How to Find Search Terms in Google Analytics: 4 Methods and Step-by-Step Guide

Finding search terms in Google Analytics requires 4 methods depending on the search type: Google Search Console integration for organic search queries, Google Ads linking for paid search terms, the view_search_results event for internal site search terms, and the Explorations report for custom search term analysis. Each method retrieves a different category of search data unavailable through the other methods.

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Google Help explains the official process in Set up conversion tracking for your website.

Where Are Search Terms in Google Analytics 4?

Search terms in Google Analytics 4 are not stored in a single report. Organic search terms from Google Search require access through the Google Search Console integration. Paid search terms from Google Ads require a linked Google Ads account. Internal site search terms are captured through the view_search_results event under Reports > Engagement > Events.

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Google removed organic keyword data from Google Analytics in 2013 when it encrypted search queries for logged-in Google users. This change created the "(not provided)" classification that now represents over 98% of organic keyword data in Google Analytics according to a 2022 SparkToro analysis of 384,970 web sessions.

What Is the Difference Between Organic Search Terms and Paid Search Terms in GA4?

Organic search terms in GA4 are the queries users typed into Google before clicking an unpaid search result. These are available only through the Google Search Console integration and appear as the "Query" dimension. Paid search terms in GA4 are the keywords that triggered a Google Ads ad and resulted in a paid click. These appear as the "Session Google Ads keyword" dimension after linking a Google Ads account to the GA4 property.

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How Do You Find Organic Search Terms in Google Analytics 4?

Finding organic search terms in Google Analytics 4 requires linking the GA4 property to Google Search Console through 5 steps:

1. Open Google Analytics 4 and navigate to Admin using the gear icon in the lower left panel.
2. Under the Property column, click "Search Console Links."
3. Click "Link" and select the Google Search Console property associated with the website.
4. Choose the GA4 data stream to connect the Search Console property to and confirm the link.
5. Navigate to Reports > Search Console > Queries after the link activates. The Queries report displays organic search terms with 4 metrics: Clicks, Impressions, Click-Through Rate, and Average Position.

The Search Console link takes 24 to 48 hours to activate after confirmation. Historical Search Console data populates up to 16 months back from the date the link is established.

How Do You Access the Search Console Queries Report in GA4?

Accessing the Search Console Queries report in GA4 requires 3 steps. First, confirm the Search Console link is active under Admin > Search Console Links. Second, navigate to Reports in the left navigation panel. Third, open the Search Console collection and select "Queries." The Queries report lists each organic search term alongside its click, impression, CTR, and average position data for the selected date range.

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How Do You Find Paid Search Terms in Google Analytics 4?

Finding paid search terms in Google Analytics 4 requires linking the GA4 property to a Google Ads account through 5 steps:

1. Open GA4 and navigate to Admin > Google Ads Links under the Property column.
2. Click "Link" and select the Google Ads account associated with the website's PPC campaigns.
3. Enable personalized advertising and auto-tagging confirmation, then save the link.
4. Navigate to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition after the link activates.
5. Apply a secondary dimension of "Session Google Ads keyword" to the Traffic Acquisition report to view the paid search terms driving sessions alongside conversion and revenue metrics.

Paid search term data appears in GA4 within 24 hours of linking. The "Session Google Ads keyword" dimension displays the exact match keyword that triggered each ad click, enabling keyword-level performance analysis directly within GA4.

What Google Ads Dimensions Are Available in GA4 After Linking?

The 6 Google Ads dimensions available in GA4 after linking a Google Ads account are:

• Session Google Ads keyword: The keyword that triggered the ad click
• Session Google Ads ad group name: The ad group containing the triggered keyword
• Session Google Ads campaign: The campaign name associated with the click
• Session Google Ads account name: The Google Ads account name
• Session Google Ads query: The actual search query that matched the keyword
• Session Google Ads ad network type: The network type, including Search, Display, and Shopping

The "Session Google Ads query" dimension shows the actual user search query rather than the matched keyword. This distinction matters for broad match and phrase match campaigns where 1 keyword matches hundreds of different user queries.

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How Do You Find Internal Site Search Terms in Google Analytics 4?

Finding internal site search terms in Google Analytics 4 requires the view_search_results event to be configured in the GA4 data stream. The search terms appear in 3 locations after the event is active:

1. Reports > Engagement > Events: Lists view_search_results as an event. Click the event name to view the top search_term parameter values for the selected date range.
2. Reports > Engagement > Pages and Screens: Filters page path data by the view_search_results event to identify which search results pages generated the most sessions.
3. Explore > Free Form Report: Creates a custom breakdown of search terms using the "Search term" dimension and metrics including Event count, Sessions, and Users.

Accessing the "Search term" dimension in Explore requires no custom dimension registration for GA4 properties that began collecting view_search_results data after March 2023.

How Do You Enable Site Search Tracking in GA4?

Enabling site search tracking in GA4 requires 4 steps:

1. Open GA4 and navigate to Admin > Data Streams. Select the web data stream.
2. Click the pencil icon next to Enhanced Measurement to open the settings panel.
3. Enable the Site Search toggle and click the settings gear icon next to it.
4. Enter the site's URL query parameter key in the "Query parameters" field. Common values include q, s, search, query, and keyword. Separate multiple keys with commas.

GA4 begins collecting view_search_results events on the next user session after saving the configuration. The search_term parameter value populates within the Queries report within 24 to 48 hours of the first events firing.

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How Do You Build a Search Terms Report in GA4 Explorations?

Building a search terms report in GA4 Explorations requires 7 steps:

1. Open GA4 and click Explore in the left navigation panel.
2. Click Blank to create a new exploration from scratch.
3. Under Variables, click the plus icon next to Dimensions. Add "Search term," "Session default channel group," and "Landing page."
4. Under Variables, click the plus icon next to Metrics. Add "Sessions," "Engaged sessions," "Conversions," and "Session conversion rate."
5. Drag "Search term" into the Rows field under Tab Settings.
6. Drag all 4 metrics into the Values field.
7. Add a filter under Filters where "Event name exactly matches view_search_results" to isolate internal site search terms only.

This report surfaces the top site search queries ranked by session volume alongside conversion rates, identifying high-intent search terms that existing site content is not satisfying.

Why Do Search Terms Show as (not provided) in Google Analytics?

Search terms show as (not provided) in Google Analytics because Google encrypts organic keyword data for users conducting searches while logged into a Google account. This encryption applies to all Google Analytics properties regardless of version. The (not provided) classification has represented over 98% of organic keyword referrals since 2013 according to SparkToro research. Google Search Console remains the only Google-provided tool that surfaces organic keyword data, making the GA4 and Search Console integration the sole method for recovering this data within the Analytics interface.

Waleed Qamar

Waleed Qamar holds a BSc in Computer Science from Purdue University and has spent the years since turning that technical foundation into something the curriculum never covered: figuring out why websites rank, why they fall, and why most businesses never find out until it is too late.

Pakistan-born and based between the United States and South Asia, he has managed search visibility for e-commerce stores, local service businesses, and SaaS startups across two continents. He started in SEO when guest posting still worked, survived the Penguin update, and has rebuilt client sites from scratch after algorithm hits more than once.

He has watched good businesses get sold packages that looked like progress and delivered nothing lasting. He has also seen the right approach quietly double a site’s traffic without a single press release about it.

His writing on SEO By Highsoftware99 covers Google algorithm updates, autocomplete optimization, semantic SEO structure, and the widening gap between what agencies promise and what Google actually rewards in 2026.

He knows what a traffic cliff looks like in Search Console on the morning you discover it.