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Negative keywords: stop paying for searches that never buy
A negative keyword is a word or phrase you tell your search ads to skip. When a search contains it, your ad does not show, so you stop paying for clicks from people who were never going to buy. About 320 people in the US search for "negative keywords" every month.
This page shows what a good list looks like, how much money sits behind one, how to read it before you add it, and what to ask a provider who sells you one.
What a negative keyword does
Your ads match searches, not just the keywords you bid on. A keyword you bid on can trigger your ad for many nearby searches, and some of those come from people who will never buy. A negative keyword closes that door for one word or phrase.
Negatives come in three match types:
- Broad: the ad is blocked when a search holds all the words, in any order.
- Phrase: the ad is blocked when a search holds the words in that order.
- Exact: the ad is blocked only for that exact search.
Negatives do not catch plurals, misspellings or close variants on their own, so a list has to name the forms you want blocked. They can sit at the campaign level, at the ad group level, or in a shared list that several campaigns use. Shopping campaigns take negatives too, and there the list works on product searches.
How much money is at stake
We counted one US market, freight factoring, a B2B finance service where a trucking company sells its unpaid invoices for cash. The market came to 1,569 searches, grouped into 144 ad groups in 3 campaigns, covering about 309,080 US searches a month.
Of those, 272 searches looked relevant but came from the wrong audience. That is about one search in six, and about 24,460 US searches a month that an ad account would pay for without getting a buyer.
Now a worked example. Say 2 in 100 of those searches end in a click on your ad, and a click costs $8. That is about 490 clicks and about $3,900 a month spent on people who will not buy. The numbers move with your market and your bids, but the shape does not: the leak repeats every month.
Negative keyword examples: what a finished list looks like
A usable list is a table, not a paragraph. Each line is one search, with its US monthly searches and the match type to use. Here is an example for the freight factoring market. The volumes are round numbers, shown only to illustrate the layout.
| Line on the list | Say, US searches a month | Add as | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| freight factoring jobs | 50 | phrase | Not a buyer |
| freight factoring for new carriers | 70 | keep it | A buyer |
The second line matters as much as the first. A list that only removes things cannot tell you whether it removed too much.
How to read a list before you add it
Read it like a purchase order, not like a wish list.
- Every line is a search. A single word is not a search. If a provider hands you words, ask for the searches behind them.
- Every line has a number. The US monthly searches tell you which lines save the most. Start with the biggest.
- Every line has a match type. The same words block different amounts of traffic as broad, phrase or exact.
- Check the list against your own keywords. A negative that matches a keyword you bid on stops that keyword from showing at all.
- Check what one word would block. A single common word added as a broad negative can remove buyers who happen to use it.
Mistakes that cost the most
- Adding words instead of searches. One short word as a broad negative is the fastest way to block a buyer.
- Using only exact match. The wasted search comes back in a slightly different form, and you pay again.
- Waiting for the money to go first. Negatives added after a month of spend only protect month two.
- Adding everything from a list you never read. A list copied from another market blocks the wrong things in yours.
- Forgetting new campaigns. A new campaign starts with no negatives unless it uses the shared list.
- Never reviewing. Markets change, so a list needs a review now and then.
Negative keywords and the rest of your search demand
Exclusions are the cost side of search demand. The same count that shows which searches are worth buying also shows which ones are not. A search with large volume and no buyer behind it looks attractive until you read its buyer intent. The US search volume for a phrase tells you how big the leak is; the intent tells you whether it is a leak at all.
To see what your ads have already paid for, read the search terms report in your ad account. It shows the searches that triggered your ads, with the cost of each.
What to ask a provider before you buy a list
- Is every line a search with US monthly searches, or a list of words?
- Is the list grouped by campaign, so you know where each line goes?
- Does a person check every row before delivery?
- When does it arrive? A list that lands after your budget is spent is no help.
- What happens if the list is wrong? Look for a refund.
You get all of this in a delivered list from Querytally: the wrong-audience searches to exclude, a person checks every row, delivery within 24 hours, and a refund.
What to do with the list
Add the biggest lines first, at the campaign level, and use a shared list for lines every campaign needs. Choose the match type for each line instead of using one for all. After a week, open the search terms report and check that the blocked searches have stopped. Keep a short log of what you added and when, so a drop in clicks has an explanation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a negative keyword list?
It is a set of searches or phrases you add to an ad account so your ads do not show for them. A good list names whole searches, carries a match type for each, and is sorted by the money it saves.
How do I add negative keywords in my ad account?
Open the campaign or ad group, find its keywords section, choose negative keywords, paste the list, set the match type for each line and save. For lines that apply everywhere, add them to a shared list and attach it to your campaigns.
Is there a universal negative keyword list?
No. The same word can be wasted money in one market and a buyer in another, so a list has to be prepared for your market. A list copied from somewhere else blocks the wrong things.
When should I add negative keywords?
Before you spend, if you can. A list prepared for your market before launch saves the first month's waste. The search terms report shows what is left afterwards.
See what a finished exclusion list looks like in a sample report, or read the page for PPC teams.
Checked by a person and delivered within 24 hours, with a link and a search number behind every row.