A Search Intelligence report puts your Google Ads and organic search performance in one view for the first time. It joins a year of Google Ads search terms with your Google Search Console data, shows where the two channels overlap and where they leave gaps, and ends with a plain-English steer on where budget and content should go.
Your paid data already tells you which searches convert. Most SEO plans are built without ever looking at it.
What a Search Intelligence report is
A Search Intelligence report is a one-off analysis of your whole search presence, paid and organic together. Every search from your Google Ads account is matched against your organic search data, then classified: searches both channels win, searches ads cover that organic hasn’t reached, searches organic wins without ads, valuable searches neither channel wins, and paid spend that isn’t converting.
The result is a written steer and a spreadsheet of actions, rather than another dashboard.
Who it’s for
This report suits businesses that:
- spend meaningfully on Google Ads and also invest in SEO or content
- have separate people or suppliers running Ads and SEO
- want evidence before cutting or increasing ad spend
- want to know which searches are proven to convert, so content can target them
What’s in the report
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| The headline | Where your search spend and visibility sit, in a few sentences |
| Coverage | How searches split between paid only, organic only, both and neither |
| Overlap | Searches where ads may be buying clicks organic pages would win |
| Bridging | Searches ranking on page two organically, where ads could fill the gap while content improves |
| Organic gaps | Converting paid searches with no organic presence, and what page could target them |
| Waste | Paid searches spending without results, with negative keyword recommendations |
| Brand | Whether brand ads are protecting customers or duplicating organic clicks |
| Direction needed | The decisions that depend on your business, with the options set out |
How it works
- Exports. A year of Google Ads search terms, and Search Console queries pulled through the API.
- Checks. Confirm both datasets belong to the same business, and that clicks, costs and conversions mapped correctly.
- Join and classify. Every search matched and sorted.
- Verify. Key findings checked against live search results and the account.
- Write the steer. What the data shows, where money and effort should move, and what needs a decision.
What you get
- A steer document in plain English, a few pages long
- An action pack spreadsheet with tabs for each finding: negative keywords, pages to build or improve, searches to bridge, brand tests and decisions needed
- A walkthrough call to go through the findings
Sample steer extract
WHAT THE DATA SHOWS: Most paid spend sits on searches where organic pages rank between positions 7 and 17. Very little goes on searches organic already wins. STEER: Paid is covering ground organic hasn’t reached. Keep that spend, and point content at the converting searches with no organic presence first. Reduce spend on competitor-name searches, which convert poorly. DIRECTION NEEDED: Whether to target the single broadest product search organically, given the results page is dominated by health services and national brands.
The example reflects real findings, with figures removed.
Results
For condoms.uk, the report showed most Google Ads spend already covering searches where organic sat on page two or below, and highlighted thousands of converting paid searches with no organic presence, pointing content at proven demand. For Kwiat, it moved budget away from competitor name searches and brand duplication, towards commercial searches stuck on page two.
Limitations
The match between paid and organic is strong but never complete, because Search Console anonymises some low-volume queries. The report is only as reliable as the conversion tracking in the Google Ads account, so tracking is reviewed first. Where the data can’t answer a question, the recommendation is a test.
What a report won’t solve
The report tells you where to act. Carrying out the changes is covered by paid and organic search planning, Google Ads management and content strategy.
Talk to the person doing the work
There is no account manager here and no team to be handed to. If you get in touch, it is me who reads it, me who looks at your site, and me who does the work if we go ahead.
Get in touch, or start with a free assessment.
Engagement and price
There are no list prices here, and that is deliberate. What a piece of work costs depends on the state of the site, how much of it there is and what you actually need, none of which I know before looking at it.
So it starts with a free analysis. I look at your site, your Search Console and who you are really competing with, then come back with what I would do first and what it would cost to do. No obligation attached, and if the honest answer is that you do not need me yet, I will say so.
How the work gets done
The analysis runs through Search Intelligence, a tool I built, and every finding is reviewed by me. This service is part of reporting and strategy. For background, Google Ads or SEO: which should a small business start with? and should you bid on your own brand name? are good starting points.
FAQ
What is a Search Intelligence report?
A Search Intelligence report joins a year of your Google Ads search terms with your Google Search Console data, then shows where paid and organic overlap, where ads cover searches organic can’t reach yet, and where both miss valuable searches. It ends with a clear steer on budget and content.
How is it different from paid and organic search planning?
The Search Intelligence report is the analysis and the written steer, delivered as a document and spreadsheet. Paid and organic search planning uses that analysis to set an ongoing plan and, where agreed, make the changes in Google Ads and on the site. Many clients start with the report.
Do I need to run Google Ads to get a Search Intelligence report?
Yes, the report depends on Google Ads search term data to compare against organic search. Without an Ads account, keyword research and a Search Console audit give a similar view of organic opportunities, and can show whether Google Ads would be worth testing for particular searches.
See your whole search account in one view
Get in touch about your Ads and SEO, or start with a free assessment.