Search term cleaning: why structure beats clever ad copy

When a Google Ads campaign underperforms, the reflex is to rewrite the ads. On a three-month lead generation campaign I learned that the account structure and the negative keyword list decide more than any headline.

The situation

The goal was to generate leads via Google Ads Search. I set up the account from scratch: keyword clusters by intent, match types chosen per cluster, extensions on every ad group, and a negative keyword list from day one.

What the search terms showed

After the first week, the search term report told the real story. A meaningful share of clicks came from queries that were related to the offer but never converted: comparison searches, job seekers, people looking for something we did not sell. They cost the same per click as the good ones.

• Weekly search term review, every single week – not "when there is time".
• Every non-converting query pattern went straight into the negative list.
• Match types were tightened where broad matching brought volume but no leads.

The result

Over three months the campaign delivered a 13.91 % CTR at an average CPC of CHF 1.35, with 19 qualified leads. More importantly, the offer-led campaign generated almost twice the leads of the audience-led one – a direct effect of matching the ad to a concrete need instead of a broad target group.