The AMA Google Ads Keyword Audit Template gives marketers a clear, structured way to evaluate keyword and query performance—without added complexity. Using built-in formulas, it reveals what’s driving revenue, what’s wasting spend, and where immediate optimizations exist. Whether you manage brand campaigns or high-volume Google ads PPC performance accounts, this audit highlights your top opportunities fast.
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What You’ll Get
By using this toolkit, you’ll be able to:
- Measure overall account health with a live-updating performance dashboard
- Identify high-performing keywords to scale
- Uncover hidden wasted spend across keywords and search queries
- Improve targeting with automated intent classification
- Create optimization, pause, and scale lists in seconds
- Find new Exact/Phrase keywords from converting queries
- Build a structured negative keyword list
Key Benefits
- Instantly interpret your Google Ads performance using color-coded health indicators
- Reduce wasted spend with clear “Add as Negative” logic
- Pinpoint scalable keywords with automated performance scoring
- Quickly promote converting queries to Exact/Phrase
- Monitor ROAS and conversion shifts over time
- Easy to update—just paste new data into the source columns
How To Use the Google Ads Keyword Audit Template
Follow this workflow to get the most accurate audit:
- Make a Copy
- Go to File ➝ Make a Copy or download the document for internal use.
- Open the Google Ads Template and Paste Your Data
- Export keyword and search query data from Google Ads.
- Paste keyword data into Keyword Audit (columns A–Q).
- Paste query data into Query Audit (columns A–Q).
- The dashboard updates automatically.
- Review Key Insights; The dashboard displays:
- Total spend, revenue, ROAS
- Conversion rates
- Wasted spend
- Top-performing & underperforming keywords
- Health dots (🟢🟡🔴) for fast scanning
- If you see yellow or red indicators, go to the corresponding audit tab.
- Analyze Keyword Performance; Use filters (not sorting) to generate action lists:
- Scaling List
- Filter: Status = “Top Performer”
- → Increase bids/budgets or scale via Exact/Phrase.
- Filter: Status = “Top Performer”
- Kill List
- Filter: Action Recommended = “Pause / Add Negatives”
- → High spend + low performance = stop the bleeding.
- Filter: Action Recommended = “Pause / Add Negatives”
- Optimization List
- Filter: Action Recommended = “Reduce Bids / Test Ads”
- → Fixable—but not ready for scale.
- Filter: Action Recommended = “Reduce Bids / Test Ads”
- Monitor List
- Filter: Status = “OK”
- Scaling List
- Analyze Query Performance; Use the Query Audit to evaluate intent and traffic quality.
- Add as Keyword (Promotion)
- Filter: Add as Keyword? = “Yes”
- → Promote these queries to Exact/Phrase.
- Filter: Add as Keyword? = “Yes”
- Add as Negative (Block Traffic)
- Filter: Add as Negative? = “Yes”
- → Block poor intent or irrelevant queries.
- Filter: Add as Negative? = “Yes”
- Intent Category
- High Intent: Buying signals
- Mid Intent: Research, consideration
- Low Intent: Junk, mis-targeting, broad-match noise
- Add as Keyword (Promotion)
Google Ads Keyword Audit Toolkit — Features & Capabilities
This toolkit includes everything you need to audit, optimize, and scale your Google Ads account.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Key Insights Dashboard | A live summary of ROAS, spend, revenue, conversions, and wasted spend, with color-coded health indicators for quick interpretation. |
| Keyword Audit Engine | Full keyword-level analysis including ROAS, CPC, cost/transaction, and automated recommendations (Scale, Pause, Optimize). |
| Search Query Audit | Intent-based query evaluation highlighting Exact/Phrase keyword opportunities and negative keyword candidates. |
| Intent Classification System | Automatically categorizes queries as High, Mid, or Low Intent to improve targeting and reduce irrelevant traffic. |
Solving Common Google Ads Challenges With This Toolkit
| Challenge | Toolkit Solution |
|---|---|
| Hard to get a clear read on account performance. | The Key Insights dashboard consolidates ROAS, spend, and waste into one fast, visual snapshot. |
| Too much wasted spend from irrelevant searches. | Query Audit auto-identifies negative keyword candidates through intent scoring and zero-conversion logic. |
| Difficult to decide which keywords to scale or pause. | Keyword Audit assigns performance status and recommended actions to prioritize decisions. |
| Finding valuable search terms buried in data. | The toolkit flags high-performing queries with Add as Keyword = Yes for fast Exact/Phrase promotion. |
| Time-consuming audits requiring manual calculations. | All KPIs and action lists update automatically with formula-driven logic—no scripts or rebuilding required. |
Tip: Follow a Simple PPC Rhythm
| Cadence | What to Do | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | • Check the Key Insights dashboard • Add negative keywords from Query Audit • Pause obvious underperformers | ~5 minutes |
| Weekly | • Promote winning search queries into Exact/Phrase • Scale top-performing keywords • Review optimization candidates • Reassess wasted spend % | 15–20 minutes |
| Monthly | • Deep audit of structure, match types, and landing pages • Refresh negative keyword lists • Analyze ROAS, intent trends, and rising queries | 30+ minutes |
Stick to this cadence and your campaigns stay tight, efficient, and scalable with very little maintenance.