Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, saving you money and improving ROAS.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords tell Google NOT to show your ads for those search terms. If you sell luxury handbags and bid on “handbags,” you might waste money on “cheap handbags.” Adding “cheap” as a negative keyword stops that.
Types of Negative Keywords
Broad Match Negative
- Blocks ads if search contains all words in any order
- Example: Negative keyword “-free” blocks “free shoes” and “shoes free”
- Least restrictive
Phrase Match Negative
- Blocks ads if search contains exact phrase
- Example: “-cheap shoes” blocks “cheap shoes” but not “shoes cheap”
- Medium restriction
Exact Match Negative
- Blocks only exact search terms
- Example: “-[cheap shoes]” blocks only “cheap shoes”
- Most restrictive
How to Find Negative Keywords
Method 1: Search Terms Report
- Go to Keywords > Search Terms
- Review actual searches triggering your ads
- Identify irrelevant searches
- Add as negative keywords
Method 2: Competitor Analysis
- Research competitor keywords
- Identify keywords you don’t want
- Add to negative list
Method 3: Common Sense
- Think of words opposite to your offer
- If selling premium products, add “cheap”
- If B2B, add consumer terms
Negative Keywords by Industry
E-commerce:
- Free, cheap, discount, coupon
- Used, secondhand, vintage
- DIY, homemade
Services:
- DIY, free, cheap
- Near me (if not local)
- Reviews, complaints
B2B:
- Personal, consumer
- Free, cheap
- Tutorial, how-to
Best Practices
- Regular Reviews: Check search terms weekly
- Campaign-Level: Add to relevant campaigns only
- Account-Level: Add universal negatives
- Start Conservative: Too many negatives = fewer impressions
- Test: Monitor impact before adding many
ROI Impact
Adding negative keywords typically:
- Reduces wasted clicks by 10-30%
- Improves Quality Score
- Lowers average CPC
- Increases conversion rate
Example ROI
Before negatives:
- Monthly spend: $1000
- Wasted on irrelevant: 20% = $200
After adding negatives:
- Monthly spend: $1000
- Wasted on irrelevant: 5% = $50
- Monthly savings: $150 = $1,800 yearly!
Master negative keyword strategy at YouNick Mind: +91 7709199916