Paid media optimisation
The weekly search terms report habit
How a fifteen minute weekly review of search terms keeps Google Ads spend focused on the right queries.
OppRise Editorial · Reviewed 28 September 2026 · 3 min read
Why search terms drift
Broad and phrase match keywords show your ads for queries you never typed. Some are great discoveries. Others quietly spend budget on people who will never buy.
What to look for
Sort by cost and scan the top of the list each week.
- Irrelevant queries to add as negatives
- Strong queries to add as their own keywords
- Competitor or job seeker queries you may want to exclude
- New language customers use that belongs in your ad copy
Keep a change log
Write down each negative you add and why. When performance shifts, the log tells you whether a change you made is the cause.
Put this into practice with