How do I identify poor-performing keywords quickly?

To keep your account efficient, you must periodically prune keywords that drain your budget without providing a return. Identifying these “leaky buckets” quickly involves using specific filters to highlight statistical outliers.

The fastest way to find underperformers is to use the Filter tool in the Search Keywords tab. Look for keywords that meet these three specific criteria:

1. The “Zero Conversion” Sinkhole

These are keywords that have spent a significant amount of money but have failed to result in a single lead or sale.

The Filter: Cost > [2x or 3x your Target CPA] AND Conversions < 1.
The Action: Pause these immediately. If you have spent three times what a lead is worth and haven’t received one, that keyword is likely too broad or irrelevant.

2. High-Traffic, Low-Relevance (CTR)

If a keyword has a lot of impressions but a very low Click-Through Rate, it means your ad is showing up for searches that don’t match what you’re offering.

The Filter: Impressions > 500 AND CTR < 1.5%.
The Action: Check the Search Terms report for this keyword. You likely need to add Negative Keywords or change the match type from “Broad” to “Phrase” to tighten the targeting.

3. The Quality Score Red Flag

A low Quality Score (QS) acts as a penalty, making you pay more for every click than your competitors.

The Filter: Quality Score <= 3.
The Action: Hover over the “Status” of these keywords to see if the issue is Ad Relevance or Landing Page Experience. If the score doesn’t improve after a week of copy tweaks, delete the keyword, it’s dragging down your entire ad group’s health.

Keyword Performance Triage

Indicator	Metric Threshold	Primary Cause
High Waste	Cost > 3x CPA	Poor search intent or “Bait & Switch” landing page.
Low Engagement	CTR < 1%	Ad copy doesn’t mention the keyword.
High Cost	Quality Score 1–3	Mismatch between keyword, ad, and website.
Invisible	Status: “Below first page bid”	Your bid is too low to compete in the auction.

Automated Cleanup

You can set up an Automated Rule to do this work for you every week:

Go to Tools > Bulk Actions > Rules.
Create a rule to “Pause keywords” where Cost > [Amount] and Conversions < 1.
Set it to run weekly on Monday mornings. This ensures your budget is never wasted on “zombie” keywords while you’re away from your desk.

Last Updated 2nd February 2026.

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