Before you start
- Access to a Google Ads (AdWords) account with the role of Standard, Admin, or Read-only
- A spreadsheet tool capable of opening CSV files (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers)
- Optional: Google Ads Editor desktop app for bulk-export and bulk-edit workflows
- For competitor keyword downloads: a third-party tool subscription (SpyFu, SEMrush, Ahrefs) - Google Ads itself does not export competitor keywords
The playbook
7 steps
Download your own active keywords
Google Ads → Campaigns → Keywords → Search keywords tab. Select all (or filter to specific campaigns), click the Download icon (top-right toolbar), choose CSV or Excel format. This export includes keyword, match type, status, max CPC, last 30 days clicks/impressions/CPA. Use this as your baseline before any competitor-gap work.
# Active keyword export: # 1. Campaigns → Keywords → Search keywords # 2. Date range: Last 30 days # 3. Columns → Modify columns → add: Conv. rate, CPA, Quality Score # 4. Download → CSV (Excel for charts) # 5. File contains: keyword, match type, ad group, campaign, metricsExpected outcome
A CSV of every active keyword in your account with performance metrics.
Download your search terms report
The search terms report is the underrated download - it shows the actual queries that triggered your ads, not just the keywords you bid on. Reports → Predefined reports → Auction Insights → Search Terms. Filter to last 90 days, export CSV. This is where you discover gap-keyword opportunities from your own historical impression data.
Expected outcome
A 90-day CSV of every search query that triggered your ads, with metrics per query.
Download Keyword Planner suggestions
Google Ads → Tools → Planning → Keyword Planner → Discover new keywords. Enter seed keywords or a competitor's URL. The tool returns 100-1000 suggested keywords with monthly search volume and bid ranges. Click Download keyword ideas → CSV for export. This is your free keyword research feed.
TipWhen using competitor URL as the seed (instead of keywords), Keyword Planner mines the page content for topical keywords - it's effectively a free competitor keyword extraction layer.Expected outcome
A CSV of keyword suggestions with search volume, bid range, and competition score.
Download a full campaign structure via Google Ads Editor
For exports beyond what the web UI offers, install Google Ads Editor (free desktop app). File → Get latest changes → Export → Account snapshot. This produces a full structural export of every campaign, ad group, keyword, ad, extension, and audience. Use this for backup, agency hand-off, or bulk-edit workflows.
Expected outcome
A complete account snapshot file ready for backup, hand-off, or bulk editing.
Download competitor keywords via third-party tools
Google Ads doesn't expose competitor keyword data natively - you can see who competes (Auction Insights) but not their full keyword list. For that, use Ahrefs Site Explorer (Paid keywords → Export), SEMrush Advertising Research (Positions → Export), or SpyFu (PPC Keywords → Download). Each exports CSV with keyword, position, traffic estimate, and ad copy.
Expected outcome
Competitor keyword CSVs from your tool of choice with traffic and position estimates.
Normalize the CSVs into one master file
Each tool exports slightly different column structures. Standardize: keyword, match_type (if applicable), source (your account / search terms / Keyword Planner / SpyFu / etc), competitor_name (if from competitor export), search_volume, suggested_cpc, your_current_status (bidding / not bidding). One master file lets you query across all sources without re-opening 6 spreadsheets.
# Normalized master columns: # keyword | match_type | source | competitor | volume | suggested_cpc | currently_bidding | gap_priority # # Pivot table queries to run after normalization: # - Keywords by source (where most ideas come from) # - Keywords currently_bidding=false grouped by volume # - Competitor-gap keywords ranked by gap_priorityExpected outcome
A single normalized master CSV combining your account, search terms, Planner, and competitor data.
Turn the downloads into bidding decisions
Downloads without action are research theater. From the normalized master, pick 10-20 keywords to add to your account this sprint - based on volume, gap status, and topical fit. Use Google Ads Editor to bulk-add (faster than the web UI for >5 keywords at a time). Measure for 14-30 days, then iterate.
Expected outcome
A documented batch of 10-20 keywords added to your account, ready for measurement.
Shuttergen
Downloaded the keywords. Now ship the creative.
Exported keyword lists only convert when paired with sharp ad creative. Shuttergen generates ad variants tuned to each keyword cluster in your export - so the data turns into pipeline.
Pitfalls
What goes wrong
Downloading without setting the right columns first
The default column set in Google Ads exports misses Conv. rate, CPA, and Quality Score. Modify columns BEFORE downloading - the export reflects whatever columns are visible in the UI. Otherwise you'll be missing the metrics that actually drive bid decisions.
Forgetting to set the date range
Defaults are usually 'last 7 days' which produces noisy, low-volume data. For keyword analysis, last 30-90 days is the minimum. For Auction Insights, last 30 days. Set the date range before clicking download.
Treating Keyword Planner volume as exact
Keyword Planner monthly search volumes are bucketed ('100-1k', '1k-10k', '10k-100k') for accounts under a spend threshold, and even at high-spend the numbers are smoothed/rounded. Use them for rank-ordering, not for forecasting.
Expecting Google Ads to export competitor keywords
It doesn't. Auction Insights surfaces WHO competes; Google Ads has no native feature to download competitors' full keyword lists. Third-party tools are required for this layer of data.
Exporting once and never updating
Keyword data ages fast. Search volumes, CPCs, and competitor presence shift weekly. Quarterly re-exports keep your master file useful; monthly is better for active accounts.
Limits
When this playbook won't work
- Your account has restricted permissions - 'Email-only' role can't export keyword data
- You're trying to download keywords from a Performance Max campaign - PMax exposes very limited keyword-level data through any export path
- You're using Google Ads Editor on an account with 500k+ keywords - the desktop app slows significantly at scale
- Your account is brand new (<14 days) - search terms reports won't have enough data to be useful
- You're trying to export historical data beyond 25 months - that's Google's retention limit for most reports
The four sources of downloadable keyword data
Source 1: Your own active keywords. This is the baseline - the keywords you're currently bidding on. Export it monthly to track changes you've made and to identify keywords that have decayed in performance.
Source 2: Your search terms report. The most underrated download in Google Ads. It shows the queries that ACTUALLY triggered your ads (vs the keywords you bid on, which might match-type-expand into hundreds of queries). The gap between bid keywords and search queries is where you find negative-keyword opportunities and new keyword candidates.
Source 3: Keyword Planner. Free, native, and produces keyword ideas seeded from your URL, competitor URLs, or seed keywords. The data quality has degraded post-2022 (more bucketing, less precision), but the breadth of suggestions still beats most paid alternatives for ideation.
Source 4: Third-party competitor exports. Google Ads has no native competitor keyword download. SpyFu, SEMrush, and Ahrefs all maintain their own indexes of public SERP data and let you export any domain's modeled keyword footprint. Each tool's coverage differs slightly; most teams settle on one as primary.
Downloaded the keywords. Now ship the creative. Exported keyword lists only convert when paired with sharp ad creative. Shuttergen generates ad variants tuned to each keyword cluster in your export - so the data turns into pipeline.
Bulk operations: when the UI breaks down
The Google Ads web UI is fine up to ~50 keywords at a time. Beyond that, adding, editing, or deleting keywords through the web interface becomes tedious and error-prone. The break point for most teams is around 100 keywords or 10+ campaigns.
Google Ads Editor is the answer. It's a free desktop app that downloads your full account locally, lets you make bulk edits offline, then uploads the changes in batch. For any keyword operation involving 50+ rows, Editor is the productivity unlock.
The CSV-then-import workflow. Editor accepts CSV imports for bulk keyword additions. The workflow: build your keyword list in a spreadsheet (one row per keyword with campaign, ad group, match type, max CPC), save as CSV, File → Import → CSV in Editor. 500 new keywords added in minutes.
The Google Ads API for engineering teams. For accounts running 10k+ keywords with regular bulk changes, the Ads API is the right tool. But for most marketing teams, Editor handles 95% of bulk workflows without writing code.
Internal: adwords-competitor-keywords, competitors-keywords-adwords, competitor-ppc-keywords.
FAQ
Frequently asked
How do I download keywords from AdWords?
Can I download my AdWords search terms?
Does Google Ads let me download competitor keywords?
What format does AdWords export keywords in?
What's the easiest way to bulk-download all my keywords?
Can I download historical AdWords keyword data?
Why are my Keyword Planner search volumes bucketed?
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Downloaded the keywords. Now ship the creative.
Exported keyword lists only convert when paired with sharp ad creative. Shuttergen generates ad variants tuned to each keyword cluster in your export - so the data turns into pipeline.