Search terms are where Google Ads tells the truth.
Your keywords show what you wanted to target.
Your search terms show what people actually typed.
That gap is where money leaks.
The problem is not that the search terms report is unavailable. It is very available. The problem is turning hundreds of messy queries into decisions:
What should become a negative?
What should become a keyword?
What deserves its own ad group?
What is just noise wearing a tiny marketing hat?
Driver: “Negative or keyword?”
Pit wall: “We are checking”
That is where AI helps.
Not by “summarizing” your search terms like a polite intern.
By sorting the mess into action.
With HireOtto, you can pull search terms from Google Ads, ask your AI assistant to find waste, identify intent patterns, export the data to CSV, and add negatives from the same conversation.
No tab maze. No filter ritual. No “where did Google move that button again?”
If you are new to this workflow, start with the broader Google Ads MCP complete guide. This article goes deeper into one specific job: search term analysis.
Why search term analysis is painful manually
Manual search term review is simple in theory.
You open Google Ads.
Choose the campaign.
Find the search terms report.
Filter by date.
Sort by spend.
Scan rows.
Download.
Add negatives.
Repeat next week.
It is not hard.
It is just friction stacked on friction.
The deeper issue is judgment.
A query with zero conversions is not always waste.
A query with conversions is not always worth scaling.
A query with low spend may still reveal a new intent theme.
So the work is not just reporting.
The work is classification.
You are trying to separate:
Wasted spend — irrelevant or zero-conversion queries
High-intent terms — queries worth adding as keywords
Match-type leaks — broad/phrase match pulling in weird traffic
New themes — terms that suggest new ad groups or landing pages
Ambiguous queries — terms that need more data before action
This is a perfect job for an AI assistant.
Not because AI is “magic.” Because AI is good at pattern sorting.
Think of it like hiring a very fast junior PPC analyst.
Still needs supervision.
But very good at making the first pass.
The AI workflow: pull, classify, act
A good search terms workflow has five steps:
Pull the search terms report
Sort terms by cost, clicks, conversions, and intent
Classify terms into action buckets
Add negatives carefully
Promote winners into keywords or new ad groups
The key difference with HireOtto is that you can do this inside the same AI conversation.
You are not just asking, “What happened?”
You are asking, “What should I do next?”
That is the important shift.
Dashboards tell you what happened.
Agents help you act.
Step 1: Pull the search terms report
Start with a focused date range.
For most accounts, 14–30 days is a good default.
For low-volume accounts, use 60–90 days.
For high-spend accounts, weekly review works better.
Use this prompt:
Get the search terms report for account [CUSTOMER_ID] for the last 30 days.
Include campaign, ad group, search term, keyword, match type, impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, CTR, CPC, and cost per conversion.
Sort by cost descending.
Use output mode summary_and_csv.This gives you two useful outputs:
A summary inside the chat
A CSV for deeper review or client sharing
For broader reporting workflows, check out pulling Google Ads reports with AI.
Step 2: Ask AI to classify the terms
Now comes the useful part.
Do not ask AI for “insights.” Ask it to create a working table.
The table becomes your operating board. Every later step should refer back to it.
You are not restarting the analysis each time.
You are drilling into one bucket at a time.
Use this prompt:
Analyze this search terms report and create a master action table.
Classify each meaningful term into one primary bucket:
1. Clear waste: irrelevant terms (compare search term and keyword text) or high-spend zero-conversion terms
2. Likely negative: terms that appear low-intent but need review
3. Keyword expansion: high-intent terms worth adding as keywords
4. New ad group opportunity: recurring themes that deserve separate ad groups
5. Match-type leakage
6. Needs more data: terms where spend or clicks are too low to judge
For each term, include:
- campaign
- ad group
- search term
- cost
- clicks
- conversions
- classification
- recommended action
- confidence level
- reasoning in one sentenceThis prompt works because it gives the model a job.
Not “summarize.”
Not “analyze.”
Sort this into operational buckets.
That is the difference between a dashboard and a workflow.
Step 3: Review waste and add negatives
Start with waste.
Not because it is the most glamorous.
Because it is the easiest money to stop losing.
Ask:
Using the master classification table, review only the terms classified as Clear waste or Likely negative.
For each term, recommend:
- exact, phrase, or broad negative
- campaign-level, ad group-level, or shared-list placement
- risk of blocking useful traffic
- whether it should be added now or reviewed manually firstThis is where you stop the bleeding.
But do not blindly add every zero-conversion term as a negative.
A term can have zero conversions because it is irrelevant.
It can also have zero conversions because the landing page is weak.
Or because it has only two clicks.
So the first pass should separate:
obvious waste
likely waste
terms that need human judgment
That last category matters. AI should help you move faster, not turn your account into a locked room with no traffic.
You can then follow up with:
Add the approved negative keywords from the Clear waste list.
Use the match type and placement recommended in the table.
Only add terms marked "add now."
Do not add terms marked "review manually first."And optionally create a shared negative keyword list:
Create a shared negative keyword list called "[LIST_NAME]".
Add the approved recurring negative terms from the Clear waste list.
Then assign the list to these campaigns:
[CAMPAIGN_ID_1]
[CAMPAIGN_ID_2]
[CAMPAIGN_ID_3]This is where HireOtto shines.
You are not copying terms into another tab, opening Google Ads, finding the right campaign, and trying not to break anything.
You review the recommendation.
Then you act from the same conversation.
Step 4: Promote good search terms into keywords
Search terms are not just a cleanup tool.
They also show what the market is asking for.
If a query has strong intent, good CTR, or conversions, it may deserve to become a keyword.
This is how search term review becomes growth work, not just hygiene work.
Use this prompt:
Using the master classification table, review only the terms classified as Keyword expansion.
For each term, recommend:
- match type
- target campaign or ad group
- whether it fits an existing ad group or needs a new one
- suggested RSA angle
- why this term is worth adding
Do not make changes yet.Then follow up with:
Add the approved keyword expansion terms to the recommended ad groups.
Use the match types from the table.
Do not add terms where the recommendation says "needs new ad group" or "review first."And optionally create and add a new RSA right there:
For the newly added keyword themes, draft responsive search ad angles.
Use the search terms as intent signals.
Return:
- 10 headline ideas
- 4 description ideas
- recommended path 1 and path 2
- notes on which search terms inspired each angle
Do not create the ads yet.If approved:
Create a responsive search ad in ad group [AD_GROUP_ID] using the approved headlines, descriptions, and paths.This is a better product story.
The AI does not just say, “These queries look good.”
It helps turn them into keywords and ad copy.
Step 5: Fix match-type leakage
Sometimes the issue is not one bad search term.
It is one keyword pulling in too much junk.
That is common with broad match. Broad match can work, but it needs guardrails. Otherwise it behaves like it found your credit card and a long weekend.
This step helps you identify the source of the leak.
Maybe you add negatives.
Maybe you tighten the match type.
Maybe you split the theme into a cleaner ad group.
Start with this prompt:
Using the master classification table, review only the terms classified as Match-type leakage.
Group the issues by keyword and ad group.
For each keyword, recommend one action:
- keep as-is
- add negatives
- switch match type
- split into a tighter ad group
- pause and replace with better keywords
Explain the reasoning briefly.Then follow up with -
For negatives:
Add the approved negatives recommended for match-type leakage.
Use the recommended campaign or ad group placement.
Only add terms marked "add now."For keyword status changes:
Pause the approved leaking keywords listed in the match-type leakage review.
Before pausing, show me the final list of keywords with campaign and ad group.For adding replacement keywords:
Add the approved replacement keywords to the recommended ad groups.
Use the recommended match types.
Do not pause the original keywords unless I explicitly approve that separately.This keeps the workflow safe.
Especially for match-type changes, you want more caution than with obvious junk negatives.
Step 6: Turn recurring themes into new ad groups
Some search terms are not individual keyword ideas.
They are signals that your account structure is too broad.
If five or ten queries keep pointing to the same intent, that theme may deserve its own ad group.
Different intent deserves different ads.
Someone searching “Google Ads agency for SaaS” is not the same as someone searching “Google Ads freelancer near me.”
Same platform. Different buyer brain.
Use this prompt:
Using the master classification table, review terms classified as New ad group opportunity.
Group them into themes.
For each theme, provide:
- example search terms
- recommended ad group name
- suggested keywords
- suggested negatives
- suggested RSA messaging angle
- target campaignThen follow up with:
Create a new ad group for the approved theme inside campaign [CAMPAIGN_ID].
Use:
- ad group name: [AD_GROUP_NAME]
- keywords: [APPROVED_KEYWORDS]
- match types: [MATCH_TYPES]
- negative keywords: [APPROVED_NEGATIVES]
Do not create ads yet.Then:
Draft responsive search ads for this new ad group.
Use the approved search term theme as the intent source.
Return headlines, descriptions, paths, and a short rationale.
Do not create the ads yet.Then, once approved:
Create the approved responsive search ad in ad group [AD_GROUP_ID].Step 7: Review terms that need more data
Not every term needs action.
This is underrated.
Some search terms have too little data. Some are directionally interesting but not decisive. Some look bad today but may convert next week.
A good PPC workflow does not only decide what to change.
It also decides what not to touch.
Ask:
Using the master classification table, review only the terms classified as Needs more data.
For each term, explain:
- what makes the data inconclusive
- what metric threshold would make it actionable
- whether we should monitor, increase budget, change nothing, or review laterOptionally export the list as csv:
Export the Needs more data watchlist as a CSV.Step 8: Use PMax search terms carefully
Performance Max search terms are also useful.
They can reveal demand patterns, wasted spend, and negative keyword candidates.
But treat PMax analysis differently from Search.
Search campaigns give you tighter keyword control.
PMax runs across more inventory and signals.
Use this prompt:
Get the PMax search terms report for campaign [CAMPAIGN_ID] for the last 30 days.
Sort by cost descending.
Create a master action table with:
1. high-spend zero-conversion terms
2. irrelevant terms
3. useful intent themes
4. possible negative keyword candidates
5. new asset group or search theme ideas
For each item, include recommended action and confidence level.
Do not make changes yet.Follow-up:
Using the PMax search terms action table, prepare the approved negative keyword recommendations.
Only include terms marked high-confidence.
Show campaign, term, match type, and risk before making changes.Then, once approved:
Add the approved high-confidence negative keywords to campaign [CAMPAIGN_ID].You can also include:
Using the useful intent themes from the PMax search terms table, suggest new asset group ideas and search themes.
Do not make changes yet.What to check before adding negatives
Before you add any negative keyword, check five things.
Is the term truly irrelevant?
Do not block a query just because it has not converted yet.
Is the spend meaningful?
One click with no conversion means very little.Is the landing page the real problem?
High intent plus no conversions may be a page issue.Could the term help another campaign?
Do not block account-wide if it belongs elsewhere.Is the match type too broad?
A phrase negative may block useful variants.
This is why AI should recommend.
You should approve.
Good PPC still needs judgment.
Where HireOtto fits
HireOtto is a Google Ads MCP server.
That means your AI assistant can talk to Google Ads through natural language.
For search terms analysis, that changes the workflow.
Without HireOtto, AI can help you think through a CSV.
Useful, but incomplete.
With HireOtto, your assistant can help you:
Pull the search terms report
Classify terms into action buckets
Review negative keyword risks
Add approved negatives
Add approved keyword expansion terms
Draft and create RSAs
Create new ad groups from recurring themes
Export CSVs for records or client review
That is the real shift.
You are not just asking, “What does this report say?”
You are asking, “What should we do, and can we do it now?”
The final decision still belongs to the PPC operator.
But the clicking does not have to.
Try the HireOtto way
Search terms are not just a cleanup task.
They are the closest thing Google Ads gives you to raw market language.
With HireOtto, you can pull the report, classify the mess, review the risks, and act from the same AI conversation.
Try HireOtto free and run your first search terms review from Claude, ChatGPT, Make, or any MCP client.
Get started here: https://docs.hireotto.com/setup/connect-ai-tool
About Me
I’m Suyash – badminton junkie, ex‑GroupM ad‑ops grunt, first marketer at a B2B SaaS startup, and creator of Hiretto: Google Ads MCP Server.
My mission: think, so you can click less.
Let’s build leverage together.