How to Find Negative Keywords From Your Search Terms Report

The short answer

To find negative keywords, export your Google Ads search terms report with Cost, Clicks and Conversions, then look for terms that have spent at least one target CPA without converting and that clearly do not match what you sell. Add those as phrase or exact negatives, at the campaign level or in a shared list. The PPC Audit Tool does the first filter for you: drop the CSV in, and it lists the non-converting terms that have spent at least one CPA, sorted by cost. You still make the final call on intent, because cheap irrelevant terms and assisting terms need a human eye.

Step 1: Export the search terms report

In Google Ads, go to Campaigns, open Insights and reports, then click Search terms. Choose a date range long enough to have real data: 30 days for a busy account, 60 to 90 days for a small one.

Make sure these columns are included before you download:

• Search term
• Cost
• Clicks
• Conversions
• Campaign and Ad group (helpful for deciding where to add the negative)

Download it as a CSV. The PPC Audit Tool also recognises the column headings "Search query" and "Customer search term" if your export uses those instead of "Search term".

Step 2: Find the expensive non-converters

A term that has cost less than one conversion is worth is not yet proven bad; it might simply not have had enough clicks. A term that has spent one full CPA or more with zero conversions is a strong candidate.

To run this filter with the tool:

Open the PPC Audit Tool and drop the search terms CSV onto the upload box.

Enter your Target CPA for the platform if you have one. Without it, the tool uses the file's own average CPA (total cost ÷ total conversions).

Run the audit and open the search-terms finding. It shows how many terms crossed the threshold, their combined cost and share of search-term spend, and the top 15 terms by cost with their spend and clicks.

The file is read in your browser and is not uploaded.

Worked example

Here is a small search terms report for a campaign selling yoga mats (amounts in rupees):

Search term	Cost	Clicks	Conversions
buy yoga mat online	12,000	400	20
yoga mat price	6,000	250	8
free yoga classes near me	2,400	160	0
yoga mat cleaning spray	1,300	90	0
how to fold a yoga mat	700	60	0
yoga mat jobs	350	20	0
thick yoga mat	3,000	110	2

Total cost is 25,750 and total conversions 30, so the average CPA is about 858. With no target entered, the tool flags 2 terms ("free yoga classes near me" and "yoga mat cleaning spray") costing 3,700, which is 14% of search-term spend.

If you enter a target CPA of 1,500, only "free yoga classes near me" (2,400) crosses the line, and the finding drops to 1 term and 9% of spend. A higher target means fewer terms are flagged, which is why entering your real target matters.

Notice what the tool does not flag: "how to fold a yoga mat" (700) and "yoga mat jobs" (350). They are below one CPA, so they are not yet "proven" wasters, but anyone reading them can see they will never buy a mat. That is the manual part of step 3.

Step 3: Read every term for intent

Go through the full report, not only the flagged list, and sort terms into three groups:

• Irrelevant: wrong product, jobs, free, DIY, "how to", competitor support, a different meaning of your keyword. Add as negatives.
• Relevant but not converting: the term matches your product but has not converted yet. Check the landing page, price and ad before blocking it. It may also be helping conversions that other clicks get credit for.
• Relevant and converting: keep, and consider adding as a keyword with its own bid.

In the example, "free yoga classes near me" and "yoga mat jobs" are irrelevant. "Yoga mat cleaning spray" depends on the business: if you sell cleaning spray, keep it in a separate ad group; if not, block it. "Thick yoga mat" converts at 1,500 per conversion, so it is relevant but expensive; that is a bid question, not a negative keyword.

Step 4: Choose the right negative match type

Negative match types work differently from normal keyword match types. According to Google Ads Help:

Negative match type	Blocks a search when	Example negative: running shoes
Negative broad	All the words appear, in any order	Blocks "shoes running", but not "running shoe"
Negative phrase	The words appear in that order, extra words allowed	Blocks "blue running shoes", not "shoes running"
Negative exact	The search is exactly those words, nothing extra	Blocks "running shoes" only

The most important rule: negative keywords do not match close variants. Excluding "flower" will not block "flowers", so add singular, plural and common synonyms separately. Google says negatives do account for casing and misspellings, so you do not need to add every capitalisation.

Practical choices:

• Use a single word as negative broad or phrase for words that are always wrong for you, such as "free", "jobs" or "salary".
• Use negative exact for a specific search you want to stop without blocking longer, useful searches. "Yoga mat" as negative exact would block only that bare search.
• Avoid one-word negatives that are part of your own product names.

Step 5: Add the negatives in Google Ads

In the search terms report, tick the terms you want to exclude and click Add as negative keyword. Then choose where they go:

• Ad group or Campaign: each negative is added to the ad group or campaign that triggered the term.
• Negative keyword list: add to an existing list, or save as a new list and apply it to the campaigns linked to those terms.

Shared lists are the tidiest option for words like "free" and "jobs" that should be blocked everywhere. Campaign-level negatives are better for terms that are wrong for one campaign but right for another.

Step 6: Repeat on a schedule

New search terms appear every week, especially with broad match. A simple routine:

Every two to four weeks, export the latest search terms report.

Run it through the PPC Audit Tool and check the flagged terms first.

Scan the rest for irrelevant low-cost terms.

Add negatives, and note what you added and why.

Common mistakes

• Blocking a term because of a few clicks. Wait until it has spent about one CPA, unless the intent is obviously wrong.
• Forgetting plurals. Negatives do not cover close variants.
• Adding broad negatives that are too wide. A negative broad "mat" would block every yoga mat search.
• Ignoring assisted conversions. A term with no last-click conversions may still start journeys that convert later.
• Only checking the top of the list. Small irrelevant terms add up.

For a full account review that also checks tracking, budgets and CPA by campaign, follow how to audit a Google Ads account in 30 minutes.