skill-015-ngram-analysis

Skill 015: N-gram Analysis for Search Term Patterns

Purpose

Analyze 1-word, 2-word, and 3-word combinations (n-grams) within search terms to identify systemic patterns of waste or opportunity. N-gram analysis reveals patterns invisible at the individual query level.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Standard

Standard Data:

• data/performance/campaigns/*/*/search_terms_metrics_30_days.md - Search query performance
• data/account/campaigns/*/negative_keywords.md - Existing negatives
• data/account/shared_negative_lists.md - Shared negative lists

Reference GAQL:

SELECT
  search_term_view.search_term,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.conversions_value
FROM search_term_view
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND metrics.impressions > 0

Use /google-ads:get-custom if you need different date ranges or additional metrics.

Analysis Steps

1. Extract n-grams: Tokenize search terms into 1-grams, 2-grams, and 3-grams; normalize (lowercase, remove punctuation)
2. Aggregate metrics: For each n-gram, sum metrics from all containing search terms
3. Identify waste patterns: Flag n-grams with Cost >= $50 AND Conversions = 0, or appearing in 5+ zero-conversion terms
4. Identify opportunity patterns: Flag n-grams with Conv >= 3 AND CPA below target, or Conv Rate >= 5%
5. Cross-reference negatives: Check if wasteful n-grams already covered by existing negatives

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
N-gram Cost >= $100 AND Conv = 0	Critical
N-gram in 10+ terms AND Conv = 0	Critical
N-gram Cost >= $50 AND Conv = 0	Warning
N-gram Conv >= 5 AND CPA <= Target CPA	Info (opportunity)

Output

Use Short format by default. Use Detailed if user requests comprehensive analysis.

Short:

## N-gram Analysis Audit
**Account:** [Name] | **Search Terms:** [X] | **Patterns Found:** [Y]

### Critical ([Count])
- **"[n-gram]"**: $[X] spent across [Y] terms, 0 conversions → Add as phrase negative

### Warnings ([Count])
- **"[n-gram]"**: $[X] spent, 0 conversions → Add as phrase negative

### Opportunities ([Count])
- **"[n-gram]"**: [X] conversions at $[Y] CPA → Create dedicated ad group

### Recommendations
1. Add "[n-gram]" as negative (saves ~$[X]/month)
2. Create ad group for "[n-gram]" theme

Detailed adds:

• What Was Checked (n-gram extraction, aggregation method)
• Waste n-grams table (N-gram, Type, Terms, Cost, Conv, Recommendation)
• Opportunity n-grams table (N-gram, Type, Terms, Cost, Conv, CPA, Conv Rate)
• Statistical summary (unique 1/2/3-grams, with conversions, zero-conv high-spend)