Open the CSV in Excel, or import it into Google Sheets and choose comma-separated values. Save your working copy in a controlled location. The CSV contains the rows below and space for your notes; it has no macros, formulas or live account connection.
How to use the template
Review intent before imposing a cost threshold
A search can be irrelevant even before it has enough clicks for a performance judgment. Conversely, a relevant query with no mature conversions is not automatically waste. Record both the business relevance and the reporting maturity so the proposed action has a clear reason.
Specify text, match type and scope
Those three fields define the exclusion. Google documents different behavior for negative broad, phrase and exact match. Negative terms do not expand in the same way as positive keyword close variants. Read the current provider examples before assuming a proposed rule covers every unwanted query.
Look for useful demand the rule could block
Compare the proposal with products, services and campaign intent elsewhere in the account. A term that is irrelevant to one ad group can be valuable to another. Shared lists and account-level settings widen the effect, so record their actual assignment before approval.
Verify configuration and later outcomes separately
After the authorized change, confirm the saved text, match type and scope. Use a subsequent compatible reporting window to inspect the resulting query mix. A saved negative proves a configuration change; it does not by itself prove improved profitability or complete exclusion coverage.
Preview the worksheet
Every row shown here is included in the download. Scroll the table horizontally on a small screen.
| Review field | What to record | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| Review scope | Account, campaign and mature date range | One Search campaign; complete reporting window |
| Observed query | Exact search term from the report | chair repair manual |
| Matched context | Campaign and ad group where it appeared | A fictional shop selling finished office chairs |
| Business relevance | What the searcher wants and whether you supply it | Repair instructions; shop does not sell repairs or manuals |
| Spend evidence | Compatible cost and outcome scope | Record actual totals, not invented benchmarks |
| Maturity | Whether useful outcomes had time to arrive | Document the conversion lag allowance |
| Intent decision | Keep, investigate or propose exclusion | Propose exclusion based on irrelevant intent |
| Proposed negative | Exact text under consideration | chair repair manual |
| Match type | Negative broad, phrase or exact | Exact proposed for this query; review coverage separately |
| Scope | Ad group, campaign, list or account eligibility | This campaign only, subject to review |
| Useful-query check | Relevant searches that could be excluded | Check whether useful repair-related products exist elsewhere |
| Existing exclusions | Related negatives and shared-list assignments | Inspect current scope before adding another rule |
| Variants | Separate relevant language and term variants | Do not assume negative matches expand like positive keywords |
| Approval | Person and exact change authorized | Text, match type, scope and reason |
| Readback | Actual saved exclusion configuration | Verify the correct negative and applied scope |
| Later review | What subsequent comparable queries show | Separate pre-change from post-change dates |
Worked review example
A fictional office-chair retailer sees chair repair manual in a Search report. If it sells only finished chairs, the intent is a plausible exclusion candidate. The worksheet records the exact query, the business mismatch and a proposed exact negative for the reviewed campaign.
If another campaign sells chair parts, a broad account-wide exclusion around repair could block useful demand. The useful-query check changes the scope decision. The example is not a recommended negative keyword for every retailer.
What this template does and does not establish
This is a review brief for one proposal; duplicate the block for additional findings. It is not a universal negative-keyword list or a Google Ads import file. It does not inspect your account, automatically exclude terms or guarantee that a query will stop serving.