How to Use Negative Keywords in Google Ads

Negative keywords stop your Google Ads from showing on searches you don't want to pay for. Find them in the search terms report, choose the shortest word or phrase that blocks the problem, pick a negative match type, and add plurals and synonyms yourself, because negatives don't match close variants. Then apply each one at the right level and check you haven't blocked good searches. This guide is part of our paid advertising guide.

You'll need a Search campaign that has run long enough to collect searches, and permission to edit it. Conversion tracking lets you judge searches by results, not just by clicks.

How negative keywords work

A keyword tells Google which searches your ad may show for. A negative keyword does the opposite: it removes searches from that pool. If you sell eyeglasses, Google's own example, negatives such as "wine glasses" keep your ads off searches from people who want something else.

Negatives follow different rules from normal keywords. Normal keywords can match close variants, such as plurals and misspellings. Google says negatives don't match close variants or other expansions. A negative "flowers" blocks "red flowers" but not "red flower". Google does say negatives handle casing and misspellings automatically, but plurals and synonyms need adding yourself.

Negatives also apply at different levels. You can add them to one ad group, one campaign, a shared list used by several campaigns, or a single list for the whole account. Where you put a negative decides what it blocks, which is why it's part of your Google Ads account structure.

Steps

1. 01
   Open the search terms report for a useful date range.

   In Google Ads, the search terms report shows the actual searches that triggered your ads. Choose a range long enough to include real traffic, such as the last 30 days for a busy campaign or longer for a quiet one. Review each campaign separately, so you can see which keywords pulled in which searches.

2. 02
   Add the Keyword and Match type columns.

   The Keyword column shows which of your keywords matched each search, and it isn't shown by default. The Match type column shows how closely the search matched. Together they tell you whether a bad search came from a broad keyword that needs tightening or a gap that needs a negative.

3. 03
   Sort each search into keep, add or exclude.

   Sort by cost, then work down the list. Keep searches that fit what you sell. Add good searches that aren't keywords yet as new keywords. Mark the rest for exclusion: services you don't offer, the wrong audience, such as job seekers, or research searches that never convert. Conversion data, where you have it, makes these calls easier.

4. 04
   Pick the shortest word or phrase that blocks the problem.

   Look for the word that makes a search wrong. If "wine glasses" and "drinking glasses" both appear for an optician, "wine" and "drinking" may be the real problem. A short negative blocks more future searches, but it can also block good ones, so check it against your keyword list first.

5. 05
   Choose the negative match type.

   A broad negative blocks searches that contain all its words, in any order. A phrase negative blocks searches containing the words in that order, with extra words allowed. An exact negative blocks only that exact search, with no extra words. Use exact when the words are fine in other contexts, and broad when they're never right.

6. 06
   Add plurals, synonyms and variants yourself.

   Because negatives don't match close variants, a negative "course" won't block "courses". Add the singular and plural, common synonyms and alternative spellings you see in the report. Google treats words with and without accents, and "&" versus "and", as different negatives, so add both forms where they matter.

7. 07
   Add each negative at the right level.

   Put terms you never want anywhere into the account-level list. Use shared negative keyword lists for groups of campaigns, such as every service campaign. Use campaign and ad group negatives to steer searches between your own campaigns, for example keeping brand searches out of service campaigns. Shared lists are easier to keep up to date than scattered negatives.

8. 08
   Check you haven't blocked searches you want.

   After adding negatives, compare impressions and conversions with the previous period. A sharp drop can mean a negative is too broad. Read each new negative against your own keyword list, and check that none of them would block a search one of your keywords was added to catch.

9. 09
   Repeat on a schedule and keep a log.

   Searches change, and new keywords bring new matches. Review search terms on a regular schedule, and after any change to keywords or match types. Log every negative with the date, level and reason, so anyone can see why a search is blocked and undo it quickly if needed.

If you'd rather have search terms reviewed and negatives managed for you, our in-house ads team runs paid search alongside the ad creative.

Negative match types side by side

Google illustrates the three negative match types with the negative keyword "running shoes". This table shows which searches each one blocks.

Note the second row. None of the three blocks "running shoe", because negatives don't cover plurals or singulars. That's the reason for step 6.

Common themes to review

Most unwanted searches fall into a few themes. Reviewing your report with these in mind speeds up step 3:

• Things you don't sell. Products, services or sizes you don't offer.
• Jobs and training. Searches for careers, courses, salaries or certifications, unless you hire or teach.
• Do it yourself. How-to and free-template searches, if you only sell the finished service.
• The wrong place. Searches naming areas you don't serve, even if your location settings are correct.
• Other businesses. Searches for a specific other company by name, if you don't want to appear for them.

When search terms show the right searches but weak results, the problem may be the ad rather than the targeting. We cover that in how to write Google search ads.

Troubleshooting

Impressions dropped sharply after adding negatives

Cause: a negative is broader than intended. A one-word broad negative, such as "free" or "cheap", can block good searches that happen to contain it. A negative added at account level, when it was meant for one campaign, blocks it everywhere. Google also warns that too many negatives can mean your ads reach fewer customers.

Fix: check your log for negatives added just before the drop, as recorded in step 9. Look for single words and account-level entries first. Narrow a broad negative to a phrase or exact negative, or move it down to the campaign where it belongs. Then compare impressions over the next week against the period before the change.

Unwanted searches still get through

Cause: the negative doesn't cover the variant that's showing. Negatives don't match close variants, so plurals, synonyms and reordered phrases can slip past. Very long searches can also get through: Google says a negative after the 16th word of a search may not apply. And Display and Video campaigns treat negatives differently from Search.

Fix: add the exact form that's appearing, plus its plural and common synonyms, as in step 6. If the order varies, use a broad negative instead of a phrase negative. Check that the negative is on the right campaign or list, and that the list is applied to the campaign. Then check the search terms report again after a few days.

Two campaigns keep competing for the same search

Cause: keywords in two campaigns can match the same search, so the search goes to whichever ad wins, not the one you planned. Brand searches showing in a service campaign, or one service's searches showing in another's, are common signs. Reports then mix results from both, and budgets drain from the wrong place.

Fix: decide which campaign should own each type of search. Add negatives to the other campaign, such as your brand name as a negative in service campaigns. Add exact match keywords for important searches in the owning campaign. Then confirm in the search terms report that each search now appears in the campaign you chose.