Turn a search terms review into keyword decisions

Read the actual query, then the destination

A search-term review should end with a defensible action for the observed intent. The useful options include retaining the current route, sending the intent to a better page, investigating weak evidence or excluding genuinely irrelevant searches. Exclusion is only one of those decisions.

Google distinguishes search terms entered by users from account keywords. Its report omits some low-activity queries for privacy, so the visible rows are not a complete inventory of every search that triggered an ad. [Google Ads: About the search terms report]

Begin with a complete-enough outcome window and the correct conversion meaning. A query with no accepted opportunity in a fresh export may still have pending sales review. A query with several form attempts may have no confirmed inquiry at all. Neither should be reduced to a single convenient conversion column.

A useful query action log

This original example concerns a fictional business selling installation services, not jobs or training. The query text and decisions are illustrative and do not establish search volume.

Include the matched keyword, campaign, ad group, destination, spend, observed outcome and proposed scope in the working record. A single term may be relevant in one service line and irrelevant in another. A shared negative list can apply the wrong business rule broadly.

The word cost is not automatically low quality. A buyer can be evaluating whether a service is affordable. Conversely, a high click-through rate on a jobs query does not turn employment interest into customer demand. Read the query as a task, then check whether the business actually serves it.

When there is relevant intent but a weak destination, distinguish page mismatch from traffic mismatch. A thin contact page may fail a legitimate research-stage request. Create or improve a destination only when it offers a real answer and fits the site strategy, rather than building a duplicate page for every phrase.

Make a small reversible change and verify its scope

1. Save the source export with dates, filters and outcome maturity.
2. Classify each selected query and preserve an ambiguous bucket.
3. Write the proposed destination or exclusion and the level where it applies.
4. Check that an exclusion will not block known useful intent.
5. Apply the approved narrow change with a rollback record.
6. Review a comparable complete period and the actual qualified outcomes.

Negative-keyword behavior differs by match type and campaign context. Verify the current official rule for the intended change; do not copy a positive-keyword assumption or a platform rule from a regional guide. The linked parent reference provides broader regional context, while this procedure uses current Google Search documentation.

I would keep the original query and the reason beside every exclusion. That makes later expansion possible when the business adds a service and prevents an old list from becoming an unexplained barrier to useful traffic. A quieter search-term report is not, by itself, evidence of better acquisition.

• Group query intent before choosing actions
• Review the regional search-campaign reference
• Inspect the destination against its task
• Record qualified outcome metrics

Sources

AI-assisted writing and an AI-generated editorial cover. Source links and checked dates are listed below; illustrative examples are labeled in the text.

• Google Ads: About the search terms report — checked 2026-10-18