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What Does {search_term_string} Mean in Google Analytics?

Seeing {search_term_string} in your analytics? Learn where it comes from, whether it represents a real search, and what it means for SEO.

If you have found {search_term_string} in Google Analytics or in a URL such as: 

https://www.example.com/search?q={search_term_string}

you may assume it is something a visitor searched for. Usually, it is not.

{search_term_string} is a placeholder that was once used by Google’s sitelinks search box. It was intended to be replaced with the words entered by a user. If the placeholder itself appears in your analytics, something probably followed the URL without replacing it with a genuine search query.

What was {search_term_string} used for?

Website owners could add WebSite structured data containing a SearchAction. This showed Google how the website’s internal search function worked.

For example, a site might provide a URL template like this:

https://www.example.com/search?q={search_term_string}

The part inside the brackets was a variable. If someone searched for “conversion tracking,” the completed URL could become: 

https://www.example.com/search?q=conversion+tracking

Google could then direct the user to the corresponding internal search results page.

This was not a method for Googlebot to learn your “query methodology,” nor did it directly improve rankings. It was simply a technical instruction explaining how to pass a search query to your website.

Does Google still use the sitelinks search box?

No. Google removed the sitelinks search box from search results worldwide on 21 November 2024 because usage had declined.

Google confirmed that this change does not affect rankings or ordinary sitelinks. Existing sitelinks-search-box structured data can be removed, although leaving it in place will not cause a Search Console error. WebSite structured data may still be useful for other supported features, including site-name information. Google Search Central explains the change here.

Therefore, adding {search_term_string} today will not make an internal search box appear beneath your organic Google listing.

Why does the placeholder appear in analytics?

When analytics records the literal value {search_term_string}, the variable was not replaced with a real query. Possible causes include:

It should not normally be interpreted as a genuine customer search.

Check the page source and search your website configuration for both {search_term_string} and its encoded version, %7Bsearch_term_string%7D. You can remove an obsolete SearchAction, but take care not to remove other useful WebSite structured data.

Is it related to paid Google Ads traffic?

Not directly.

Google Ads uses its own ValueTrack parameters, such as {keyword}, {matchtype}, {device} and {campaignid}. Google replaces supported parameters after an ad click. {search_term_string} is not a standard Google Ads ValueTrack parameter. Google’s ValueTrack documentation lists the supported parameters.

Also remember that {keyword} usually represents the advertising keyword that matched the user—not necessarily the exact phrase the person typed into Google.

For copy-ready Google Ads templates on this site, see Google Ads parameters, Search UTMs → Google Ads and ValueTrack+ → Google Ads.

How to track real internal searches in GA4

GA4 can record genuine searches performed through your website’s own search box. With Enhanced Measurement configured correctly, it records a view_search_results event and stores the entered query in the search_term parameter.

GA4 commonly recognises parameters such as:

?q=delivery
?s=delivery
?search=delivery
?query=delivery
?keyword=delivery

You can use this information to discover:

Google recommends analysing the view_search_results event and its search_term value when evaluating internal search behaviour. Google’s GA4 site-search guidance provides an example.

Can internal search data improve organic SEO?

Yes—but indirectly.

Internal search data can reveal genuine audience demand. If many visitors repeatedly search for the same subject, consider creating a useful, permanent page for it. That page can then be properly written, internally linked and made available to search engines.

Do not automatically allow every internal search-results URL to be indexed. This can create thousands of thin, duplicated or low-value pages. Instead:

  1. Identify recurring and commercially useful searches.
  2. Create a dedicated category, service page or article for the strongest topics.
  3. Write a clear title and description that match the search intent.
  4. Add the page to the normal navigation or link to it from relevant content.
  5. Keep arbitrary internal search-result pages out of the index where appropriate.
  6. Review searches returning no results and improve your navigation or content.

The short answer

{search_term_string} is an unreplaced technical placeholder, not usually a real search term. It belonged to Google’s former sitelinks search box and was designed to pass a query to a website’s internal search page.

It does not teach Google how to rank your website, it is not a standard paid-search parameter, and the sitelinks search box itself has now been retired. If the literal placeholder appears in your analytics, check for outdated structured data, incorrect links or crawler traffic.

Your real SEO opportunity lies in analysing authentic internal searches and turning repeated visitor needs into helpful, indexable content.

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