Waste reportNorthwind HR, a made-up company · Google Ads + HubSpot
Aug 3 – Nov 1, 2026 · 213 leads from Google Search · 195 (92%) matched to a keyword · leads under 14 days old aren't judged yet
$2,140 a month goes to keywords and searches that brought zero qualified leads.
- Keywords to pause
- $1,839 a month
- Searches to block
- $301 a month
That's 23% of the $9,126 a month this account spends on Google Search. Moved to your best keywords (about $400 per qualified lead), the same money could bring about 5 more qualified leads a month. That last figure is an estimate.
No qualified leads · $2,140Everything else · $6,986
213leads from Google Search
50qualified by sales
127rejected by sales
36still open in your CRM
195 of 213 leads matched to a keyword. The other 18 had no keyword, so they count in the totals above but in no keyword row; 4 of them were qualified.
What to change
Biggest first. You apply them in Google Ads; Pipeyield never changes your account.
Stop paying forFrees up
Pause
free hr softwarePause "free hr software": $3,100 in 91 days, 35 leads, none qualified. Sales' main reason: no budget (19 of 35).
$1,036/moPause
hr templatesPause "hr templates": $2,400 in 91 days, 22 leads, none qualified. Sales' main reason: student or research (15 of 22).
$803/moBlock these searchesFrees up
Negative
"free" in search termsBlock searches containing "free": $4,900 in 91 days, 52 leads, none qualified. The pauses above already stop part of that spend; blocking "free" stops $301 a month more. In searches like "free hris system" and "free hr software"; none brought a qualified leadAdd negative: free · phrase match · all campaigns
$301/moSpend more on
Add budget
hr software for small businessAdd budget to "hr software for small business": $400 per qualified lead, against your $546 average.
New keyword
onboarding software for startupsAdd "onboarding software for startups" as an exact-match keyword: this search brought 6 leads, 3 qualified.
Fix
Bid down
what is hrisBid down "what is hris": $1,900 in 91 days for 1 qualified lead, against your $546 average per qualified lead.
Watch
hr analytics platformWatch "hr analytics platform": $1,300 in 91 days, no qualified lead yet, 2 still open.
Tracking
12 leads: no keyword or search term on the leadAdd utm_term={keyword} to your Google Ads tracking template, or connect Google Ads in HubSpot, so new leads carry the keyword.
Tracking
6 leads: search term not in the Google Ads reportUsually Google hiding low-volume searches. Check both Google Ads reports cover the same dates.
Every keyword
The numbers behind each change. Verdicts are explained below.
| Keyword | Spend | Leads | Qualified | Per qualified lead | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hr software for small business | $6,000 | 30 | 15 | $400 | Add budget |
| employee onboarding software | $4,200 | 20 | 10 | $420 | Keep |
| hris system | $3,800 | 27 | 5 | $760 | Keep |
| free hr software | $3,100 | 35 | 0 | none | Pause |
| bamboohr alternative | $2,600 | 15 | 3 | $867 | Keep |
| hr templates | $2,400 | 22 | 0 | none | Pause |
| what is hris | $1,900 | 15 | 1 | $1,900 | Bid down |
| northwind hr | $1,500 | 25 | 12 | $125 | Keep |
| hr analytics platform | $1,300 | 4 | 0 | none | Watch |
| hr compliance software | $500 | 2 | 0 | none | Too little data |
Why sales rejected leads
Reasons given for rejected leads, where your CRM records them.
Mostly "hr software for small business" and "northwind hr".
Mostly "hr templates" and "what is hris".
Mostly "free hr software".
Mostly "free hr software" and "hris system".
Mostly "bamboohr alternative".
Mostly "hris system".
How we decide
Your average is $546 per qualified lead.
PauseSpent over $1,092, enough to buy two qualified leads at your average, and got none.
Add budgetYour three cheapest keywords per qualified lead.
Bid downOne qualified lead at over three times the average.
WatchNo qualified lead yet, but not enough spend to judge.
NegativesOnly words that never appear in a search that brought a qualified lead.
Monthly figures are the totals for these 91 days, scaled to an average month (× 30.42 ÷ 91). They show what this spend cost; what you save depends on applying the changes.