Base the threshold on your conversion rate, not on a fixed number. If you convert at 10%, a sale is expected around every 10 clicks, so roughly 20–30 clicks with no orders is a real signal rather than bad luck. The widely repeated rule of 10 clicks is too aggressive for most accounts and kills keywords that were merely unlucky.
Why a fixed rule misleads
At a 20% conversion rate, 10 clicks without a sale is unremarkable. At a 2% conversion rate, 10 clicks tells you almost nothing at all — you would expect roughly 50 clicks per sale.
Take your expected clicks per sale as 1 ÷ conversion rate, then wait for about two to three times that before judging a keyword.
Consider spend, not just clicks
A term with 40 cheap clicks and no orders has cost you little. A term with 12 expensive clicks may already have cost more than a sale is worth. Sorting by spend rather than clicks finds the real damage faster.
Lower the bid before removing it
Pausing removes the data. Reducing the bid keeps the keyword alive at a price where it can still be profitable, which is often the better first move for a term you believe in.
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