How to Filter Google Ads Search Terms: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're running Google Ads, your search terms report is one of the most valuable places to spend time—and one of the most overwhelming. Without a clear filtering process, you're staring at hundreds (sometimes thousands) of rows of data with no easy way to separate the winners from the waste.

This guide walks you through a practical, repeatable process for Google Ads search terms filtering so you can quickly identify irrelevant queries, protect your budget, and build stronger keyword lists. Whether you're managing a single campaign or dozens of client accounts, the same core workflow applies.

Before diving in, one distinction worth locking in early: keywords are the terms you bid on inside Google Ads. Search terms are the actual queries users typed before your ad appeared. These are not the same thing, and the search terms report is where you see the real-world queries, not just your keyword targets. Keeping that distinction clear makes every step below easier to follow.

Also worth knowing upfront: Google does not show every search term that triggered your ads. Since 2020, Google has limited search term visibility to queries that meet a certain threshold of activity. You're working with a meaningful but incomplete picture, which is another reason a consistent filtering process matters.

By the end of these steps, you'll have a clean, filtered view of your search terms, a list of negative keywords ready to apply, and a process you can repeat every week without burning hours in a spreadsheet.

Step 1: Access Your Search Terms Report and Set the Right Date Range

Start by navigating to the right place. In Google Ads, go to the left navigation and select Campaigns, then look for Search terms in the menu. This is not the Keywords tab. The Keywords tab shows what you're bidding on. The Search terms report shows what users actually searched before clicking your ad.

If you open the Keywords tab by mistake, you'll be looking at your own keyword list, not the real-world queries triggering your ads. It's a common mix-up, and it leads to wasted time analyzing the wrong data.

Once you're in the Search terms report, set your date range. The goal is to have enough data to spot patterns without pulling in periods that are no longer relevant to how your campaigns are configured today.

Last 30 days is a solid default for most accounts. It's recent enough to reflect current targeting and bids, and it gives you enough volume to see which terms are genuinely draining budget.

Lower-volume accounts may need a longer window, such as 60 or 90 days, to accumulate enough data for meaningful analysis. If you're only seeing a handful of search terms in 30 days, extend the range.

Avoid very short date ranges like the last 7 days unless you're investigating a specific recent change. Short windows introduce noise and can lead you to exclude terms based on one or two impressions rather than a real pattern.

Avoid very long date ranges too. If your campaigns, bids, or landing pages changed significantly six months ago, data from before those changes may not reflect your current situation.

Once your date range is set, confirm you can see a populated table with columns including impressions, clicks, cost, and ideally conversion data. If the table is empty or nearly empty, check that your campaigns are active and that the date range covers a period when ads were running.

Success indicator: You're looking at a populated search terms table with impressions, clicks, cost, and conversion data for the date range you selected.

Step 2: Add Conversion Columns and Apply Row Filters

The default view of the search terms report shows basic engagement metrics, but to make smart decisions, you need conversion data visible. This step covers two separate actions: customizing which columns appear, and filtering which rows show up.

These are different functions in the interface. The Columns button controls what data is displayed for each row. The Filter button (the funnel icon in the toolbar) controls which rows appear at all. Both are useful, and using them together gives you a focused, actionable report.

Setting Up Your Columns

Click the Columns button and add the following metrics if they aren't already showing:

Conversions: The most important signal. A search term with significant spend and zero conversions is a candidate for exclusion.

Cost per conversion: Lets you compare efficiency across terms. A term converting at five times your target cost per acquisition is worth reviewing even if it has conversions.

Conversion rate: Useful for spotting terms that get clicks but rarely convert, which can indicate a mismatch between the query and your landing page.

ROAS (return on ad spend): Relevant if you're running e-commerce or revenue-tracked campaigns. A term with high spend and low ROAS is a clear drain.

Once you've added these columns, save the column set so you don't have to rebuild it next session. Google Ads lets you save custom column configurations, which makes your weekly review faster over time.

Applying Row Filters

Now use the filter icon to narrow the rows to what's worth analyzing. Some useful filters to start with:

Clicks greater than 5: Removes terms with almost no traffic that aren't worth acting on yet.

Cost greater than a threshold (e.g., $10 or $20): Surfaces terms that have consumed meaningful budget, regardless of click volume.

Conversions equals 0: Combined with a cost filter, this quickly isolates your highest-waste terms.

Search term contains [word]: Useful when you already suspect a category of irrelevant terms. For example, filtering for "free" or "DIY" can surface non-commercial queries quickly.

You don't need to apply all of these at once. Start with cost and conversions to find the worst offenders, then layer in other filters as needed.

Success indicator: The report now shows a manageable set of rows worth analyzing, not every impression that ever occurred across your campaigns.

Step 3: Sort and Segment to Find Where Budget Is Leaking

With your columns set and filters applied, the next step is sorting and segmenting the data to understand where your budget is going and which terms are the biggest problems.

Sorting by Cost

Click the Cost column header to sort descending. This puts the most expensive search terms at the top of your list. These are the terms that deserve your attention first, regardless of whether they're converting or not. A term at the top of this list with zero conversions is costing you real money right now.

Sorting by Conversions

Next, sort by Conversions ascending. This surfaces terms with the lowest return. Combined with the cost filter you applied in Step 2, this view isolates your highest-spend, zero-return terms clearly.

Using the Search Type Column

Add the Match type column if it isn't visible. This shows which of your keywords triggered each search term, and which match type was responsible. Broad match keywords tend to generate the widest range of search terms, including many irrelevant ones. If you're seeing a lot of off-topic queries, check whether they're coming from broad match keywords and consider whether tighter match types or more negative keywords are the right fix.

Segmenting by Campaign or Ad Group

Use the Segment option to break results down by campaign or ad group. This helps you identify whether irrelevant traffic is coming from one specific campaign or spread across your account. Some campaigns, particularly those using broad match or broad match modifier, tend to attract more irrelevant queries than others. Knowing which campaigns are the source of the problem helps you prioritize where to spend your review time.

Looking for Patterns

As you scan the sorted list, look for patterns in the irrelevant terms. Common categories include:

Wrong geography: Queries mentioning locations you don't serve, even if your geo-targeting is set correctly.

Wrong intent: Informational queries (how-to, what is, definition of) triggering ads meant for buyers ready to purchase.

Wrong industry: Queries that share a word with your keywords but belong to a completely different category.

Recognizing these patterns makes Step 4 faster because you can often exclude an entire category of terms at once rather than one by one.

Success indicator: You have a clear picture of which search terms are consuming budget without driving results, and you've identified the campaigns or ad groups where the problem is most concentrated.

Step 4: Add Irrelevant Search Terms as Negative Keywords

This is where the filtering work translates into actual campaign improvement. You've identified the terms that don't belong. Now you exclude them.

The Basic Exclusion Process

In the search terms report, check the box next to each irrelevant term you want to exclude. Once you've selected one or more terms, a button appears at the top of the table: Add as negative keyword. Click it.

Google Ads will prompt you to choose where to apply the negative and what match type to use. Both decisions matter.

Choosing the Right Level

Campaign-level negatives block the term across all ad groups within that campaign. Use this when the term is irrelevant regardless of which ad group it's in.

Ad group-level negatives are more precise. Use them when a term might be relevant in one ad group but not another. For example, the word "cheap" might be irrelevant for a premium product ad group but acceptable for a budget-tier ad group in the same campaign.

Shared negative keyword lists are a third option, managed under Tools and Settings in Google Ads. A shared list can be applied to multiple campaigns at once. This is especially useful for terms that are universally irrelevant across your account, such as competitor brand names you never want to bid on, or categories of queries that have nothing to do with your business. Building and maintaining shared lists saves time as your account grows.

Choosing the Right Match Type for Negatives

Negative keyword match types work differently from positive keyword match types, and this is worth understanding clearly.

Exact match negative ([free trial]) blocks only that precise query. The term "free trial software" would still be allowed through. Use exact match negatives when you want to block a specific query without risking over-blocking related terms.

Phrase match negative ("free") blocks any query containing that word or phrase in that order. This is broader and more efficient for common problem words, but it can accidentally exclude relevant queries if you're not careful. For example, adding "free" as a phrase match negative would block "free trial" but also "ad-free" or "free shipping included," depending on context.

Broad match negative is the most restrictive option for negatives (the opposite of how broad match works for positive keywords). A broad match negative blocks queries containing all the words in your negative keyword in any order. Use it carefully.

The most common pitfall here is adding broad negatives that accidentally exclude converting terms. When in doubt, start with exact match negatives and expand to phrase match only when you're confident the word is irrelevant across all its variations.

If you want to speed up this part of the process, Keywordme lets you select irrelevant search terms and add them as negative keywords with a single click directly inside the Google Ads interface. There's no need to export to a spreadsheet or switch tools. You make the decision; the extension handles the mechanics.

Success indicator: The terms you excluded now appear in your negative keywords list at the level you selected (campaign, ad group, or shared list), confirmed in the Negative keywords tab.

Step 5: Promote High-Intent Search Terms to Positive Keywords

Filtering isn't only about removing what doesn't work. It's also about capturing what does. As you review your search terms, you'll often find queries that have driven conversions or strong engagement but aren't explicitly in your keyword list. These are opportunities.

Why This Matters

When a search term converts but isn't a keyword you're actively bidding on, Google is matching it through a broader keyword. That means you have limited control over the bid, the ad copy shown, and the Quality Score alignment for that query. Adding it as an explicit keyword gives you direct bidding control and allows you to write ad copy that matches the specific intent of that query.

Identifying Candidates

Look for search terms that meet one or more of these criteria:

Has converted at least once and the cost per conversion is within your target range.

Has a strong click-through rate relative to other terms in the report, suggesting high relevance to the user's intent.

Appears frequently with consistent impressions, indicating it's a recurring query worth owning explicitly.

Adding the Keyword

Select the search term and click Add as keyword. Google Ads will prompt you to choose the ad group and match type.

Exact match is appropriate for proven, high-intent terms where you want precise control. If someone searched "buy running shoes size 10 online" and it converted, adding it as an exact match keyword means you'll bid on that specific query directly.

Phrase match works well for terms where useful variations exist. If the term "running shoes for flat feet" performed well, phrase match lets you capture related queries like "best running shoes for flat feet" without going fully broad.

When adding new keywords, try to place them in tightly themed ad groups where the existing ad copy is relevant to the new term. Adding a keyword to an ad group with mismatched ads reduces Quality Score and wastes the opportunity.

Keywordme lets you add high-intent search terms as keywords and apply match types without leaving the search terms report. For accounts with a lot of candidates to promote, this removes the friction of switching between tabs and rebuilding context each time.

Success indicator: High-performing search terms are now explicit keywords in your account with appropriate match types, placed in relevant ad groups where the ad copy aligns with the query.

Step 6: Set Up a Repeatable Weekly Review Process

The steps above describe a single review session. The real value comes from doing this consistently. A search terms review done once is useful. Done weekly, it compounds into a materially leaner account over time.

Set a Fixed Cadence

Block time on your calendar for a weekly search terms review. For most accounts, 30 minutes per account is a reasonable starting point. Accounts with high traffic or many campaigns may need more time initially, but as your negative keyword lists mature, the review gets faster because fewer irrelevant terms slip through.

Use Saved Filters and Column Sets

This is where the setup work from Step 2 pays off. If you saved your column configuration and have a consistent filter setup, you can open the search terms report and be in analysis mode within a minute rather than rebuilding your view from scratch each week.

Maintain a Running Negative Keyword List

Beyond campaign-specific negatives, keep a document or use Google Ads shared lists to accumulate exclusions over time. As your shared lists grow, they become a library of terms you've already decided are irrelevant, and applying them to new campaigns takes seconds rather than requiring a full review from scratch.

Track your negative keyword count and keep an eye on wasted spend metrics month over month. Many advertisers find that accounts with mature negative keyword lists show steadily improving efficiency over time, as fewer irrelevant queries reach the ad auction.

For Agencies: Document the Process

If you're managing multiple client accounts, the consistency of this process matters as much as the process itself. Document each step so any team member can run the review without needing to reinvent the workflow. Standardize the column sets, filter thresholds, and decision criteria for adding negatives versus promoting keywords.

For agencies running this workflow across multiple accounts, Keywordme's multi-account support lets team members work through the search terms review directly within the native Google Ads interface, without switching between dashboards or external tools. Each person on the team can run the same workflow consistently across their assigned accounts.

Success indicator: Each weekly review takes less time than the last as your negative keyword lists grow and fewer irrelevant terms make it through to your report.

Putting It All Together

Filtering your Google Ads search terms isn't a one-time task. It's an ongoing discipline that compounds over time. Each week you run this process, your campaigns get tighter, your budget goes further, and your data gets cleaner.

Start with Step 1 today, even if you only have 20 minutes. Pull up your search terms report, sort by cost, and find the five most expensive terms that haven't converted. Add them as negatives. That's the beginning of a leaner, more profitable account.

Here's a quick checklist to confirm you've completed each step:

Date range set to last 30 days (or appropriate window for your account volume)

Conversion columns added and column set saved

Row filters applied to surface high-cost, low-return terms

High-cost, zero-conversion terms excluded as negative keywords at the right level and match type

High-intent converting terms promoted to explicit positive keywords

Weekly review time blocked on your calendar

If you want to run this workflow faster and without leaving Google Ads, Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme. It lets you remove junk search terms, build high-intent keyword lists, and apply match types instantly, right inside Google Ads. No spreadsheets, no switching tabs, just quick, seamless optimization for $12 per month after your trial.