How can you prune underperforming keywords using Search Term Reports?

• A. Identify terms with high conversions and raise bids.
• B. Identify terms with low spend and high conversions.
• C. Identify terms with high spend and low conversions, add negative keywords, or lower bids and reallocate budget.
• D. Ignore terms with low performance.

Answer: (C)

Pruning underperforming keywords relies on using Search Term Reports to spot wasteful spend. These reports show the actual queries that triggered your ads and how they performed, including spend and conversions. The key is to identify terms that cost a lot but produce few or no conversions. Those are the terms draining your budget without delivering value.

The best approach is to focus on high spend combined with low conversions. For those terms, you can add negative keywords to prevent them from triggering your ads, or lower their bids to reduce spend while you test for any potential improvement. You can also reallocate the saved budget to higher-performing keywords that convert well, boosting overall efficiency.

Other options aren’t as effective for pruning: chasing terms with high conversions and raising bids targets amplification of strong performers rather than cutting waste; looking for low spend and high conversions highlights good opportunities but doesn’t address waste; ignoring terms with low performance misses chances to save money and improve ROAS.