Negative keyword lists for Google Ads & Co.

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What are Negative Keywords in Google Ads?

Negative keywords are search terms for which you don't want your Google Ads to appear. Imagine you're selling luxury cars. You probably wouldn't want your ads to show for searches like "free used cars" or "car rental." This is exactly where negative keywords come in.

Negative keywords are search terms for which you don't want your Google Ads to appear. Imagine you're selling luxury cars. You probably wouldn't want your ads to show for searches like "free used cars" or "car rental." This is exactly where negative keywords come in.

Why are Negative Keywords so Important?

Negative keywords are crucial for the success of your Google Ads campaigns because they help you optimize your advertising budget. Without them, your ads would also appear for irrelevant search queries or those that don't match your offering. This leads to wasted clicks and unnecessary costs.

By excluding irrelevant search terms, you ensure that your ads are only shown to users who are genuinely interested in your products or services. This leads to a higher click-through rate (CTR), better Quality Scores for your keywords, and ultimately more efficient lead generation. In short: you reach the right people at the right time and save money while doing it.

When should you use Negative Keywords?

Negative keywords are particularly useful for optimizing your campaign performance and saving your budget. You should always use them when your ads appear for irrelevant search queries that do not match your business model or your products.

Some typical scenarios include:

• For broad keywords:
  If you're using broad search terms that can have many meanings (e.g., "software" or "design"), you can exclude specific terms that don't relate to your offering.
• Excluding irrelevant terms:
  Exclude words like "free," "used," "DIY," or "tutorial" if you're selling premium products or don't offer free services.
• Protecting your brand:
  Prevent your brand ads from appearing for search queries related to complaints, support, or problems.
• Competitor exclusion:
  Sometimes it makes sense to exclude competitor names if you don't want your ads to appear for those search queries.
• Specific exclusions from search query reports:
  Regularly check the search query report in Google Ads to identify terms that generate clicks but don't lead to conversions.

By strategically using negative keywords, you ensure your advertising budget goes where it matters most.

What Types of Negative Keywords Are There?

Just like regular keywords, negative keywords also have different match types that define how precisely a search term should be excluded. The most important ones are: :

• Negative exact match [keyword]:
  Your ad will only be prevented from showing if the search query exactly matches the negative keyword, with no additional words or different order.
• Negative phrase match "keyword":
  Your ad will not show if the search query contains the exact phrase of the negative keyword, even if there are additional words before or after it.
• Negative broad match keyword:
  This is the most flexible option. Your ad will not show if the search query contains variations of the negative keyword, including misspellings, singular/plural forms, synonyms, or related searches.

Additionally, you can create Negative Keyword Lists. These lists are collections of negative keywords that you can apply to multiple campaigns. This saves time and ensures consistency across your entire Google Ads account.

How Do I Find Suitable Negative Keywords?

Finding the right negative keywords is crucial for maximizing the efficiency of your Google Ads campaigns. One of the most effective methods is regularly analyzing the search query report in your Google Ads account. This report shows you exactly which search terms triggered your ads. This way, you can identify irrelevant queries that generate clicks but don't lead to conversions, and then add them as negative keywords.

Additionally, through brainstorming and considering your offerings, you can think about which terms definitely don't fit your products or services. For example, if you sell luxury items, terms like "cheap" or "used" could be excluded. Your tool offers an invaluable advantage here: it provides you with pre-made lists and categories (like "car brands" or "swear words") that save you a lot of time researching and compiling relevant negative keywords.

Best Practices for Negative Keywords

To get the most out of your negative keywords, continuous maintenance is crucial. Regularly review your search query report in Google Ads. Here you'll discover new, irrelevant search terms that are costing your ads unnecessary clicks. Consistently add these to your exclusion lists to save your budget and increase the relevance of your campaigns.

Be careful not to be too aggressive. Too many or overly broad negative keywords can prevent your ads from appearing for potentially profitable search queries. It's a balance between filtering irrelevant traffic and reaching your target audience. Negative keyword lists help you manage your excluded terms clearly and apply them to multiple campaigns, improving the consistency and efficiency of your entire Google Ads strategy.

How Does Your Tool Help Me Find Negative Keywords?

Our tool simplifies the often tedious process of finding and compiling effective negative keywords. Instead of manually creating lists or endlessly sifting through search query reports, you can simply choose from predefined categories tailored to frequently needed exclusions. Whether it's generic terms, industry-specific exclusions like "car brands," or even a comprehensive list of "swear words," our tool quickly and precisely generates the appropriate keyword sets.

The main advantage lies in saving time and minimizing errors. You immediately receive a long, combined list of negative keywords that you can directly integrate into your Google Ads campaigns. This ensures that your ads are more relevant, unnecessary clicks are avoided, and your advertising budget is optimally utilized - all with just a few clicks.

What is a Negative Keyword List?

A Negative Keyword List is a collection of negative keywords that you can create in Google Ads. Instead of manually adding individual negative keywords to each campaign or ad group, you can manage such a list centrally and then apply it to multiple campaigns. This not only saves an enormous amount of time but also ensures consistency across your entire account.

These lists are particularly useful if you have certain terms or topics that are not relevant to any of your campaigns, such as "free," "used," or general support inquiries. By using a Negative Keyword List, you ensure that your ads never appear for these unwanted search queries, which significantly increases the efficiency of your advertising spend.

Should I Exclude Generic Terms like "Free" or "Used"?

Yes, in most cases, it's highly advisable to add generic terms like "free," "used," "cheap," or "DIY" (Do It Yourself) as negative keywords. If you offer products or services that don't fall into these categories, search queries with such terms usually lead to irrelevant clicks. These users are looking for free solutions or second-hand goods and are unlikely to convert with you.

By excluding these terms, you ensure that your ads are only shown to users who have genuine purchase intent or are interested in high-quality, new offerings. This not only saves your budget but also significantly improves the quality of traffic to your website, as you focus on the most relevant potential customers.

Can Excluding Keywords Harm My Campaign Performance?

Yes, an overly aggressive or ill-considered exclusion of keywords can actually harm your campaign performance. If you exclude too many terms, or terms that could actually be relevant, you risk your ads no longer appearing for important search queries. This can lead to you missing out on potential customers and unnecessarily limiting your campaign's reach.

It's a fine line between filtering irrelevant traffic and ensuring your ads are visible for all relevant queries. Therefore, regularly review your negative keywords and the search query report. This way, you ensure that you don't exclude valuable leads and that your Google Ads campaigns continue to work efficiently and purposefully.

How Do Negative Keywords Affect Quality Score?

Negative keywords play a vital role in improving your Quality Score in Google Ads. Quality Score is Google's assessment of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to users. A higher Quality Score can lead to lower costs per click (CPC) and better ad positions.

By filtering out irrelevant search queries with negative keywords, you ensure that your ads are only shown to users who are truly interested in your offer. This leads to a higher click-through rate (CTR) and improved ad relevance in relation to the search query. These improvements positively impact your Quality Score, as Google recognizes that your ads are more relevant and useful to users.

Should I Add My Competitors as Negative Keywords?

Adding competitors as negative keywords is a strategic decision and largely depends on your campaign goals. In many cases, it can be beneficial to exclude the brand names of your direct competitors. This prevents your ads from appearing when users are explicitly searching for a competitor. This saves budget, as clicks from users who already have a preference for a competitor often do not lead to a conversion.

However, bidding on competitor keywords can also be a deliberate strategy to attract their customers. If this is your goal, then you should, of course, not exclude your competitors. Consider whether you want your brand to appear only for search queries directly related to your offering, or if you also want to actively be present in your competitors' environment.

Should I Review My Negative Keywords Regularly?

Yes, regularly reviewing and updating your negative keywords is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of your Google Ads campaigns. The search query report in Google Ads is your most important tool for this. New, irrelevant search terms are constantly appearing, and what was relevant yesterday might be irrelevant today. Without regular checks, unnecessary costs can quickly creep in.

Proactive maintenance of your negative lists ensures that your advertising budget is always optimally utilized. You avoid wasted clicks and keep your ads relevant. Schedule fixed times - whether weekly or monthly, depending on campaign size - to maintain your negative keywords. This way, your campaign performance remains stable and efficient.

Is There a Limit to the Number of Negative Keywords?

Yes, Google Ads has limits on the number of negative keywords you can add per list or per element (campaign/ad group). Currently, you can add up to 20,000 negative keywords per Negative Keyword List. At the campaign level, you can also include up to 20,000 negative keywords, and at the ad group level, it's up to 5,000.

These limits are usually sufficient to effectively filter out irrelevant search queries. However, if you have very extensive campaigns or niches where a large number of terms need to be excluded, it's advisable to strategically group keywords and use shared Negative Keyword Lists. This helps simplify management and stay within the given limits.

What's the Difference Between Campaign-Level and Ad Group-Level Negative Keywords?

The main difference lies in the scope of exclusions. When you add a negative keyword at the campaign level, it applies to all ad groups within that specific campaign. This is ideal for very general terms that aren't relevant in any of your ad groups in that campaign, such as "free" if you don't offer free services. It broadly prevents your ads from showing for these search queries.

Ad group-level negative keywords, on the other hand, are much more specific. They only apply to the individual ad group you add them to. This is useful when you are promoting different products or services within one campaign, and certain terms are irrelevant only for a specific ad group, while they might be relevant for another. For example, a car dealer promoting sports cars might exclude "SUV" in the sports car ad group, while this term would be relevant in another ad group for off-road vehicles.

What's the Best Match Type for Negative Keywords?

The "best" match type for negative keywords largely depends on your specific goals and the situation. There isn't one universal answer, but each option has its advantages:

• Negative Phrase Match ("Keyword"):
  Often the gold standard. It excludes specific phrases and their variations with additional words before or after. This offers a good balance between specificity and reach, as you filter unwanted phrases without blocking too many relevant search queries.
• Negative Exact Match ([Keyword]):
  Ideal for blocking precise and potentially expensive irrelevant search terms. If you know exactly which phrasing you want to exclude, this is the safest way to save costs.
• Negative Broad Match (Keyword):
  This option is the broadest. It also excludes closely related terms, synonyms, and even typos. Be careful here, as this could also block desired search queries. It's best suited for terms that are irrelevant in any context, such as swear words or very clearly irrelevant generic terms.

In most cases, a combination of phrase match and exact match is the most effective approach for efficiently filtering unwanted traffic.