Search terms and negative keywords in Google Ads: how to clean up traffic
The search terms report shows what exactly people typed before clicking your ad. Negative keywords block your ads from irrelevant searches. The more often you check, the less budget goes to random clicks.
A keyword and a search term are different things
You set the keyword. The person types the search term. A single keyword can trigger your ad for dozens of different searches, including irrelevant ones.
How often to check
Once a month isn't enough: by then the irrelevant clicks have already been paid for. I read search terms daily. A script collects them automatically, and I make the decisions on questionable ones myself.
Why you can't exclude blindly
A search term may look irrelevant but still bring leads. So irrelevant terms go to negative keywords, and questionable ones are reviewed before a decision.
Common negative keyword groups
- Jobs: vacancies, salary
- Learning: courses, essays, video tutorials
- No purchase intent: free, DIY
- Other cities, if you don't work there
- You set the keyword, the person types the search term
- Checking search terms once a month isn't enough
- Questionable search terms shouldn't be excluded blindly
Updated 9 November 2026
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