Every Google Ads account pays for some searches it shouldn't. Someone looking for jobs, free templates, DIY instructions or a competitor's login page clicks your ad, and the money is gone.
Negative keywords stop that. They're not exciting, but a regular review habit is one of the most reliable ways to protect a budget.
Start with obvious exclusions
Before launch, add terms that are clearly irrelevant to buying from you.
- Jobs, careers, salary, hiring
- Free, DIY, how to, template (when you sell a service)
- Courses, training, certification
- Locations you don't serve
- Services you don't offer
Review search terms weekly
The search terms report shows what people actually typed. Read it every week in the early months, then every few weeks once the account settles. Add negatives for anything that wasted money or would never convert.
Use match types thoughtfully
Negative keywords have their own match types. A phrase-match negative for 'free quote' would block searches you might want, so be precise about what you exclude.
Don't over-exclude
It's possible to go too far. If impressions and leads drop sharply after a big cleanup, review recent additions for anything that blocked valuable traffic.
Key takeaways
- →Add obvious negatives before launch
- →Review search terms weekly at first
- →Be precise with negative match types
- →Use shared lists, and check you haven't over-excluded
Common questions
Do negatives work with broad match?+
Yes, and they're even more important with broad match, which reaches a wider range of queries.
Can we add negatives to Performance Max?+
Account-level negative keywords can now be applied, though controls remain more limited than in Search.
Should we exclude competitor names?+
That's a strategic choice. Some businesses bid on competitors deliberately; others exclude them.
