Required columns: Search term, Impr., Interactions, Cost, Conversions.
Search term reports are one of the most valuable datasets in paid search – but they’re also messy, fragmented, and hard to scale.
That’s where n-gram analysis comes in.
In simple terms, an n-gram is just a group of words pulled from a search query.
Instead of analyzing entire search queries individually, n-gram analysis breaks them into patterns so you can see what themes are driving performance.
Google Ads gives you performance at the keyword level… but users search in phrases.
N-gram analysis helps you answer questions like:
An N-Gram output would look like this:
| N-Gram | Cost | Conversions | Insight |
|---|---|---|---|
| cheap | $90 | 5 | Strong Intent |
| vegas | $125 | 7 | Core Geo |
| affordable | $35 | 2 | Secondary Variant |
N-gram analysis helps you break down search query data into repeatable patterns, making it easier to spot intent signals, wasted spend, new keyword opportunities, and messaging angles that actually convert.
Certain words consistently signal buying intent, such as:
If your n-gram report shows insights like:
“apply” → high conversion rate
“free” → high cost, low conversion
You can quickly see what to scale, pause, or remove.
This is one of the highest ROI use cases. Instead of manually spotting bad traffic one query at a time, n-grams surface waste faster.
“jobs” → $1,200 spend, 0 conversions
“definition” → $300 spend, 0 conversions
You can then:
Sometimes your best keywords are already hiding inside your search term data.
“low down payment mortgage” → strong performance
“no down home loan” → strong performance
N-gram insight:
You can then:
If certain phrases consistently appear in converting queries, use them directly in your ads.
“bad credit loans” converts well
Your ad headline should say:
N-grams give you the voice of customer at scale.
You can start grouping traffic by intent:
Then you can:
Single words can be misleading. For example, “credit” is broad, but “bad credit” is far more actionable. Bigram analysis is often the sweet spot.
N-grams can help you decide what should become exact match, what should be added as a negative, and what can stay broad or phrase match.
With Google pushing:
You’re getting:
N-gram analysis is one of the simplest ways to take control back.