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Two match type fields, explained
Report Editor now has two fields with almost the same name. Google's Ads Liaison explained which one is which, and when the new one can leave out AI Max for now.
Jerry Quin1 min read1 source
Illustration: The Keywordless.
The short answer
What changed
Google Ads has two report fields with nearly the same name. Google's Ads Liaison said on X that the older field was renamed "Search terms match type (Keywords)" and that "Search terms match type" is "the newly added field."
Who has it
Anyone who builds match type reports in Report Editor. The post doesn't say when the new field was added.
What I'd do this week
My suggestion, not Google's: check which of the two fields your saved reports use, and keep the Search term column in any report that needs AI Max counted. Details below.
Which field is which
- Search terms match type (Keywords): this is "the previous field," renamed "for a bit more clarity." It maps to the "Search terms match type" segmentation on the Keywords tab.
- Search terms match type: the new one. It maps to the "Match type" column on the Search terms tab.
The Liaison's summary: "there shouldn't be any disturbance," because the two fields map to two different places in the interface.
The catch, for now
There's "one nuance to be aware of right now." The new field only returns "all match types (like AI Max)" when the "Search term" column is also in your Report Editor report. Google's team "is working on a follow-up fix" so it returns all match types in summary tables without that column too. The post gives no date for the fix.
What I'd do this week
Google explained the fields. What to do about them is my call.
Open the saved reports and dashboards you already rely on for match type, and see which of the two names they show now. If a report was meant to mirror the Search terms tab, it probably wants the new field.
If you report on AI Max by match type, keep the Search term column in the report until Google ships the fix. A summary table without it may not show every match type.
If you also filter the Search terms report for AI Max, read our AI Max search terms how-to for a second filter that can undercount.
Jerry Quin
Jerry Quin is the pen name of a paid media practitioner who has managed Google Ads accounts at an agency for 10 years. He writes about Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, ChatGPT Ads, and the rest of paid media and digital marketing, from what's rolling out to what he'd actually do about it.