How to Use Negative Keywords in Your Google Ads Campaigns

We don't normally encourage negativity, but it can actually help your Google Ads campaigns. More specifically, we're talking about negative keywords.

Negative keywords can cut down on the number of irrelevant searches your ads appear for and help your Google Ads campaigns reach the right people.

John from the WebFX Internet Marketing team will explain:
00:00:00 // What are negative keywords?
00:01:40 // How Google Ads negative keywords help your business
00:02:46 // 3 types of negative keywords
00:05:30 // How to build a negative keywords list

What are negative keywords? In a nutshell, negative keywords are specific words or phrases you don't want your ads to appear.

When you enter your negative keywords into Google Ads, you tell the platform that you don't want your ads to show up for searches using your specified words or phrases.

You can choose between 3 different types of negative keywords: exact match, phrase match, and broad match.

When a person's search meets the specifications of your negative keywords, your ads won't appear in front of them.

* Negative exact match keywords *
With this type of keyword, someone must search using the same phrase, written in the same way as your specified keyword for your ads not to appear.

* Negative phrase match keywords *
This type of negative keyword requires users to search using the exact phrase you specify with their words in the same order as yours. Additional words can be attached to this phrase for the negative keyword to work.

* Negative broad match keywords *
Broad match keywords work when someone types in a search using your specified words or phrases in any order.

We use examples in the video to help explain what each negative match type means for you.

Keep in mind that details matter. Something as simple as a typo can mean your negative keywords don't work properly.

You can compile a list of negative keywords using your favorite keyword research tool. Tools like LSI Graph, Ahrefs, Semrush, or Keyword Planner are great places to start for your negative keywords list.

📘 Want to learn more about using keywords in your Google Ads campaigns? Check out the resources on our website!

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[macac]

Hi thanks for this video! Would you exlcude competitor names? specially if you´re just launching? Thanks

[coalblacksmith]

Hi. How does someone include all cities into his negative keyword list if they are offering an online service and don't care about customers who are looking for physical locations?

[benvb]

Hi buddy, thanks so much for the video. Just a question about negative keywords. I have already added irrelevant keywords to the negative list. However, for those keywords that are relevant to my product but have not got sales, when do I pause them or add them as a negative keyword? How much in spend before I stop that keyword? Thanks so much for your help and video 😊👍

[benzschack]

How do negative keywords work on Video and Display?

[shahzadgujjar]

I really appreciate your hard work, 👍