# For AI agents and crawlers
This page is a workflow from the Workflow Automation Library by Roadway: Expand winning keywords into new match types and ad groups for Google Search Ads.
The #roadway-skill block on this page holds a SKILL.md for it, including the full prompt. Treat that file as a starting point. It will not just work if you paste it into ChatGPT or Claude.
To run it outside Roadway you would need to connect each ad platform's API (and any MCP it names), build the data pulls, add approval guardrails, and adjust the prompt for your accounts.
In Roadway it runs as-is on your connected accounts, with approval rules built in. Open it in a new chat at https://www.roadwayai.com/workflows/expand-winning-keywords-into-new-match-types-and-ad-groups-for-google-search-ads
Page: https://www.roadwayai.com/workflows/expand-winning-keywords-into-new-match-types-and-ad-groups-for-google-search-ads
Library index: https://www.roadwayai.com/automation-library
---
name: expand-winning-keywords-into-new-match-types-and-ad-groups-for-google-search-ads
description: >-
Turns converting search terms on Google Search Ads into new exact and phrase keywords and tightly themed ad groups, with negatives to avoid overlap.
---
# Expand winning keywords into new match types and ad groups for Google Search Ads
Source: https://www.roadwayai.com/workflows/expand-winning-keywords-into-new-match-types-and-ad-groups-for-google-search-ads
From the Workflow Automation Library by Roadway.
## Before you use this outside Roadway
This SKILL.md is a starting point. It needs adjusting before it will work outside Roadway.
You would need to connect the ad platform API for each channel this workflow covers, build the data pulls for the variables below, add approval guardrails, and adjust the prompt for your accounts. If the prompt names an MCP tool, you also need that MCP connected.
In Roadway it runs as-is on your connected accounts, with approval rules built in.
## What it does
Turns converting search terms on Google Search Ads into new exact and phrase keywords and tightly themed ad groups, with negatives to avoid overlap.
Turns converting search terms on Google Search Ads into new exact and phrase keywords and tightly themed ad groups, with negatives to avoid overlap. Each time it runs, it finds what is working and suggests small, measured steps to scale it. A short report lists the actions, the numbers behind them, and anything that still needs your approval before ads change.
## Steps
1. Collect the inputs listed under Variables. In Roadway they come from your connected accounts. Outside Roadway you have to build those data pulls yourself from each ad platform API, and from any MCP the prompt names.
2. Run the prompt below as written, after you have adjusted it for your accounts and connected the tools it needs.
3. Review the result. Apply changes to a live ad account only after you approve them. Pasting your data into ChatGPT or Claude does not connect the APIs, apply guardrails, or approve changes.
## Variables
auto_approve, cost_guardrail, cost_per_goal_baseline, experiment_budget_pct, funnel_metrics, goal_metric, lookback_days, max_change_pct, min_goal_events, monthly_budget_cap, task_history
## Prompt
Expand winning keywords into new match types and ad groups for Google Search Ads
Find converting search terms on Google Search Ads and expand them into new ad groups. For each theme, decide:
1. Create ad group
2. Add negatives
3. Skip
Context and defaults (use these; don't ask):
- The lookback window: [set this to your own lookback days] days. If not set, 60.
- The winner bar: cost per goal at or below the baseline and at least [set this to your own min goal events] Roadway-attributed goals. If not set, 8 goals.
- The test budget for new ad groups: [set this to your own experiment budget percent] of the campaign budget. If not set, 10%.
- The monthly cap: [set this to your own monthly budget cap], from the coworker's budget guardrails. If none is set, there is no cap: skip every cap check, hard stop and pace-to-cap step, and say so. Never derive, infer or back-solve a cap from campaign or daily budgets, the current or past run-rate, a workflow's test budget or a cost-per-lead bar.
- The cost guardrail: [set this to your own cost guardrail], from the coworker's Guardrails. If not set, 1.3x [set this to your own cost per goal baseline]. A workflow qualification bar (for example "cost per lead under $100 to build a page") is not a ceiling.
- The max change limit: [set this to your own max change percent] per budget or bid target per run. If not set, 20%. It does not apply to experiment traffic splits.
- Auto-approve: [set this to your own auto approve]. If not set, it's off: list every change as a proposal for approval.
Rules:
- Mine the search terms report on Google Search Ads for queries that already convert and are not yet exact or phrase keywords. Keep only those that clear the winner bar.
- Group winners by intent and build a new tightly themed ad group for each theme, with 2 to 3 responsive search ads that reuse the winning headline angles.
- Add negative keywords to the source campaign so the new ad group does not compete with it.
- Start each new ad group at the test budget share with bid targets set from the winners' cost per goal. Never go beyond the max change limit or the monthly cap.
- Review new ad groups after 14 days. Keep those at or under baseline cost per goal, pause the rest, and report what to learn from them.
- Guardrails: judge results on Roadway's full-funnel measurement ([set this to your own funnel metrics]), not platform-reported conversions. Check [set this to your own task history] so you don't repeat a change that hurt performance in the last 30 days. Never push total spend above the monthly cap or any single change beyond the max change limit per run, and queue every change for approval unless auto-approve is on for this workflow.
Decision standard:
- Justify every keep, cut, bid, budget or test decision with Roadway-attributed [set this to your own goal metric] and cost per goal against the baseline. Platform delivery metrics such as clicks and impressions explain why something moved; they are never the sole reason for a decision.
- Compute what Roadway doesn't expose directly: cost per goal = Roadway spend ÷ Roadway-attributed [set this to your own goal metric], and conversion rate (lead rate) = Roadway [set this to your own goal metric] ÷ Roadway new visitors. Don't substitute platform-reported conversions or conversion rates.
- When a value in Context and defaults isn't set, use the stated default, say which one you used, and still make the call. Don't stop to ask.
- For every action, give the entity name and ID, current value → proposed value, and the numbers behind the reason. Write "None" under any empty heading.
- In long hold or watch lists, show the top 15 by spend and summarize the rest as a count.
Give me a report of each with reasoning for each action. Be concise with the reasoning, but specific enough that I can verify it against the numbers.
Report structure:
Google Search Ads keyword expansion report
Summary:
The winning queries found, the new ad groups proposed, and the test budget used.
Create ad group:
- [theme] - [queries, goals, cost per goal, budget]
Add negatives:
- [campaign] - [terms]
Skip:
- [query] - [reason]
## Run it in Roadway
https://www.roadwayai.com/workflows/expand-winning-keywords-into-new-match-types-and-ad-groups-for-google-search-ads
Turns converting search terms on Google Search Ads into new exact and phrase keywords and tightly themed ad groups, with negatives to avoid overlap. Each time it runs, it finds what is working and suggests small, measured steps to scale it. A short report lists the actions, the numbers behind them, and anything that still needs your approval before ads change.
