Negative Keywords

What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases that advertisers use in search engine marketing campaigns (such as Google AdsWhat Is Google Ads?Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, allowing businesses to display ads on Google search results, YouTube, websites, and other Google-affiliated platforms. Advertisers bid on specific keywords related to) to prevent their ads from showing up in search results for irrelevant queries. By specifying negative keywords, advertisers can avoid wasting money on clicks that are unlikely to convert or bring value to their business. This strategy is a vital part of refining targeting efforts, ensuring that ads reach the most relevant audience.

Why Are Negative Keywords Important?

1. Improved Ad Relevance
   • Negative keywords ensure that your ads are only shown to people who are likely to be interested in your product or service. By eliminating irrelevant traffic, you increase the chances of engaging with an audience that has a genuine interest in what you offer.
   • Example: If you sell high-end luxury watches, you might add “cheap” or “discount” as negative keywords to avoid showing your ads to users looking for low-cost alternatives.
2. Cost Efficiency
   • Negative keywords help to reduce wasted spend on clicks from users who are unlikely to convert into customers. This allows you to allocate your ad budget more effectively and get more value from every dollar spent.
   • Example: If you run an online store for handmade furniture, you might add “mass-produced” as a negative keyword to avoid spending money on clicks from users who aren’t interested in custom, artisan-made pieces.
3. Better Targeting
   • Negative keywords enable more precise targeting by filtering out irrelevant searches. This helps you focus on the specific audience that is most likely to engage with your products or services, which ultimately boosts the performance of your campaigns.
   • Example: If you sell professional photography services, you might add “amateur photography” as a negative keyword to filter out users looking for hobbyist photography tips or services.
4. Enhanced Quality Score
   • In platforms like Google AdsWhat Is Google Ads?Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, allowing businesses to display ads on Google search results, YouTube, websites, and other Google-affiliated platforms. Advertisers bid on specific keywords related to, the Quality Score is an important factor in determining how often and at what cost your ads are shown. By using negative keywords, you can improve the relevance of your ads, which may lead to a higher Quality Score, potentially lowering your cost-per-click (CPC).
   • Example: Adding negative keywords related to irrelevant products or services can improve your ad relevance and help increase your Quality Score, leading to more competitive ad placements at lower costs.
5. Reduced Click-Through Rate (CTR)What Is Click-Through Rate (CTR)?Click-through rate (CTR) is a digital marketing metric that measures the percentage of people who click on a link, ad, or email after being exposed to it. It’s a critical indicator of how effective a particular for Irrelevant Queries
   • By excluding certain search terms, negative keywords help to maintain a high CTR by ensuring your ads are shown to the most relevant users. When ads are displayed to users who have no interest in the offered products or services, the CTR can drop, negatively impacting the campaign’s performance.
   • Example: If you’re advertisingDefinitionBrand awareness is the extent to which consumers can recognize or recall a brand. It is one of the key objectives in marketing, as it indicates how familiar consumers are with a company's products or services. The higher the brand a digital marketingWhat Is Digital Marketing?Digital marketing is the use of online platforms and technologies to promote a product, service, or brand. It’s all about meeting your audience where they already are—on their phones, laptops, and tablets. From social media to email course, you might use “free course” as a negative keyword to ensure your ads don’t show up for those searching for free, low-quality alternatives.

How to Choose Negative Keywords

1. Identify Irrelevant Terms
   • Look for search terms in your campaign’s search term report that are not relevant to your products or services. These may include terms that target different industries, products, or searchers at a different stage in the buying journey.
   • Example: A high-end car dealership could identify terms like “cheap cars” or “used cars” as negative keywords to avoid attracting people looking for budget-friendly options.
2. Focus on Specificity
   • While broad terms may seem like obvious negative keywords, it’s important to get specific. Including terms like “free,” “cheap,” or “how-to” might be helpful, but also look for specific phrases that attract non-converting traffic.
   • Example: A luxury brand might use negative keywords like “DIY” or “self-made” to avoid showing ads to customers who are looking to create their own products.
3. Use Keyword ResearchWhat Is Keyword Research?Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the search terms people use to find information online. This foundational SEO practice helps marketers understand user intent, create relevant content, and optimize websites to rank higher in More Tools
   • Keyword researchWhat Is Keyword Research?Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the search terms people use to find information online. This foundational SEO practice helps marketers understand user intent, create relevant content, and optimize websites to rank higher in More tools, such as Google’s Keyword Planner, can help identify terms that might trigger irrelevant searches. Regularly review the search terms driving traffic to your ads and analyze which ones are not generating valuable clicks.
   • Example: An e-commerce store specializing in pet products might use a tool to discover negative keywords like “pet food recipes” to exclude from their campaigns.
4. Monitor Campaign Performance
   • Constant monitoring of your ad campaigns allows you to identify negative keywords based on data and performance. Pay attention to keywords that are attracting clicks but not leading to conversions, and consider adding them as negative keywords to optimize your campaign.
   • Example: If an online clothing store’s ads show up for “cheap clothing” but those clicks aren’t converting, those terms should be added as negative keywords.

How to Implement Negative Keywords

1. Add Negative Keywords at the Campaign or Ad Group Level
   • Negative keywords can be added at either the campaign or ad group level, depending on how broad or narrow you want to apply the exclusion. For more precision, ad group-level exclusions allow you to control which specific ad groups are filtered out.
   • Example: If you have multiple product categories, you might add “free shipping” as a negative keyword for the “luxury items” ad group, but leave it in the “budget items” ad group if it’s relevant there.
2. Use Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match Types
   • Just like regular keywords, negative keywords can be set with different match types: broad, phrase, or exact match. Broad match excludes any search queries that contain the negative keyword, while phrase and exact match provide more control over the exclusion.
   • Example: If you set “cheap shoes” as a broad match negative keyword, your ad will not show for any search that includes the word “cheap shoes,” whether in a longer search query or on its own.
3. Review Search Query Reports Regularly
   • Google AdsWhat Is Google Ads?Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, allowing businesses to display ads on Google search results, YouTube, websites, and other Google-affiliated platforms. Advertisers bid on specific keywords related to provides search query reports that show which terms triggered your ads. Regularly reviewing these reports helps identify which keywords are performing poorly, allowing you to add them as negative keywords.
   • Example: If you run a website for professional editing services and your report shows a lot of clicks from “free proofreading,” you can add this term as a negative keyword.
4. Utilize Negative Keyword Lists
   • In platforms like Google AdsWhat Is Google Ads?Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, allowing businesses to display ads on Google search results, YouTube, websites, and other Google-affiliated platforms. Advertisers bid on specific keywords related to, you can create and manage lists of negative keywords. Once a list is created, you can apply it to multiple campaigns to save time and ensure consistency across your ads.
   • Example: If you run campaigns for different types of services but want to exclude “free” from all your campaigns, create a “Free Exclusion” negative keyword list and apply it across the board.

Conclusion
Negative keywords are a critical component of any search engine marketing campaign. By filtering out irrelevant traffic, businesses can ensure that their ads reach the right audience, improve ad relevance, increase ROI, and reduce wasted ad spend. Regular monitoring, testing, and refining of negative keyword strategies help maintain the effectiveness of your campaigns and ensure long-term success.