Wasted spend is the money you pay for clicks that were never going to become a customer. In service-business accounts it usually hides in one place: the search terms report.
Step 1: Open the search terms report
In Google Ads, go to Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. Set the date range to the last 30 days. Sort by cost, highest first.
Step 2: Look for four kinds of junk
- Job seekers. Terms with "jobs", "hiring", "salary", "career". A plumber's ad shows up for "plumber jobs near me" more often than you would think.
- Do-it-yourself intent. "How to", "DIY", "tutorial", "myself". These people want a video, not a quote.
- Free and cheap. "Free", "cheapest", "coupon". Some of these convert, most do not, and the ones that do rarely stay.
- Wrong service or wrong place. A roofing account paying for "roof rack" clicks, or a Phoenix dentist showing for "dentist Tucson".
Step 3: Check conversions before you block
Sort by conversions as well. A term with real spend and zero conversions over 30 days is a safe block. A term with spend and a couple of conversions deserves a second look, it might be a keyword worth adding instead.
Step 4: Add negatives at the right level
Block a term at the campaign level if it is junk for every ad group in that campaign. Block it at the ad group level if it is only wrong for one ad group. Use phrase match for most negatives so you catch the variations too.
Step 5: Do it again next week
Search terms drift. New junk shows up every week, especially on broad match. Fifteen minutes a week keeps the bleed small.
Or let Nora do it
RevAds runs this exact routine automatically. Nora, the negative-keyword agent, reads your search terms, groups the waste by theme, shows you the dollars behind each one, and adds the negatives to your account at the campaign or ad-group level you choose. Every block goes on your checklist first, so you stay in control.