Review keywords and ads of a Google Ads campaign
Updated 2026-10-19
In CustomIQ you review a Google Ads campaign in its Details: approve the keywords, discard the groups you do not need in Creatives, review the ads and check the cost preview. Do it before approving the budget, which generates and charges the landing pages and images of every active group. Nothing reaches Google until you deploy.
Video tutorial
What is reviewing keywords and ads?
It is the step before generating and deploying a search campaign: you decide which keyword groups go live and check that the text ads say what you want.
What do I do from the dashboard?
Open the campaign in Campaigns: the "Keywords to review" label takes you straight to the Keywords step. Approve or discard keyword groups; the cost forecast is recalculated as you discard. The Creatives step unlocks once you approve the budget, and there you approve or reject every ad and its landing page before generating only the approved ones.
Why discard groups before approving the budget?
Because approving the budget is what generates the creatives: the landing page and images of every group still active are created and charged at that moment. A group you discard before is never generated or charged, and it is not deployed to Google Ads.
Can I review in the chat?
The chat tells you when the campaign is ready for review and opens it from Details, but approving keywords and discarding groups happens in the campaign's Details.
What does it cost?
Reviewing, approving keywords and discarding groups consumes no credits. Approving the budget generates the creatives of the active groups, at the cost shown in the preview. Regenerating ads also consumes credits, and the amount appears before you confirm.
Where is it in the dashboard?
Steps
- Open the campaign. In Campaigns, or with Details in the chat's campaign summary, open the Google campaign pending review.
- Approve the keywords. In Keywords, approve the ones that fit your offer and reject the rest.
- Discard the groups you do not need. Before approving the budget, open Creatives and discard the keyword groups you do not want. A discarded group is not generated, charged or deployed.
- Review the ads. Read headlines and descriptions; adjust the ad settings if needed.
- Check the cost preview and approve the budget. The estimated cost only counts the groups still active. Approving the budget generates their creatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I discard a whole keyword group?
- Yes. In Creatives, each group has Discard group; you can restore it as long as its creatives have not been generated.
- Do discarded groups cost anything?
- No. Discard them before approving the budget and their landing pages and images are never generated or charged.
- Where do the keyword metrics come from?
- From Google's planner; they are shown next to each group to help you decide.
- Is anything published while I review?
- No. The campaign only reaches Google Ads when you approve the budget and deploy.
- How do I get to the step that is waiting?
- Click the campaign's status label in Campaigns: it opens the detail on that step. Locked steps show the reason on hover.
Related
- The paid campaign detail in CampaignsHow to read the detail of a Google, Meta, TikTok or LinkedIn campaign in Campaigns: steps, states, banners, locks and actions.
- Create a Google Ads campaign (search / SEM)How to create a Google Ads search campaign with CustomIQ: you ask in the chat and review keywords and ads in Campaigns.
- Add negative keywords to a Google Ads campaignHow to add negative keywords to a Google campaign from Campaigns to stop paying for irrelevant clicks.
- Approve the budget and deploy a Google Ads campaignHow to approve the budget and deploy a Google search campaign from Campaigns, and what happens next.