One of my favorite reports in Google AdWords is the paid & organic report. It’s one of the only places where you can see how paid and organic work together. We often use this report to see how performance varies when we show only an ad or organic listing vs when both are combined. You can also use this report to find new keywords to add into your account that you might have previously missed.

Creating a Search Console Account

To use the paid & organic report, you’ll need to have a Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) account for your website. Search Console is a free tool that helps monitor your sites presence in Google Search results.

You’ll want to sign into Search Console with your Google account. I recommend using the same account you use for AdWords. Next, you’ll need to add your website and verify that you are the owner of the site. You can verify site ownership in four ways:

1. Upload a file to your server
2. Add a meta tag to your website’s HTML
3. Add a new DNS record
4. Use your Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager account

It might take a few days for data to start populating in Search Console, so be sure to check back in on the account once you’ve set it up.

Linking Google AdWords & Search Console

Now that you have a Search Console account, you’ll need to link it to your AdWords account. In the Linked accounts section in AdWords, you’ll see the option for Search Console.

Next, you’ll select the URL of the Search Console account from the dropdown. If the email you’re using in AdWords isn’t listed as a user on the Search Console account, you’ll need to request access.

Once the request has been approved, the paid & organic report will start populating.

Accessing the Paid & Organic Report

You can access the paid & organic report in a couple places within your account. The first is in the Dimensions tab. Navigate to Dimensions and then select ‘Paid & organic’ from the drop down menu.

I prefer to access the report from the Reports tab in the top navigation. I like the ability to customize the report, however, I want it to look and there are additional filter options that aren’t available in the Dimensions tab version of the report.

The paid & organic report is listed under the Pre-defined reports in the Basic category.

Performing Keyword Research

Under the Search Result Type column, you’ll see three options: Ad shown only, Organic shown only, and Both shown. Using this filter, you will be able to identify keywords that you are missing out on in one channel or the other. To find new keywords for your AdWords account, select only Organic shown only.

When you apply this filter, you’ll be left with a list queries your website is serving for organically that have been overlooked in your paid search effort. If you have a long list of queries, I’d recommend sorting by the Organic Queries column and focus first on the organic terms you are showing for the most often.

Make sure you are using the columns that start with the word “Organic.” The regular clicks, impressions, etc columns will show “0” because those only track the performance for your ads. You can work with the report in the interface, but I always find it easier to export it into excel to mine through the queries.

So this is one more way you can find additional keywords to add into your Google AdWords account. If you’re looking for additional keyword research tips, we have more tips and tricks for you!

How often do you use the paid & organic report for your accounts? Let us know in the comments below!