When using Google ads, you want your budget to focus on searches that are genuinely relevant to your business. Reason being, Google is a “ppc” platform, meaning “pay per click”. So, if you’re getting a bunch of irrelevant clicks, you’re wasting budget. The problem is that Google can sometimes show your ads for queries that are only loosely related to your keywords. This is where negative keywords come in. They are one of the most effective tools for improving efficiency and avoiding wasted spend.
What are negative keywords?
A negative keyword tells Google ads not to show your ad when a certain word or phrase is included in a search. For example, if you sell luxury handbags, you might want to block searches like cheap handbags, second-hand handbags or free handbags. By adding cheap and free as negative keywords, you can stop your ads appearing for those irrelevant queries.
In other words, negative keywords are a filter. They help you refine your targeting so that your ads only show when there is a genuine chance of attracting the right customer.
Why negative keywords matter
Negative keywords are essential for keeping your campaigns cost-effective. Without them, you risk:
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Paying for clicks that have no chance of converting
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Diluting your click-through rate with irrelevant impressions
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Giving Google’s algorithm confusing signals about who your audience is
By excluding the wrong searches, you make it easier for Google to focus your budget on the queries that actually matter. This improves performance not just in terms of cost per click, but also in conversion rates and return on ad spend.
Types of negative keywords
Negative keywords can be applied at different levels:
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Campaign level | These apply across every ad group in a campaign. They are useful for blocking irrelevant themes that affect all your ads within that campaign. |
| Ad group level | These apply only to a specific ad group. They are useful when you want to keep your ad groups tightly focused and prevent overlap. |
Like regular keywords, negative keywords also support match types:
| Match Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Broad Match Negative | Blocks queries that include all your negative keywords, but in any order. |
| Phrase Match Negative | Blocks queries where your negative keyword phrase appears in order. |
| Exact Match Negative | Blocks queries that are identical to your negative keyword. This will be Google’s default when you’re adding new negative keywords from your search terms reports. |
This gives you flexibility in how tightly you want to exclude searches.
How to add negative keywords
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In your Google Ads account, select the campaign or ad group you want to edit.
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Click on Keywords in the left-hand menu.
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Go to the Negative keywords section (it’s a menu bar above your keywords, easy to miss. See the screenshot below to see the location of this)
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Click the plus button to add new negative keywords.
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Enter them line by line, choosing whether they should apply at campaign or ad group level.
For example, a florist might add the following negatives:
- free
- jobs
- careers
- DIY
- wholesale
- cheap
This way, the ads are not triggered by people looking for free flowers, florist job vacancies, do-it-yourself tutorials, or wholesale suppliers etc.
Best practices for negative keywords
Review search terms regularly
Use the search terms report to identify irrelevant queries that are costing you money, then add them as negatives.
Think about intent
Add negatives for searches that show a very different intent to your campaign, such as job seekers or information hunters.
Avoid over-blocking
Be careful not to add negatives too aggressively. If you block terms that could still be valuable, you might reduce reach too much.
Group negatives in lists
Create negative keyword lists in Google ads. This allows you to apply the same exclusions across multiple campaigns. So, let’s take the florist example from above. That florist will probably never want to appear on any searches containing those keywords. So, the easiest and tidiest way to do this would be to add these keywords to a negative keyword list and apply it across all campaigns rather than having to add these negative keywords to each campaign individually.
To do this, tick “save to a new or existing list” when filling in your negative keywords and give your list a name then save it.
Once you have saved your list, you can go into “Exclusion lists” under “Shared library”, click into your new negative keyword list, and apply it to your campaigns.
Final thoughts
Negative keywords are one of the simplest but most powerful tools in Google Ads. They keep your campaigns efficient by filtering out searches that will never convert, protecting your budget from wasted clicks.
The key is to use them strategically. Monitor your search terms often, build out lists of recurring irrelevant queries, and refine your negatives over time. With the right approach, negative keywords can make a significant difference to both cost and performance, helping you reach the right audience with far less waste.
