in the last 7 days might be normal noise. Use 30-day windows for negative decisions.
• Promoting too early. A term with 30 taps and 50% CR looks great but is statistically thin. Wait for 100+ taps.

How ASAPilot helps

ASAPilot reads the Search Term Report via the API and surfaces:

• Top 50 negative keyword candidates ranked by waste spend
• Top 20 promotion candidates ranked by predicted impact
• Search Match share trend per ad group
• Account-wide waste estimate (taps × avg CPT for zero-conversion terms)

The weekly STR review goes from a 45-minute manual task to a 5-minute review of a prioritized list. See audit guide and pricing.

Related terms

• Search Match — the feature that generates many STR rows
• Negative Keyword — what you add based on STR findings
• Discovery Campaign — the campaign type STR reviews focus on