Match type precisions

Keep your search traffic relevant and protect your budget.

This script cleans up your Google Ads search traffic by comparing every search term with your active keywords, so your ads only show when the search is truly aligned with what you want. Search terms that don't qualify are blocked automatically with negative keywords.

What this script does for you

• Restores precise control over match types: checks whether all important words from your keywords are present in the search term, simulating the old modified broad behavior while also working with phrase and exact. Small typos are still allowed so you don't miss relevant traffic.
• Automatically excludes irrelevant search terms: search terms that don't properly match any keyword are added to a negative keyword list, keeping unqualified traffic out of your campaigns.
• Uses performance thresholds (optional): exclude terms by ROAS (below your minimum return), by CPA (too expensive per conversion), or run with no threshold to focus purely on relevance.
• Works through all historical search terms: not just recent data. It can go through your full search term history above a minimum impressions threshold, cleaning up waste in one pass.
• Keeps negative keyword lists tidy and usable: maintains shared negative keyword lists, automatically splits exclusions across multiple lists as you approach account limits and skips search terms too long to use as negatives.
• Adds negative lists to your campaigns: automatically attaches the negative keyword lists to the relevant campaigns where they're missing.

What you will see in your account

• Cleaner Search Terms reports with fewer irrelevant queries.
• One or more negative keyword lists that update automatically.
• Campaigns with these lists attached for consistent blocking.
• Over time, more relevant traffic, higher Quality Scores, better CTR and often lower CPCs.

Typical use cases

This script is useful if you miss the old modified broad match behavior, feel your exact or phrase keywords are matching to searches that are too broad, want to systematically reduce wasted spend without manually checking every search term, or manage larger accounts where search term clean-up is too time-consuming by hand.

Tips and best practices

1. Start with one campaign or a subset of campaigns to see the impact.
2. Consider a ROAS or CPA threshold so you only exclude terms that both don't match well and don't deliver results.
3. Review the negative keyword lists regularly at first to confirm the exclusions fit your strategy.
4. Adjust your minimum impressions setting to make the script stricter or more relaxed.