TL;DR
- Negative keywords are one of the highest-ROI optimizations in Google Ads: they prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches, so the budget goes to searches that can convert.
- Adding negative keywords for 'free,' 'how to,' competitor brand names, and non-commercial modifiers should be a weekly practice for every Google Ads account.
- Negative keywords do not match close variants, so add plurals and synonyms yourself. Google allows 20 shared lists of up to 5,000 negatives each, plus 1,000 account-level negatives.
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing on search queries that include specific words or phrases, blocking irrelevant clicks and saving budget. They do not match close variants, so a negative for 'flowers' will not block 'red flower'; add plurals and synonyms separately.
How do I find negative keywords for Google Ads?
Open the Search Terms report, sort by spend, and add irrelevant queries as negatives. Run this weekly, starting with the terms that spent money without a conversion.
What are the different types of negative keyword match?
Google Ads supports negative broad, phrase, and exact match. Use exact match to block one specific term without restricting close variants, phrase to block any query containing the phrase, and broad to block any query containing all the words in any order.
Google Ads negative keywords are words and phrases that stop your ads from showing on searches you do not want to pay for. Add “free” as a negative and a store selling running shoes stops paying for “free running shoes” clicks.
This guide covers how each negative match type works, how to find negatives in your Search Terms report, a starter negative keyword list for ecommerce, and the limits Google puts on lists and account-level negatives.
What Are Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are terms you add to a Google Ads campaign, ad group or list so your ads are not eligible for searches that contain them. If you only sell electric guitars, adding “acoustic” as a negative stops your ads from showing on “acoustic guitar” searches. Per Google Ads Help, three rules decide what a negative blocks:
- No close variants: a negative for “flowers” does not block “red flower”, so add singular, plural and synonym forms yourself.
- Casing and misspellings are covered: you do not need to add those separately.
- 16-word limit: if a negative term falls after the 16th word of a long query, the ad can still show.
Google’s matching does learn over time which searches convert, but it learns by spending your budget on the ones that do not. Negatives cut that learning cost.
🖱️💵 See how negative keywords impact your CPC — calculate your current cost per click.
Negative Keyword Match Types: Broad, Phrase and Exact
Google Ads has three negative match types, and each blocks a narrower set of searches. Using Google’s own example, a negative keyword of “running shoes” works like this:
| Search | Negative broad | Negative phrase | Negative exact |
|---|---|---|---|
| running shoes | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked |
| blue running shoes | Blocked | Blocked | Shows |
| shoes running | Blocked | Shows | Shows |
| running shoe | Shows | Shows | Shows |
The last row is the one people miss: none of the three types blocks the singular “running shoe”, because negatives do not match close variants.
Negative Broad Match
Negative broad match is the default. It blocks any search that contains all of your negative words, in any order, even with extra words around them. A broad negative of “running shoes” blocks “shoes for running” as well as “running shoes sale”.
💡 Tip: Negative broad match keywords won’t match close variations the way regular broad match does. Add singular and plural forms and synonyms yourself; Google handles casing and misspellings.
Negative Phrase Match
Negative phrase match blocks searches that contain your words in the same order. A phrase negative of “organic coffee beans” blocks “buy organic coffee beans online” but still allows “coffee beans organic”. With a phrase negative of “carbon fiber fishing rod”, your ads still show for “carbon fishing rod” and “fishing rod for trout”.
Negative Exact Match
Negative exact match blocks only the exact search, in the same order, with no extra words. An exact negative of [fishing rod] blocks “fishing rod” but not “carbon fiber fishing rod”, “fishing rod for trout” or “fishing rods”.
💡 Tip: Exact match is the most focused type of negative keyword. So, you probably won’t use it as much when launching an ad campaign, but it can be beneficial when optimizing highly targeted ad groups.
How Do You Find Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
You find negative keywords in the Search Terms report, which shows the real searches that triggered your ads. Give a new campaign at least a week of data, then open Insights and reports > Search terms in your Google Ads account and work through it in this order:
- Sort by cost, highest first.
- Filter for search terms with zero conversions.
- Then look for terms with a CTR under 1%, a conversion rate under 3% or a CPA well above your target.
- Add clearly irrelevant terms as negatives, choosing the narrowest match type that blocks them.
- Repeat weekly, and after any budget increase.
Put a number on it each time. If zero-conversion, off-topic search terms spent $900 of a $6,000 month, that is 15% of the budget ($900 ÷ $6,000) to win back.
💡 Tip: Just because a keyword is underperforming doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be in your ads. You can use negative keywords to “quarantine” these search terms for the time being but it’s always a good idea to see if you can make them profitable by modifying your landing page, or other tactics.
Negative Keyword List: Starter Negatives for Ecommerce
A starter negative keyword list for an ecommerce store blocks searches from people who are not trying to buy a new product from you. Treat these as candidates and check each against your own search terms before adding it:
| Category | Negatives to consider | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Free and cheap | free, freebie, giveaway | “cheap” if you compete on price |
| Informational | how to, what is, definition, tutorial, DIY | “how to use” searches for products you sell |
| Jobs | jobs, career, salary, hiring, internship | Rarely a risk for a store |
| Second-hand | used, secondhand, refurbished, rental | “refurbished” if you sell refurbished stock |
| Downloads | torrent, pdf, download, template | Digital products you sell |
| Competitors | Competitor brand names | Only if you choose not to bid on them |
Negative Keyword Examples by Industry
- Luxury travel: cheap, budget, hostel, last minute
- Custom furniture: IKEA, ready-made, assembly required, DIY
- Paid online courses: free, download, torrent, YouTube
- Pet grooming: human, self-grooming, DIY grooming, vet
- Modern art retailer: classical, renaissance, antique
- Advanced fitness coaching: beginner exercises, basic fitness, introductory workout
Should You Use a Premade Negative Keyword List?
No, not without checking it. Premade lists are written for no business in particular, so they can block searches you want, such as “sale” or “refurbished” for a store that sells both. Build your list from your own Search Terms report, the way we do on every Google Ads account we manage.
How to Add Negative Keywords: Campaign, List or Account Level
You can add negatives at four levels, and the right one depends on how widely the term should be blocked:
- Ad group: blocks the term for one ad group, useful for stopping two ad groups competing for the same search.
- Campaign: blocks it for one campaign.
- Shared negative keyword list: up to 5,000 negatives per list and 20 lists per account, applied to as many campaigns as you choose. Edit the list once and every linked campaign updates.
- Account level: up to 1,000 negatives that apply across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, App, Smart and Local campaigns.
Between them, shared lists can hold 100,000 negatives (20 × 5,000). For most stores, one shared list for universal negatives such as jobs and torrents, plus campaign-level negatives for product-specific terms, is enough.
Why Negative Keywords Improve Google Ads Results
- Higher click-through rate: ads stop showing on searches that do not match what you sell.
- Higher conversion rate: the clicks you pay for come from people closer to buying.
- Lower cost per acquisition: the same budget buys more of those clicks.
- Cleaner optimization: ad-group negatives keep ad groups from competing, so each one’s numbers mean something.
Conclusion
Negative keywords tell Google who should not see your ads. Start with a short shared list, add plurals and synonyms yourself, review the Search Terms report every week, and keep each negative as narrow as it can be while still blocking the waste.
If you would like a second opinion on your search terms, get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are search terms you exclude from your campaigns. They tell Google NOT to show your ads when someone searches for those terms. For example, adding 'free' as a negative keyword prevents your ads from showing on searches like 'free running shoes.' Negative keywords improve CTR, conversion rate, and ROAS by focusing your budget on high-intent, purchase-ready searches.
What negative keywords should every ecommerce advertiser add?
Universal ecommerce negatives: 'free,' 'cheap,' 'how to,' 'DIY,' 'tutorial,' 'review,' 'coupon,' 'promo code,' competitor brand names, 'used,' 'secondhand,' 'wholesale,' 'bulk,' 'return policy,' 'job,' 'career,' and 'salary.' Start with these as a shared negative keyword list applied to all campaigns, then add product-specific negatives from your Search Terms report weekly.
How do I find negative keywords for my ecommerce Google Ads?
Review your Search Terms report weekly (Campaigns > Keywords > Search Terms in Google Ads). Sort by cost or clicks and identify searches that have spent money but generated no conversions. Look for: informational queries (how to, what is), non-commercial intent (free, DIY, review), wrong product category, competitor brand names, and geographic exclusions. Add any irrelevant terms as negatives immediately.
What are the different types of negative keyword match types?
Negative Broad: excludes searches containing all of the negative words, in any order. Negative Phrase: excludes searches containing the exact phrase. Negative Exact: excludes only the exact search term. For most ecommerce negatives, use Negative Broad for general terms ('free,' 'cheap') and Negative Phrase for specific phrases ('how to make [product]') to balance reach filtering with precision.
How often should I update my negative keyword lists in Google Ads?
Review your Search Terms report weekly, especially for new campaigns or after budget increases. Spend 15 minutes weekly adding new negatives discovered in the Search Terms report. Do a quarterly deep-dive review of all keyword lists across campaigns. For Performance Max campaigns, use the search terms insight report to identify and add negatives to your campaign-level negative keyword list.
Can negative keywords hurt my Google Ads performance?
Yes. Over-aggressive negative keyword lists can block legitimate high-converting searches. Avoid adding overly broad negatives that block purchase-intent variations. For example, adding 'sale' as a negative might exclude '[product] on sale' searches with genuine purchase intent. When in doubt, use negative phrase match instead of negative broad to reduce over-exclusion. Always verify the impact of large negative keyword additions by monitoring impression volume.
How many negative keywords can you add in Google Ads?
You can create up to 20 shared negative keyword lists per account with up to 5,000 negatives in each, and add up to 1,000 account-level negatives. Shared lists can be applied to as many campaigns as you choose.
Do negative keywords work in Performance Max?
Yes. Account-level negative keywords apply to search and shopping inventory in Performance Max, as well as Search, Shopping, App, Smart and Local campaigns, with a limit of 1,000 per account. Like all negatives, they do not match close variants.
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Thanks, glad you found the content useful 🙂