Q: How do I find my real number? In Google Ads, go to Insights and reports → Search terms.Set the date range to the last 90 days.Add these three filters:Cost > 0.01Conversions < 0.2All conv. value < 5.00This shows terms that have spent money but brought in almost no sales.Sort by Cost, high to low, and review the top terms.Add up the cost of terms clearly irrelevant to what you sell.Divide that by total Search and Shopping cost for the same period. For Performance Max, use the search terms insights in the campaign's Insights tab. Cost per term isn't shown there, so estimate it from the share of conversions and clicks. Share an automated script catches ROAS on reinvested savings Saved per year Wasted todayRevenue if reinvested Conservative · 10% Expected · 15% Upside · 20% An estimate based on the figures above. Your search terms report gives the real waste rate.Get a free search terms audit → What is search term waste? Your keywords aren't the searches you pay for. Google matches each keyword to many real searches, and with broad match and Performance Max that set grows quickly. Some come from people who were never going to buy: job hunters, DIY repairers, students, people after a free version. Every click on one of those costs the same as a click from a buyer. In accounts nobody reviews regularly, 10 to 20% of search spend going on terms like these is common. How negative keyword scripts work A script runs inside your Google Ads account on a schedule. It reads the search terms report, finds terms that have spent past a threshold without converting, checks them against a safety list of terms you always keep, and adds the rest as negatives. The account stops paying for them the same day. Why the script doesn't catch everything Some terms are borderline, some are too new to judge, and some you keep on purpose. That's why the calculator assumes 75% by default, not all of it. Now check your POAS →Find your break-even ROAS Is this accurate for my account?

It's as accurate as the waste rate you enter. Use the steps under the waste slider to find your real figure from the search terms report.

Q: Does Performance Max have search terms?

Yes. Google shows search term insights for PMax, and account-level negative keywords apply to it. Cost per term isn't shown, so the waste rate is an estimate.

Q: Why a lower ROAS for reinvested savings?

Extra budget buys traffic that's less efficient than your core campaigns, so a figure below your account average gives a more realistic forecast.

Q: Do you store what I enter?

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.

Question 1

How do I find my real number? In Google Ads, go to Insights and reports → Search terms.Set the date range to the last 90 days.Add these three filters:Cost > 0.01Conversions < 0.2All conv. value < 5.00This shows terms that have spent money but brought in almost no sales.Sort by Cost, high to low, and review the top terms.Add up the cost of terms clearly irrelevant to what you sell.Divide that by total Search and Shopping cost for the same period. For Performance Max, use the search terms insights in the campaign's Insights tab. Cost per term isn't shown there, so estimate it from the share of conversions and clicks. Share an automated script catches ROAS on reinvested savings Saved per year Wasted todayRevenue if reinvested Conservative · 10% Expected · 15% Upside · 20% An estimate based on the figures above. Your search terms report gives the real waste rate.Get a free search terms audit → What is search term waste? Your keywords aren't the searches you pay for. Google matches each keyword to many real searches, and with broad match and Performance Max that set grows quickly. Some come from people who were never going to buy: job hunters, DIY repairers, students, people after a free version. Every click on one of those costs the same as a click from a buyer. In accounts nobody reviews regularly, 10 to 20% of search spend going on terms like these is common. How negative keyword scripts work A script runs inside your Google Ads account on a schedule. It reads the search terms report, finds terms that have spent past a threshold without converting, checks them against a safety list of terms you always keep, and adds the rest as negatives. The account stops paying for them the same day. Why the script doesn't catch everything Some terms are borderline, some are too new to judge, and some you keep on purpose. That's why the calculator assumes 75% by default, not all of it. Now check your POAS →Find your break-even ROAS Is this accurate for my account?

Accepted Answer

It's as accurate as the waste rate you enter. Use the steps under the waste slider to find your real figure from the search terms report.

Question 2

Does Performance Max have search terms?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Google shows search term insights for PMax, and account-level negative keywords apply to it. Cost per term isn't shown, so the waste rate is an estimate.

Question 3

Why a lower ROAS for reinvested savings?

Accepted Answer

Extra budget buys traffic that's less efficient than your core campaigns, so a figure below your account average gives a more realistic forecast.

Question 4

Do you store what I enter?

Accepted Answer

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.

How much are irrelevant searches costing you?

What is search term waste in Google Ads?

What is search term waste?

How negative keyword scripts work

Why the script doesn't catch everything

See what we’d change in your account.