A negative keyword is a term you tell Google not to show your ad for. It exists because keyword matching is broad: an ad for “employment lawyer” can show up for “employment lawyer job openings” if you don’t add “job openings” as a negative. A good list cuts clicks from people who will never buy, and it’s the highest-return adjustment for a new account.
Every account running a Search campaign pays for searches it shouldn’t. That’s not a flaw in Google, it’s just how matching works. The system sees that “free digital marketing course” relates to “digital marketing agency” and shows the ad. Deciding that’s not relevant is on you.
The three types of negative keywords
Google Ads Help on negative keywords explains the full rules. Here’s the practical summary:
| Type | How to write it | What it blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | free | Any search containing the word, in any order |
| Phrase | “how to” | Searches containing the exact phrase, in that order |
| Exact | [dentist] | Only the identical search, with no extra words |
One difference from regular keywords: negative keywords don’t pick up synonyms or automatic variations. If you add “course” as a negative, you also need to add “courses”.
Where to find negatives for your account
In the search terms report. It shows what people typed before clicking your ad. Sort by cost and read from top to bottom. Any term with no chance of becoming a customer becomes a negative.
The most common patterns:
- People looking for a job. job openings, employment, salary, careers, resume.
- People who want to learn to do it themselves. how to, course, tutorial, study guide, step by step.
- People looking for something free. free, no cost, template, ready-made.
- People searching for something else with the same name. This is the most expensive case and the hardest to predict. A dental practice advertising “implant” might show up for “hair implant”.
- Competitors and brands, when you don’t want to pay for someone else’s brand.
- Places you don’t serve. Names of cities outside your area.
A starter list by business type
Before you have data, you can start with the obvious. Adjust it to your business.
- Local service (clinic, repair shop, office): job openings, employment, course, free, how to, what is, meaning, salary, college.
- Online store: used, repair, manual, how it works, parts, complaint, reissue.
- B2B service: course, job, freelancer (if that’s not your audience), pdf, template, thesis.
Be careful not to overdo it. Adding “how” as a negative blocks “how to hire a lawyer,” which is a good search. That’s why the list starts small and grows with the report.
Shared lists
If you run several campaigns, create a negative keyword list in the shared library and apply it to all of them. That way the “job openings” rule doesn’t need to be repeated campaign by campaign. You can now apply negatives to Performance Max too, as we covered in when to use Performance Max.
How often to review
In the first weeks of a new campaign, every week. Once the list stabilizes, every two weeks. A large account with high volume always needs a weekly review, because new terms keep showing up.
The costliest mistake
Adding a negative in the wrong place. A phrase-match negative placed in your brand campaign can block searches for your own company’s name. Before uploading a large list, check that none of its words appear in your own keywords.
If your account has never had a negative keyword, there’s a good chance you’re paying for useless searches. The free Google Ads audit reviews your account’s search terms and shows how much went to searches that never turned into a lead. It’s one of the leaks that make Google Ads expensive.
Frequently asked questions
How many negative keywords should an account have? There’s no set number. Mature accounts have hundreds, built up from the report over time.
Can adding negatives hurt results? It can, if it blocks a good search. That’s why every negative should come from a real term that spent money without converting.
Do negatives work for Display? On the Display Network they work differently and with less precision. The main use is in Search.
Who handles this in Ciclicko’s management? Reviewing search terms and negatives is part of the optimization rounds in Google Ads management.