How much wasted spend can I expect to find?

It depends on your match type mix and how long negative keyword hygiene has been neglected. On accounts using broad match or broad match modifier without regular negative reviews, 15 to 30 percent of spend going to irrelevant queries is common. The wasted spend report gives you the exact number for your account.

Does this workflow work for Shopping campaigns too?

Yes. Shopping campaigns use search term data the same way Search campaigns do. PaidSync's get_wasted_spend_report covers both campaign types, and add_negative_keywords works at the campaign and ad group level for Shopping as well.

How to Find Wasted Ad Spend With AI (Step by Step)

Published May 22, 2026 by Ahmed Ashraf · Founder, PaidSync.ai

You can find and cut wasted Google Ads spend in a single Claude session using PaidSync.ai. The workflow runs get_wasted_spend_report, then analyze_search_term_ngrams, then add_negative_keywords in sequence. No spreadsheets, no pivot tables, no separate tool logins. Start to finish in about 30 minutes.

This guide gives you the exact 7 steps and the paste-able prompts for each one. If you want to understand how AI detects waste patterns before you take action, read the companion post on detecting wasted ad spend with AI first.

Why Search Terms Are Where Budget Disappears

Google's broad match and Smart Bidding systems are built to expand reach. That is useful when the algorithm finds genuinely relevant new queries. It becomes expensive when your ads show for terms that have nothing to do with what you sell.

The problem compounds over time. A single irrelevant term costing $2 per click looks harmless. Multiply it by 400 impressions per month across 50 similar off-topic queries and you are burning $4,000 a month on people who were never going to buy. Most accounts have been running for months or years without a systematic negative keyword audit.

On accounts with broad match enabled and no negative keyword updates in 90+ days, 15 to 30 percent of total spend typically goes to queries with zero conversions. The wasted spend report gives you the exact figure for your account.

The second problem is pattern waste. Individual search terms each look small. But a word like "free" or a phrase like "how to" can appear across hundreds of different queries, each individually below the threshold where a human reviewer would pause it. Ngram analysis catches these patterns before the next month of budget runs out.

What PaidSync Gives Claude to Work With

PaidSync connects Claude to your Google Ads account through 309 verified tools across 8 platforms. The 3 tools central to this workflow are:

get_wasted_spend_report. Pulls your search terms for a given date range, cross-references each term against conversion data, and returns total wasted spend, cost per term, and the campaigns each term came from.
analyze_search_term_ngrams. Looks across all search terms and finds 2-word and 3-word combinations that repeat across many different queries with zero or poor conversion rates. One ngram can represent 50 negative keywords worth of protection.
add_negative_keywords. Adds negatives to specific campaigns or ad groups at the match type you specify. Claude confirms each batch before executing.

Ryze AI and similar tools can surface the waste analysis. The difference with PaidSync is that Claude closes the loop. The analysis and the fix happen in the same conversation, with no copy-paste into another interface.

Before You Start

You need a PaidSync account with your Google Ads account connected and the PaidSync MCP URL added to Claude Desktop or claude.ai. Setup takes about 5 minutes. If you have not done this yet, follow the step-by-step connection guide and come back here.

You also need to know your target CPA or the average value of a conversion. You will use this in Step 4 to define the threshold for what counts as waste. If you do not have a firm number, use the average CPA from your best-performing campaign as the benchmark.

The 7-Step Workflow

Pull the wasted spend report

Open a new Claude conversation and paste this prompt:

"Run get_wasted_spend_report for my account for the last 30 days. Show total wasted spend, top 10 worst search terms by cost, and which campaigns they came from."

Claude calls get_wasted_spend_report and returns a ranked breakdown. You will see a total dollar figure for wasted spend and a list of the biggest individual offenders.

Look at the total first. That number tells you whether this account has a minor hygiene issue or a significant structural problem. Both are fixable, but the urgency differs.

Find pattern waste with ngram analysis

Individual bad terms are visible in the search terms report. Pattern waste is not. Paste this:

"Run analyze_search_term_ngrams on the last 30 days. Find 2-word and 3-word patterns that appear 5 or more times with zero conversions and at least $10 in spend."

Claude surfaces the word combinations that are bleeding budget across many queries. A single ngram block can protect against 20 to 100 future irrelevant queries that match the pattern.

Review the combined findings

At this point you have 2 datasets: the term-level waste report and the ngram patterns. Paste this to see them together:

"Combine the waste report and ngram findings. Show me the total recoverable budget if I block all identified terms and patterns. Group by campaign."

Claude adds up the recoverable spend by campaign so you can prioritize. Campaigns with the highest waste usually need the most thorough negative keyword coverage.

Set your CPA threshold and mark the waste

Tell Claude what counts as waste for your account:

"My target CPA is $40. Mark every search term with over $40 spend and zero conversions as confirmed waste. How much total budget can I recover this month?"

Claude applies your threshold to both the term list and the ngram patterns and gives you a precise recoverable budget figure. This is the number to track month over month as a measure of negative keyword health.

Generate the negative keyword list

Before adding anything, review the full proposed list:

"From the waste report and ngram analysis, build a negative keyword list grouped by campaign. Include match type recommendations for each term. Show me the complete list before adding anything."

Claude formats the list with campaign assignments and match types. Broad match negatives go on patterns. Exact match negatives go on specific irrelevant terms. Review each campaign block and remove anything that might have legitimate intent for your business before proceeding.

This step matters. A term that is irrelevant for one advertiser may be core intent for another. Spend 3 to 5 minutes reading through the list before approving it.

Add negative keywords to the account

Once you have reviewed and approved the list:

"Add all the negatives you listed to the correct campaigns using add_negative_keywords. Confirm each campaign as you go."

Claude executes the additions campaign by campaign and confirms each one in the conversation. The changes are live in your Google Ads account immediately. You will see the negatives in your campaign settings within a few minutes.

Set a follow-up checkpoint

Negative keyword management is a repeating task, not a one-time fix. Close the session with this:

"Summarize today's changes: total negatives added, campaigns affected, and estimated monthly budget recovered. Note today's date as the baseline for the next waste check."

Save Claude's summary. Run this same 7-step workflow again in 14 to 30 days and compare the wasted spend total to the baseline. The number should drop. If it rises, your match type mix or bid strategy is generating new irrelevant traffic that needs review.

What Good Results Look Like

After a first-pass negative keyword session on a mature account, expect 3 outcomes:

Wasted spend drops 15 to 40 percent from the baseline figure within 30 days, as previously triggered irrelevant queries stop matching your ads.
Average CPA improves because your budget now concentrates on queries with actual conversion intent. The same spend goes further.
Impression share on relevant terms can rise because Google's auction dynamics shift when you stop spreading bids across irrelevant match expansions.

The ngram analysis tends to have the biggest long-term impact. Blocking a pattern stops future permutations of that pattern before they spend anything. Term-level negatives are reactive. Ngram negatives are proactive.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Three mistakes show up repeatedly when advertisers run this workflow for the first time.

Adding negatives at the account level without checking match type. A broad match negative at the account level can block legitimate queries in campaigns you did not intend to restrict. Add negatives at the campaign level by default. Use shared negative lists only when you are certain the block applies account-wide.

Blocking informational intent without considering funnel stage. Queries like "how does X work" have zero purchase intent for some businesses and high intent for others (software, education, consulting). Read the ngram list with your business model in mind before approving blocks on informational patterns.

Running the report once and calling it done. Search behavior changes. New match type expansions create new irrelevant traffic. Run this workflow every 14 to 30 days, especially after Google's quarterly match type updates, after adding new campaigns, or after budgets increase by more than 30 percent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does get_wasted_spend_report actually check?

get_wasted_spend_report pulls your search terms report for a given date range, cross-references each term against your conversion data, and flags terms that consumed budget without producing a conversion. It returns total wasted spend, cost per term, and the campaigns each term came from. It covers both Search and Shopping campaigns.

How is analyze_search_term_ngrams different from the standard search terms report?

The standard search terms report shows individual queries. analyze_search_term_ngrams looks for word combinations that appear repeatedly across many different queries. A word like "free" or a phrase like "how to" may appear across 200 different terms, each below your review threshold individually. The ngram analysis catches the pattern so you can block it with one negative keyword instead of 200.

Can Claude add negative keywords without my approval?

No. Step 5 of this workflow shows you the full list before anything is added. Claude only calls add_negative_keywords after you explicitly instruct it to in Step 6. Nothing is added to your account without your direct approval in the conversation.

How is PaidSync different from Ryze AI for waste analysis?

Both tools can surface search term waste. PaidSync goes further because Claude can execute the fix inside the same session. Ryze shows you the analysis; you still have to go into Google Ads to act on it. With PaidSync, you run the report, review the list, and Claude adds the negatives without leaving the conversation.

How much wasted spend should I expect to find?

On accounts using broad match or Smart Bidding without regular negative reviews, 15 to 30 percent of spend going to zero-conversion queries is common. The exact figure depends on your match type mix and how long negative keyword hygiene has been neglected. The wasted spend report gives you the precise number for your account before you take any action.

Does this workflow cover Shopping campaigns?

Yes. Shopping campaigns use search term data the same way Search campaigns do. get_wasted_spend_report and analyze_search_term_ngrams both cover Shopping. add_negative_keywords works at the campaign and ad group level for Shopping as well as Search.

What PaidSync plan do I need for this workflow?

The free plan includes 15 tool calls per month, which is enough for a single pass through this 7-step workflow. For weekly waste checks across multiple campaigns, the Plus plan at $49/month is the right fit. Pro at $99/month and Max at $199/month support higher call volumes for larger or multi-account setups.

Connect your Google Ads account to Claude and run the wasted spend report today. Free plan includes 15 tool calls per month.

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