Every Search campaign attracts some clicks you never wanted. A mechanic gets people looking for a job as a mechanic. An online jewelry store gets people looking for free clip art. Each of those clicks costs money and brings no customer.
Negative keywords are the tool for stopping this. Used well, they quietly improve lead quality and make every other part of the account easier to read. This guide covers how they work, a review routine you can follow, shared lists, and starter ideas by business type.
What negative keywords actually do
A negative keyword tells Google not to show your ad when a search includes that term. You can add negatives at the ad group level, the campaign level, through shared lists applied to many campaigns, and at the account level for terms you never want across any campaign.
Negatives also have match types, and they behave differently from positive keywords. A broad match negative blocks searches that contain all of its words in any order, but it does not block close variants such as plurals or misspellings. Phrase match negatives block searches containing the words in that order. Exact match negatives block only that precise search. Because variants are not covered, you often need to add singular and plural forms yourself.
The search terms review routine
The search terms report shows the actual queries that triggered your ads. It is the single best source of negative keyword ideas, because it comes from your own data rather than guesses. In a new account, review it every few days. In a stable account, weekly is usually enough.
- Open the search terms report for the date range since your last review.
- Sort by cost, so the most expensive irrelevant queries appear first.
- Mark each query as relevant, irrelevant or unsure.
- For irrelevant queries, decide whether to block the whole phrase or just one word inside it.
- Add the negative at the right level: ad group if it only conflicts with one service, campaign or list if it applies broadly.
- Note unsure queries and revisit after more data.
Be careful with single words. Adding "free" as a broad negative is usually fine for a paid service, but adding "cheap" might block shoppers you actually want. Always read the full query before deciding.
Keep a simple log of what you added and why, even if it is only a spreadsheet with the date, the term, the level and a short reason. When results shift a month later, that log tells you quickly whether a negative was involved. It also helps a colleague or agency pick up the account without repeating your work.
Block the word, or block the phrase?
The most common mistake is over-blocking. If someone searched "emergency plumber jobs hiring", you do not need to block "emergency plumber". You need to block "jobs" and "hiring". Choose the smallest change that removes the bad traffic without touching the good.
When in doubt, use phrase or exact match negatives for specific queries and keep broad match negatives for words that are clearly never relevant, such as "jobs", "salary", "template" or "wikipedia" for most service businesses.
Shared negative keyword lists
Shared lists let you maintain one set of negatives and apply it to many campaigns. They save time and keep your account consistent. A practical setup is a few themed lists:
- A general list with job seekers, free, DIY, and education terms that apply to almost every campaign.
- A competitor or brand list used to keep brand terms out of non-brand campaigns when you want them separated.
- A location list for areas you do not serve.
- A product or service list for things you do not offer.
Name lists clearly, such as "General exclusions" or "Services we do not offer", so anyone on your team understands them. Review each list a few times a year, since businesses change.
Common negatives by business type
These are starting points, not final answers. Always check them against your own search terms report before applying them widely.
- Local services (plumbers, electricians, roofers): jobs, hiring, salary, course, training, diy, how to, parts, supplies.
- Professional services (law, accounting): free, template, form, sample, jobs, internship, definition, lawsuit if you do not take those cases.
- Online stores: free, used if you sell new, repair if you do not offer it, manual, wholesale if you only sell retail, plus terms for competitor brands you do not carry.
- Healthcare and wellness: jobs, salary, school, courses, free, plus conditions or treatments you do not offer.
- Software and B2B: free, open source if relevant, tutorial, jobs, login, support if the intent is existing customers.
If you run an online store, a clean Shopify product feed paired with good negatives often helps shopping and search traffic stay relevant.
Signs your negative strategy is working
You should see fewer irrelevant terms in the search terms report each week, and a higher share of clicks that match your services. Click-through rate and conversion rate often improve, though that depends on your market. If conversions drop after adding negatives, you may have blocked something valuable, so check the change history and reverse it.
Also watch the other side of the report. Search terms that convert well but sit under a loose match type are candidates to add as exact or phrase match keywords, so you capture that traffic on purpose. Reviewing search terms is as much about finding winners as blocking losers.
Negatives are one part of good Google Ads management. Combine them with solid tracking in analytics so you can see which search terms lead to real inquiries and not only clicks.
Key takeaways
- Negative keywords block irrelevant searches and protect budget and lead quality.
- Review the search terms report on a set schedule, sorted by cost.
- Block the smallest part of a query necessary, and watch for over-blocking.
- Negatives do not cover close variants, so add plural and singular forms.
- Use shared lists for consistency across campaigns.