On this page
The short answer
Oppy lists the enabled keywords in live ad groups and campaigns that had zero impressions recently, leaving out keywords added recently. Nothing is paused: a silent keyword is usually a search the account meant to reach, so Oppy finds why it never shows and fixes that.
Why it matters
A keyword that is never shown costs nothing directly. It costs attention: every report, every bid review and every structure decision has to step over it, and an account full of them is hard to read.
A silent keyword is also a question. Is it too narrow, blocked by a negative, outbid by another keyword, or simply searched by nobody?
How Oppy decides
The check reads keywords over recent weeks, and filters on both parents: the ad group and the campaign must be enabled too.
The task that follows reads why each keyword is silent. When another of your keywords takes its searches, Oppy adds a negative there so they reach this one. When other searches use up the budget, it cuts that waste. When too few people search it, there is nothing to do.
Checks that weigh money or clicks judge what they find on your own account's numbers, not on one figure applied to every account, so what counts as a problem on a small account is not the same on a large one. Checks on settings read how the account is set up.
When there is too little to go on, the check says so instead of guessing. A finding always comes with the rows behind it, so you can read the evidence before you decide.
| This check | |
|---|---|
| Step of the audit | Structure |
| What it reads | Keywords report |
| Needs trustworthy conversions | No. It does not wait for the tracking step. |
| What happens next | Reported in the audit with the rows behind it. The decision stays with you. |
Check it yourself in Google Ads
- In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Audiences, keywords and content, then Search keywords, for the last 30 days.
- Filter on enabled keywords in enabled campaigns and ad groups.
- Add a filter on Impressions = 0.
- Check each keyword's creation date in the change history, and leave out recent ones.
What to do about it
Check why the keyword is silent before you touch it. Its status may say Low search volume, or a negative may block it, which the negative conflict check finds.
If nobody searches for it, leave it, or pause it by hand to tidy the account. A paused keyword keeps its history and can come back at any time.
Terms on this page
Other checks in this area
The checks next to this one in Keyword research, each with its own page.
- A negative keyword switching off one you chose
- One match type is paying more for the same intent
- Keywords that used to convert and are switched off
- Searches that already make money and have no keyword of their own
- Keywords Google rates well that have not spent in months
- The same keyword bought at two very different prices