Google Ads adds a second Search terms match type field

If you have a Report Editor report that breaks out search terms by match type, check which of two fields it uses. On 4 November 2026 the Google Ads Liaison explained that Google Ads now carries two similarly named fields, mapped to different places in the interface. The newer one returns all match types, AI Max included, but at the moment only if the report also contains the "Search term" column.

This is a reply on X, not a formal announcement or help page. The Liaison (the @adsliaison account) was responding to an inquiry from Mike and reposted the answer publicly.

What changed

The Liaison opens with reassurance: "there shouldn't be any disturbance". The two fields, it says, map to two different places in the UI.

Already in place, according to the post

• "Search terms match type (Keywords)" 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" is the newly added field. It maps to the "Match type" column on the Search terms tab.

The post gives no date for the new field or the rename, and does not say whether either has reached every account.

A current limitation

The Liaison says that right now you need the "Search term" column included in your Report Editor report for "Search terms match type" to return all match types, with AI Max given as an example. Without that column, the post implies the field may not return all of them.

In progress

The Liaison says the team is working on a follow-up fix so the field also returns all match types when used in summary tables without the "Search term" column. No release date is given.

What this means for specialists

The practical point is that the names no longer tell you where a field's data comes from. The Liaison's description ties each field to a specific tab:

• A report using "Search terms match type (Keywords)" corresponds to the segmentation you see on the Keywords tab.
• A report using "Search terms match type" corresponds to the Match type column on the Search terms tab.

If your reporting is meant to mirror the Search terms tab, the new field is the one that matches it. If it is meant to mirror the Keywords tab segmentation, the renamed field is the match. That is an implication of the mapping the Liaison describes, not something the post spells out as guidance.

The Search term column requirement matters most for anyone trying to see AI Max traffic by match type. A Report Editor table built as a compact summary, with match type and metrics but no search term rows, could return fewer match types than the Search terms tab shows. The post does not say what such a table returns instead, so treat any summary-style match type breakdown as unverified until you have compared it with the Search terms tab.

It also means a report that quietly changed after the rename will not necessarily have an obvious cause. The Liaison says the previous field was renamed, so a saved report may now display the "(Keywords)" label where it once showed the plain name. The post does not describe how existing saved reports were handled.

The Liaison's reassurance is qualified. The post says "there shouldn't be any disturbance", yet it also flags "one nuance to be aware of right now" and says the team is working on a follow-up fix. That is the vendor's account, and the sensible test is to compare numbers rather than assume.