🔑 Keywords – What It Is

The Keywords dashboard helps you see where your Google Ads budget performs efficiently — and where it’s wasted. It visualizes the ROAS distribution across your keywords, showing how much spend or how many keywords fall into different performance ranges. You can instantly identify top performers, inefficient spenders, and non-converting terms, so you know exactly where to act. For most advertisers, a healthy setup means a clear majority of spend in ROAS 2–4+, with minimal volume below 1.

🛠️ How to Use

Set your analysis view

Use the date picker to define your time period. The dashboard updates instantly, reflecting your selected range of performance data.

Get a quick overview

At the top, you’ll see a summary of your keyword performance — specifically, how much of your spend comes from keywords with ROAS below 1. The color indicator changes from red (high share of loss-making keywords) to green (healthy distribution). A short note explains what this means and includes a link to book a free performance check for deeper guidance.

Analyze ROAS distribution

The chart visualizes keyword ROAS across performance ranges. You can view it by cost (where your budget goes) or by number of keywords (how many terms fall into each bracket). Click items in the legend to hide or show specific segments and focus your analysis.

Drill down into actual keywords

Clicking any chart segment (e.g., ROAS = 0 or ROAS 5+) filters the table beside it. The table lists all keywords in that range, showing their name, ROAS, and ad spend. This makes it easy to identify both top performers and money-burning terms without exporting or sorting data manually.

📊 How to Read / Interpret
Keyword overview The color of the header reflects the overall keyword health:
  • Red – Many keywords with ROAS < 1 (loss-making).
  • Orange – Mixed performance, room for improvement.
  • Green – Majority of spend in profitable ranges (ROAS > 1). The short text helps you interpret your balance and its effect on profitability.
ROAS distribution chart Shows how performance is spread across different ROAS brackets.
  • ROAS = 0 – No conversions, full cost loss.
  • ROAS 0–1 – Partial return but still unprofitable.
  • ROAS 2–3+ – Efficient and scalable performers. Switch between “by cost” and “by number of keywords” to understand whether inefficiencies come from a few expensive outliers or many low-volume terms.
Keyword table Connected directly to the chart. Clicking a segment filters the table to show all keywords within that ROAS range. Use it to find which keywords are driving results or wasting spend.
⚡ Actionability
  • Cut wasted spend fast – Keywords with ROAS = 0 are pure cost. Pause or restructure them. Review search intent, match types, and ad relevance to ensure they fit your goals.
  • Fix low-ROAS performers (<1) – These keywords generate partial returns but remain unprofitable. Lower bids, adjust targeting, test new ad copy, or improve the landing page experience to raise conversion rates.
  • Identify and scale winners – Keywords with ROAS 4–5+ deliver strong performance. Increase budgets, expand variations, or create dedicated ad groups to maximize their potential.
  • Balance volume and efficiency – Toggle between cost and keyword views to understand whether waste comes from heavy-spend outliers or many small underperformers. Clean up accordingly.
  • Monitor share of profitable keywords – Aim to keep most spend and conversions in ROAS > 2, with a solid portion (30–40%) in ROAS 4+. If that share drops, revisit campaign structure and keyword targeting.
💡 Example Use Cases

See where your budget disappears
 If costs rise but conversions stay flat, check the chart “by cost.” A large share in ROAS = 0 or ROAS < 1 means too much budget goes to loss-making keywords. Clicking those segments reveals which terms to pause or optimize.

See which keywords drive your returns
 Switch to “by number of keywords” and click ROAS 4+ segments. The table shows which terms deliver the best ROAS and highest efficiency. These are your scale opportunities — invest more where results are strongest.

See how balanced your keyword mix is
 The color at the top instantly shows whether your account leans efficient or wasteful. A green view signals solid optimization; red or orange means too many underperformers. Use this quick overview to decide whether to clean up or expand.