How to Turn Your Google Ads Search Terms Report into a Negative Keyword List in Minutes

Why Search Terms Reports Are the Most Under-Used Data in Google Ads

In Google Ads paid search campaigns, you do not pay for the keywords you bid on—you pay for the actual search queries users type into Google.

Because broad match and phrase match algorithms have become increasingly flexible, a significant portion of your daily ad budget is inevitably spent on search queries that bear little resemblance to your target customer intent. Yet despite this, search terms reports remain one of the most neglected assets in PPC management. Most account managers check them monthly at best.

In the intervening weeks, wasted ad spend compounds silently:

• Irrelevant Intent Drain: Bidding on general software terms might trigger your ads for "free open source download," "jobs," or "login page."
• Cross-Query Cannibalization: Broad match keywords often trigger queries that belong under dedicated ad groups with tailored ad copy.
• Hidden Budget Leaks: Dozens of low-volume, $5–$15 queries without conversions add up to thousands of dollars in lost profit every quarter.

By automating search query audits with structured AI code execution, you can analyze thousands of search terms in minutes and stop budget leaks before they scale.

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Where to Export Your Search Terms Report (and Required Columns)

Before running the analysis prompt, you need to export your query data directly from the Google Ads UI:

1. Navigate to the Search Terms Tab: Go to Insights & Reports > Search terms (or select Search terms under your active Search or Shopping campaigns).
2. Set an Adequate Date Range: Select a 30-day to 90-day window to ensure enough statistical volume across lower-frequency long-tail queries.
3. Customize Your Columns: Ensure your export table includes:
   • Search term
   • Match type
   • Added/Excluded
   • Impressions & Clicks
   • Cost (Spend)
   • Conversions & Conversion Value (ROAS / CPA)
4. Export as CSV or XLSX: Download the report to your local drive.

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Walkthrough: A $8k/Month Lead-Gen Account Audit

To see the workflow in action, let us walk through an audit of a B2B SaaS lead generation account spending $8,000/month with a target Cost Per Lead (CPL) of $65.

By uploading the exported Search Terms CSV to our Google Ads Search Terms Report Analyzer prompt with parameters set to CAMPAIGN_GOAL: Lead volume at $65 target CPL and MIN_SPEND: $20, Code Interpreter processes the file programmatically and generates actionable insights.

1. Wasted-Spend & Negative Keyword Candidates

The engine aggregates duplicate queries across ad groups and identifies zero-conversion spend sinks:

• Broad Negative Recommendations: free, jobs, salary, template free download (saved $640/mo across 18 search terms).
• Phrase Negative Recommendations: "how to build your own", "open source alternative" (saved $380/mo).
• Exact Negative Recommendations: [competitor name support login] (saved $210/mo in misplaced support clicks).

2. Exact-Match Promotion Candidates

The analysis identifies broad/phrase match queries delivering high conversion rates at a CPL significantly below the $65 threshold:

• "enterprise workflow automation software" (Spent $310, 8 Conversions, CPL $38.75) — Recommendation: Add as a dedicated Exact Match keyword in a Single Theme Ad Group (STAG) with custom landing page extensions.
• "b2b compliance automation tool pricing" (Spent $240, 5 Conversions, CPL $48.00) — Recommendation: Promote to Exact Match and increase bid priority.

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Unifying Your Cross-Channel Paid Media Workflow

If you run paid acquisition across multiple advertising channels, search terms analysis is only one piece of the puzzle. By pairing Google Ads search query intelligence with social ad creative analysis, you establish a unified data-driven optimization workflow across your entire growth stack:

• Google Search: Eliminate wasted intent spend and capture bottom-of-funnel conversion demand using the Google Ads Search Terms Report Analyzer.
• Meta (Facebook & Instagram): Evaluate creative fatigue, ROAS, and video completion rates using the Facebook Ad Performance Data Analyzer.
• TikTok Ads: Audit short-form video hooks and cost-per-acquisition performance with the companion TikTok Account Performance Data Analyzer.

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Start Cleaning Your Search Queries Today

Stop letting irrelevant search queries eat into your profit margins. Upload your latest export to the Google Ads Search Terms Report Analyzer today to download a clean action CSV and implement your "Do This Today" negative keyword list.