Have you ever felt like your Google Ads are reaching the wrong audience?
This can be a huge bummer because Google Ads are a powerful tool when done correctly. However, if your ads are showing up in irrelevant searches, you could be wasting valuable ad spend.
How can you fix this, though? With negative keywords. Have you heard of them? They’re not as well-known, but they can be a HUGE help. In this guide, we’ll break down what negative keywords are and how to use them effectively to refine your campaigns and maximize results.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Okay, so what are negative keywords? They’re a lot like a filter for your Google Ads—they stop your ads from showing up for searches that aren’t relevant to your business.
Think of it this way: if you sell premium handbags, you probably don’t want your ad appearing when someone searches for “cheap handbags.”
This small but powerful tactic not only saves your budget but also boosts your click-through rate (CTR). To sum up, negative keywords help you focus on the right audience while cutting out the noise.
Why Should I Use Negative Keywords?
You’re probably a bit skeptical about negative keywords if you haven’t heard of them before. So, you’re probably wondering why you should use them. Well, it turns out they have a number of benefits:
- Cost Efficiency: Why pay for clicks that don’t lead to sales? If you can add negative keywords, it’ll help you spend better by helping you to avoid irrelevant traffic.
- Better Targeting: When you filter out unqualified clicks, your ads are shown to people who are more likely to convert—aka your ideal customers.
- Higher Quality Score: Google rewards ads that are relevant and engaging. By improving your CTR with better targeting, you can lower your cost-per-click (CPC).
- Improved Analytics: Cleaner data means more actionable insights. Negative keywords help you focus on what works without distractions from irrelevant clicks.
- Relevance Matters: When your ad groups are tightly focused, your ads become more relevant to your audience, which makes them more effective.
- Better Results Overall: More conversions, better return on ad spend (ROAS), and a more efficient campaign—all thanks to negative keywords.
Using negative keywords makes your campaigns smarter, leaner, and more profitable overall.
How do I Find Negative Keywords?
You might be thinking that this all sounds great, but how can I find negative keywords? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few easy strategies to help you spot your negative keywords:
- Do Keyword Research: Start by looking at keywords related to your product or service. This will help you figure out what’s relevant—and what’s not.
- Manual Searches: Go ahead and Google terms related to your business. Pay attention to any irrelevant results or suggestions that pop up. These are great clues for negative keywords.
- Check Search Terms Reports: Google Ads’ search terms report is a goldmine. It shows you exactly what people are searching for when they click your ads, making it easier to spot irrelevant queries.
- Spy on Competitors: Don’t be afraid to take a peek at what your competitors are targeting. You’ll want to avoid overlapping with keywords that attract mismatched audiences.
- Think About Intent: Put yourself in your customer’s shoes, and think about how they search. Are there words that might draw in non-buyers? Words like “free” or “cheap” could be worth excluding if you sell premium products?
- Use Keyword Tools: You’ll want to use tools like Google Keyword Planner or third-party software can help you uncover the best negative keywords.
By being proactive and identifying negative keywords, you can fine-tune your campaign, filter out irrelevant traffic, and make every click count.
Match Types for Negative Keywords
When using negative keywords, it’s important to understand what a match type is. It’s how specific you want to be when excluding certain searches. There are three main match types, each offering varying levels of control.
Broad match is the most general option. It prevents your ads from appearing in searches that include any of the negative keyword terms, no matter the order. This is a really good choice if you want to cast a wide net and eliminate irrelevant searches quickly.
Phrase match is a bit more targeted. It excludes searches that contain the exact phrase or close variations of your negative keyword. This match type is perfect if you want to refine your audience without being overly restrictive.
Finally, there’s exact match. Exact match gives you the most precise control. It ensures your ad is only excluded if the search term exactly matches your negative keyword. This is best when you want to narrow things down with absolute precision.
By choosing the right match type for your negative keywords, you can fine-tune your Google Ads strategy and strike the perfect balance between excluding irrelevant traffic and keeping your audience broad enough to drive conversions.
So, How Do I Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
Adding negative keywords is pretty simple and can make a big difference in your targeting. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- First, go to the “Keywords” tab in your Google Ads account.
- Click on “Negative Keywords” in the menu.
- Think about where you want to add your negative keywords:
- At the account level, negative keywords will apply across your entire account. This is great for blocking things like “free” or “cheap” if that doesn’t match your business.
- At the campaign level, negative keywords help you narrow things down for specific campaigns, like excluding terms that aren’t relevant to a certain product or service.
- At the ad group level, you can be even more specific and target exclusions for individual ad groups within a campaign.
- Then, just add the words or phrases you want to exclude—either manually or by uploading a list.
- Finally, save your changes, and you’re good to go!
By adding negative keywords in the right places, you’ll make sure your ads are only showing to the right audience, saving you money and improving your results.
Best Practices for Using Negative Keywords
When using negative keywords, it’s a good idea to start broad. Begin by excluding terms that are very obviously irrelevant to your business, like “free” or “cheap” if you sell premium products. As you gather data from your campaigns, you can refine your list further and add more specific exclusions based on what’s not working. This way, you’re not overloading your campaigns with exclusions right from the start, but you’re still keeping things in check.
It’s also really important to regularly review your search terms for any changes. Google Ads will show you the search queries that triggered your ads, so you can spot new irrelevant terms that need to be added to your negative keyword list. But be careful not to overblock. If you leave out too many terms, you could limit your reach and block potential valuable traffic. Finding the right balance is key!
Don’t forget to use the different match types—broad, phrase, and exact match (like we talked about above)—to fine-tune your exclusions. Each gives you different levels of control, so use them to make sure you’re not blocking terms that could bring in customers.
Also, don’t forget to add both singular and plural versions of your negative keywords to cover all bases. Finally, avoid competing with your own ads by being mindful of keyword overlaps. By following these best practices, you can maximize the effectiveness of your Google Ads and get the best return on your investment.
Negative Keyword Mistakes to Avoid
1. Neglecting Regular Updates: Negative keywords need to be updated quite a bit. If you leave your list unchanged, it can really hurt your campaign’s performance.
2. Failing to Consider Synonyms: Don’t just focus on one version of a word. For example, add “purse” and “bag” as negative keywords if you’ve excluded “handbag.” Synonyms can drive unwanted traffic too.
3. Not Expanding Each Negative Keyword: A single negative keyword might not cover all the variations. For example, expand “cheap handbags” to include “affordable purses” or “budget bags.”
4. Only Adding Negative Keywords in Exact Match: Exact match is a great tool, but you also need to use broad and phrase match types to be successful.
5. Treating Keywords as Search Queries: Keywords and search queries aren’t always the same. So, keep your negative keywords broad enough to capture variations in your search queries.
6. Using Symbols Carelessly: You need to be very careful with symbols. Google doesn’t always recognize them, and it doesn’t consider them the same as a word such as and and “&.”
7. Negative Keywords on Ad Group Level Only: Adding negative keywords only at the ad group level just may not cut it. Consider adding them at the campaign or account level for broader control.
8. Not Having a General List of Negative Keywords: You’ll want to keep a list of negative keywords, like “free” or “cheap,” that apply to most campaigns.This can help you speed the process up and avoid issues.
9. Adding More Than 50 Negative Keywords to Display Network Campaigns: You don’t want to add too many negative keywords to your display campaigns because Google will randomly choose words. Stick to the essentials.
By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be able to refine your negative keyword strategy and get more out of your Google Ads.
Tools to Help Manage Negative Keywords
Managing negative keywords can be a bit overwhelming, but there are many different tools that can make it easier to stay on top of things. Here are a few we recommended:
Of course, there are plenty of other tools available on the market, so it’s worth exploring to find the one that works best for your needs.
So, are you convinced? Negative keywords can make a huge difference for your Google Ads, just as long as you know how to use them effectively! Don’t miss out on the traffic and opportunities they can bring to your e-commerce business.
