Google’s Concealment of Search Data from Advertisers: A Profitable Undertaking
Did you know that a significant portion of search term data in Google Ads is hidden from advertisers? This means that advertisers are missing out on valuable information that could improve their ad performance. In this article, we will explore why Google might be hiding this data and what advertisers can do to recover more search data.
Search terms are the actual searches that users type into the Google search bar. Advertisers can select keywords for which their ads should appear via Google Ads. These keywords are advertiser-selected terms that help determine which search terms will be targeted. Google offers different match types for keywords, including broad, phrase, and exact match. Broad match is the loosest match type, while exact match is the most specific.
Once an advertiser has defined the keyword they wish to target, they can see which search terms they appeared for through the search terms report. However, the problem is that a significant amount of search term data is being hidden.
To understand the extent of this hidden data, a thorough analysis was conducted on various Google Ads accounts at the keyword level. By examining spends and clicks for individual keywords versus search terms, it was possible to compile data for comparison. The findings were eye-opening.
The analysis revealed that there is a wide range of hidden spend on different keywords. Some keywords had a high percentage of hidden search term spend, as high as 85%. For example, one advertiser was charged $2,086 for a keyword but was only presented with $304 worth of search term data. On average, 40% of all search term data is hidden from advertisers.
Interestingly, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between the amount spent and the amount hidden. Some keywords with high spends had a high percentage of hidden data, while others had low percentages. This indicates that Google’s hiding of search term data is not based on the amount spent by advertisers.
The analysis also revealed a key difference in hidden search term data for phrase and exact match keywords. Exact match keywords, which should exactly match the search term, had lower hidden data compared to phrase match keywords. This is likely because phrase match keywords allow for many different types of search terms, whereas exact match keywords do not. It can be argued that all hidden clicks are close variations that Google is not showing, making up at least 13% of all search terms on exact match keywords.
So why is Google hiding search term data? Google claims that they only include search term data that has been used by a significant number of people and has triggered impressions and clicks. However, it is clear that they are excluding a significant amount of search term data. The argument that this is a form of privacy does not hold, as all search data is anonymous to advertisers and not connected to user accounts.
It is likely that Google’s decision to hide search term data is a short-term revenue-increasing strategy. By limiting the data advertisers can see, Google limits their ability to optimize their advertising spend. Advertisers are left buying low-quality inventory without the ability to review it.
What can advertisers do in response to this concealment of search term data? One option is to switch to exact match keywords. This significantly reduces the hidden search terms to under 20%, providing more visibility and control over the ad performance. It is also recommended to run a similar analysis to uncover hidden search term data and monitor spend on it. Pausing keywords with high hidden search terms and running experiments using only exact match keywords can also yield positive results.
In conclusion, Google’s concealment of search term data from advertisers is a profitable undertaking for the tech giant. By hiding a significant portion of search term data, Google limits advertisers’ ability to optimize their ad performance and increases its own revenue. Advertisers can take steps to recover more search data and improve their ad performance by switching to exact match keywords and closely monitoring hidden search term data.
