Google Ads report columns explained

What the Google Ads report contains

The keyword report is the table you see in Google Ads under "Audiences, keywords and content" and download as a CSV or spreadsheet. Every row stands for one keyword in an ad group, every column for a property or a metric of that keyword. Once you know the headers, you read the export in minutes instead of skimming it.

The standard columns and what they mean

• Keyword status: Shows whether the keyword can trigger ads: enabled, paused or removed. Details under keyword status.
• Match type: Whether the keyword runs as broad, phrase or exact match. Details under keyword match types.
• Status reasons: The note explaining why delivery is limited, for example "low search volume", "not eligible" or a paused parent level.
• Impressions: How often an ad was served for this keyword. More under impressions.
• Interactions: The main action of the respective ad format. For search ads these are clicks, for video ads views. That is why the column is not simply called "clicks".
• CTR: Clicks divided by impressions, in other words the click-through rate.
• Currency code: The currency of the account, for example EUR. The column exists so cost values stay unambiguous when you merge reports from several accounts.
• Avg. cost: Cost divided by interactions, meaning the average price of one interaction. For search ads this equals the average cost per click.
• Interaction rate: Interactions divided by impressions. In pure search campaigns it matches the CTR, in mixed formats it does not.
• Cost: The amount the keyword spent in the selected period.
• Conversions: The completions counted according to your settings in conversion tracking, including counting method and attribution window.
• Cost/conv.: Cost divided by conversions, the price per completion.
• Conv. rate: Conversions divided by interactions.
• Max. CPC: Your maximum bid at keyword level. With automated bidding the strategy overrides this value, yet the column still shows a number.
• Final URL: The destination page if you set it at keyword level. An empty field means the ad URL applies.

How to read the columns together

Single columns say little, combinations say a lot. Many impressions with very few interactions point to an ad that does not match the query. High cost without conversions is a case for the search terms report, because that is where you see the actual queries the keyword matched. A low conversion rate with clean search terms moves the work to the landing page. And if cost per conversion jumps for no visible reason, first check whether the counting method or the attribution window changed.

Pro tip: Arrange the columns once properly and save the set via "modify columns". Always include impressions, interactions, cost and conversions together, because rates on their own hide how little data they rest on. Adding a comparison period helps too, otherwise every number lacks a yardstick.

Further resources

• Analyzing Google Ads reports
• Keyword research for Google Ads
• Understanding keyword status
• Working with the search terms report