When reviewing Google Ads search terms, you often need to collect individual negative keywords or phrases from different rows. The “GAds. Search query cleanup” module lets you do this directly in the table: click a word or drag across adjacent words, and the selected text will appear in the “Negative keywords” panel.
You can organize the entries into separate lists, add your own keywords, choose match types and copy the results into Google Ads. The module helps you prepare a list; you apply the exclusions in your advertising account yourself.
Who is this module for?
- PPC specialists who regularly review Google Ads search terms.
- Freelancers and agencies working with several projects or product categories.
- Business owners who manage their own campaigns and want to collect negative keywords from the report.
The panel is useful when you need to pick recurring irrelevant words and specific phrases from many rows and keep them in one working list.
Getting started
- Install PPC Tools Extension and open the extension settings.
- Make sure the “GAds. Search query cleanup” module is enabled.
- Open the “Search terms” report in Google Ads and wait for the table to load. You need the terms people searched for, rather than the campaign’s keyword list. Learn more in the Google Ads Help guide.
- If the tab was open before you installed or enabled the extension, refresh it. If the panel is collapsed, open it using the module button in the supported table’s toolbar.
The module also shows the panel on the supported negative keywords page in Google Ads. There, you can work with an existing collection, add entries manually and copy the results. Selecting words by clicking requires a search terms table.
Collecting negative keywords: an example
Suppose a store sells new office chairs. Its campaign is intended to attract furniture buyers; the store is not recruiting staff or publishing DIY guides. The report includes the search terms “office chair assembler jobs” and “office chair diy guide”.
1. Add a single word
Click “jobs” in the search term. It will appear in the active list in the “Negative keywords” panel with broad match, without quotation marks or square brackets.
Clicking that word in the table again removes it from the active list. You can also remove an entry using the cross next to it in the panel.
2. Select a phrase
In “office chair diy guide”, hold the left mouse button on “diy”, drag to “guide” and release. The two words will be added as one entry.
For a phrase collected this way, the module selects phrase match by default. It will appear in the panel as "diy guide". You can change the match type if needed.
3. Review the list and match types
Review the active list and remove anything you do not want to exclude. Hover over the gear icon next to an entry to open the “Match type” menu: “Broad”, “Phrase” or “Exact”.
For this store, the phrase match negative keyword "diy guide" can exclude searches containing that phrase, including searches with additional words. Selecting [diy guide] limits the exclusion to a search consisting of those two words. That exact match negative keyword does not exclude the longer search “office chair diy guide”. Choose the type that fits your task.
This example applies only to the store described above. The same words could attract relevant customers for another business.
4. Copy and apply the results
Click “Copy”. The active list will be copied to the clipboard with one entry per line, retaining the selected match formatting. In this example, the entries are jobs and "diy guide".
Paste the list into the appropriate negative keywords section in Google Ads. Choose the ad group, campaign or suitable account list, review the entries and save the changes in Google Ads. See the official instructions for adding negative keywords.
Copying from the panel does not change campaign settings on its own.
Main features
Collect words and phrases from the table
Click to add a single word, or drag across adjacent words within one search term to add a phrase. You can collect the parts you need from different rows without copying every search term in full.
The same text is not added twice within one list. This also applies if you try to add it with another match type: change the type on the existing entry instead. The same text can be stored in different lists.
Highlighting collected entries
Words and phrases from the active list are highlighted in the table. Words that have been added individually and also appear within a collected phrase receive separate highlighting.
The highlighting helps you keep track of text you have selected. It does not show the campaign’s existing exclusions or simulate Google Ads matching rules.
Separate negative keyword lists
Create separate lists for different projects or product categories, rename them and switch between them. Each list stores its own entries and match types.
The first system list is called “Default”. You can rename it, but you cannot delete it. Custom lists can be deleted together with their contents after confirmation.
The extension’s lists are not automatically linked to Google Ads accounts, campaigns or negative keyword lists. When moving to another project, select the appropriate list yourself. Adding entries, highlighting, copying and clearing all apply to the active list.
Add negative keywords manually
The “Add” button opens a field for your own negative keywords and phrases. Enter one item per line and choose a match type for the new entries.
You can specify the type directly in the text: "diy guide" is saved with phrase match, while [office chair diy guide] is saved with exact match. Quotation marks or brackets on a line take priority over the type selected for the whole form. Other lines use the selected type.
To correct the text of an existing entry, remove it and add the corrected version manually.
Match types
The gear menu lets you select one type for each entry. The table below briefly explains how negative keywords work in Google Ads Search campaigns.
| Type in the panel | Entry format | How the exclusion works |
|---|---|---|
| “Broad” | diy guide | The search must contain all the words in the negative keyword; the order can differ |
| “Phrase” | "diy guide" | The search must contain the phrase in the specified order; additional words are allowed |
| “Exact” | [diy guide] | Excludes a search with the same words in the same order and no additional words |
Each entry has one match type. The module saves it with the text and uses it when copying: broad match has no surrounding characters, phrase match uses quotation marks, and exact match uses square brackets.
Negative keywords follow different rules from regular Google Ads keywords. Check any synonyms and singular or plural forms you need to exclude separately. See the Google guide to negative keywords for detailed examples.
Sort, remove and clear entries
You can view the list by time added or alphabetically. Selecting alphabetical sorting again reverses its direction. Copied entries follow the order in which they were added.
The cross removes one entry. After confirmation, “Clear” removes the contents of the active list while keeping the list itself and all other lists.
Clearing the panel does not remove negative keywords you have already saved in Google Ads.
Position and resize the panel
You can move the panel by its header, resize it and collapse it. Its position and size are saved.
The collapsed panel button has two modes: “In the table” and “Floating”. The first is used on supported pages. The second makes the button and its panel available on other Google Ads pages as well. To move the floating button, press and hold it briefly before dragging.
Collecting words by clicking or dragging still requires a supported search terms table.
Module settings
Open the PPC Tools Extension settings and click the gear icon on the module card. Here you can:
- choose the “Collapsed panel button” mode: “In the table” or “Floating”;
- show or hide list management with “Negative keyword lists”;
- enable or disable manual entry with “Add custom negative keywords”;
- adjust the text size in search terms and the panel with “Search query text size”;
- adjust list compactness with “Row density”;
- show or hide the “Negative keyword counter”.
Hiding list management or the manual entry button does not delete the data you have already collected.
Data storage and limitations
Lists and entries are saved locally in the extension’s data in the current browser profile. Refreshing the page or closing the tab does not clear them. These working lists are not transferred automatically between browsers or devices.
The module works with text you select from the available table or enter manually. It does not automatically decide which searches are irrelevant, retrieve existing negative keywords from your advertising account or send the collected list to that account.
Before applying the results, check the list contents, match types and where you are saving the exclusions in Google Ads.
If you also use Yandex Direct, see the separate search query cleanup guide, available in Russian.
FAQ
Why is the panel missing, or why can’t I click words?
Make sure the extension and module are enabled, then refresh the tab. Wait for a supported search terms table to load. If the panel is collapsed, open it with the module button. Selecting words from a table may be unavailable on other Google Ads pages, even when the floating panel can be opened.
Can I collect only part of a search term?
Yes. Click a single word or drag across adjacent words within one search term. A single word is added with broad match, while a selected phrase uses phrase match. You can change the type afterwards.
Why was a line in square brackets added with exact match?
The module recognizes surrounding characters during manual entry. Square brackets specify exact match, and quotation marks specify phrase match. They take priority over the general type selected in the entry form.
Are searches excluded from my ads after I click “Copy”?
No. The button copies the list to the clipboard. You still need to add the negative keywords to the appropriate place in your advertising account and save the changes in Google Ads.
Will my lists remain after I close the report?
Yes. Working lists are saved in the current browser profile. When switching accounts, check the active list: the module does not switch it automatically to match the account or campaign.
What happens when I click “Clear”?
After confirmation, only the active list in the extension is emptied. Other lists and the negative keywords saved in Google Ads remain unchanged.
