6 minute read · Practical marketing guidance
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Your Google Ads campaign is getting clicks, but some inquiries concern services you do not offer. Before changing the budget, look at what people searched when your ads appeared. A useful waste audit starts with a business question: could this search reasonably lead to work you want?
For a Las Vegas or Henderson business already paying for Search ads, the goal is to separate clear mismatches from searches that deserve a closer look. A query with no recorded conversion is not automatically waste. A query for a product you never sell is a different decision.
Start with the offer, then open the report
Write a short boundary statement for the campaign: the service, customer, service area and exclusions. For example, a hypothetical residential air-conditioning repair campaign might serve Las Vegas and Henderson homeowners, offer no parts-only sales and handle no commercial contracts. These boundaries give each query a fair test.
Google distinguishes a search term, entered by a person, from a keyword you add to an ad group. Open Campaigns → Insights and reports → Search terms. Add the Keyword column to see what triggered the ad. The report’s Match type describes the query’s relationship to that keyword and can differ from the keyword’s configured match type. Dynamic Search Ads do not use keywords, so their rows may have a blank Keyword field. See Google’s search terms report documentation.
Filter to the Search campaign you are reviewing. Export a manageable date range with campaign, ad group, search term, keyword, match type, clicks, cost and conversions. Begin with the highest-cost rows, then scan repeated intent patterns. Keep a separate note for decisions rather than making exclusions as you scroll.
Use three decisions: keep, investigate or exclude
Keep means the search fits the advertised offer. It does not mean the query has proved profitable or deserves a higher bid. Investigate means you need an answer about service coverage, customer intent or measurement. Exclude means you can explain the mismatch without guessing from one unsuccessful click.
The worksheet below is an original, explicitly hypothetical exercise for that residential repair campaign. These are invented queries, not observed account data, client examples or performance results.
| Search query | Decision and next action |
|---|---|
| ac repair las vegas | Keep. Matches the service and area. Check whether resulting inquiries concern repair jobs the business accepts. |
| air conditioning repair henderson | Keep. Fits the stated coverage. Confirm that the ad accurately represents that availability. |
| commercial ac maintenance las vegas | Exclude. The hypothetical campaign handles residential repair only. Record commercial work as the mismatch before choosing the exclusion’s scope. |
| ac repair technician jobs las vegas | Exclude. Employment intent conflicts with a homeowner lead campaign. Check for any recruitment campaigns before sharing this exclusion. |
| ac repair parts store las vegas | Exclude. The offer excludes parts-only sales. Block the unwanted shopping intent carefully, preserving repair searches that mention a broken part. |
| ac repair cost las vegas | Investigate. Price research may come from a prospective customer. Review inquiry quality and whether the ad explains the estimate process. |
| emergency ac repair near me | Investigate. Check actual emergency availability and operating hours before deciding whether this demand belongs in the campaign. |
| ac repair summerlin | Investigate. Confirm that the particular business serves the requested neighborhood. A place name alone does not establish the searcher’s location. |
Add columns for actual cost, conversion evidence, proposed negative, match type, scope, owner and review date when adapting this worksheet. Preserve the reason for every exclusion. That explanation becomes especially useful when a later campaign advertises a new service.
Choose the negative keyword deliberately
Match type controls how much you block
For Search, a negative broad match blocks searches containing all its words in any order. Negative phrase match blocks the phrase in the same order, even with extra words. Negative exact match blocks the same words in order without extra words. Negative keywords do not expand to synonyms or singular/plural forms; Google currently says casing and misspellings are handled automatically. These rules differ from positive keyword matching. See Google’s negative keyword guidance.
For example, [ac repair jobs] would leave a longer search such as “ac repair jobs las vegas” eligible. The negative phrase "repair jobs" would block it. Broad negative repair jobs also blocks the reversed order. A negative for jobs does not automatically cover job.
Choose a narrow exclusion when the whole query is the problem. Use a wider pattern only when that intent is consistently unwanted. Before saving, write a desirable query that the proposed negative might also catch. Words such as “cost,” “cheap” and “free” warrant context: “free estimate” may describe an offer you actually provide.
Scope determines which campaigns lose eligibility
Google supports negatives at ad group and campaign scope, plus campaign lists. Its instructions warn that negatives overlapping your regular keywords can stop ads from showing. Check both the terms and the list’s campaign assignments before applying it. See Google’s instructions for adding negative keywords.
Reserve account-wide exclusions for intent unwanted across the business. Account-level negatives automatically apply to relevant search and shopping inventory, making them consequential beyond the campaign under review. See Google’s account-level negative keyword documentation. A jobs exclusion that suits homeowner acquisition could undermine a separate hiring campaign.
Check the evidence before calling a query waste
For relevant searches, review which actions count as conversions and whether inquiries became suitable work. If a form submission is recorded but the prospect needs an unavailable service, retain that distinction in your review notes. A conversion count alone cannot answer your business-fit question.
Also allow for conversion delay. Google explains that recent periods can appear weaker because spend is already reported while some conversions have yet to arrive. Use your account’s conversion timing when choosing a review window. In an older, completed date range, inspect Segment → Conversions → Days to conversion to understand the delay; see Google’s guidance on time to conversion. Clear service mismatches can be addressed without waiting for a sales cycle, while uncertain performance needs mature evidence.
Your visible query list is incomplete. Google omits some low-activity searches for privacy; Search terms insights can group those into themes or “other queries” without exposing them individually. See Google’s explanation of report visibility. An export therefore cannot prove that every paid search has been audited.
Leave a record you can review next time
Save the export, decisions and change date. At the next review, check whether the unwanted pattern persists, whether a relevant pattern disappeared and whether qualified inquiry volume changed. Make comparisons with similar periods and note changes in the offer, availability or campaign settings that complicate interpretation.
This audit is one part of ongoing digital advertising management. For the wider relationship between paid traffic and your website, read our guide to Google Ads, landing pages and SEO together.
Need help reviewing Search campaigns for your Las Vegas business? Email sales@rank.vegas with the service you advertise and the query patterns concerning you. You can also request an Ads and landing-page review.