Introduction

One of the fastest ways to waste money on Google Ads is to show your ads to people who will never buy from you. Negative keywords in Google Ads are the solution—they tell Google exactly which searches should not trigger your ads. By using negative keywords in Google Ads effectively, you can eliminate irrelevant traffic, improve click-through rates, increase conversion rates, and maximize your return on investment without increasing your advertising budget.

What Are Negative Keywords and Why They Matter

If you run ads for ‘digital marketing services,’ you might appear for searches like ‘digital marketing books,’ ‘digital marketing salary,’ or ‘digital marketing course free.’ These searchers are not looking to hire you — but you pay for their clicks anyway. Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, reducing wasted spend.

Building Your Initial Negative Keyword List

Start with common irrelevant modifiers: ‘free,’ ‘salary,’ ‘jobs,’ ‘internship,’ ‘course,’ ‘certification,’ ‘books,’ ‘DIY,’ ‘template,’ ‘definition,’ ‘meaning,’ ‘examples.’ Add industry-specific negatives based on your business. If you offer premium services, add ‘cheap,’ ‘affordable,’ ‘budget’ unless those describe your offer.

Using the Search Terms Report

In Google Ads, go to Keywords > Search Terms to see the actual searches that triggered your ads. Review this weekly, especially when starting a new campaign. Any irrelevant term you see should be added as a negative keyword immediately. This ongoing process is how you progressively eliminate wasted spend and improve campaign efficiency.

Negative Keyword Match Types

Negative broad match prevents your ad from showing for searches containing any word in your negative phrase, in any order. Negative phrase match prevents showing for searches that include your phrase in order. Negative exact match prevents showing only when someone searches that exact term. Use negative phrase and exact match most frequently to avoid accidentally blocking relevant traffic.

Organising Negatives at Campaign vs Ad Group Level

Some negative keywords apply across all campaigns (competitor names if you don’t want to bid on them, universally irrelevant terms). Add these at the campaign level. Others apply only to specific ad groups — add those at the ad group level. Create negative keyword lists in the Shared Library to apply the same list across multiple campaigns without duplicating effort.

Ann Rachel

Ann Rachal is a results-driven Digital Marketer and SEO Blogger who specializes in helping bloggers and small businesses grow their online presence. With a strong focus on ethical SEO strategies, data-driven insights, and the latest digital marketing trends, she empowers brands to achieve sustainable growth and visibility.