Loading...- What are Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
- What are Negative Keywords Used for?
- Keyword Match Types in Google Ads
- How to Add Negative Keywords to Search Network
- How and When Should You Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads Campaigns. How to Edit Negative Keywords
- Final Remarks on Using Negative Keywords
What are Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are single words or phrases defined by us as the elements that block either a group of ads or the entire campaign from being displayed. Take the cycling industry for example. If you or your client sells new bicycles, you don’t want the advertisement to be displayed to those people who are looking for used two-wheelers. In this case, one of the negative keywords is “used” in all configurations, even including typos. I’m going to explain this issue later.| Examples of keywords we want to show up for | Examples of negative keywords set in the panel | Examples of keywords which we do not show up for |
| “men's cross trans bicycle” | used | “used men's cross trans bike” |
| “ladies' bike trans” | used | “used women's trans bike” |
| “city bike” | [used city bike] | [used men's mountain bike] |
| [men's mountain bike] | [used men's mountain bike] | “used women's cross bike up to $1,000” |
| “cross bike” | used cross bike | “used city bike” |
What are Negative Keywords Used for?
Using negative keywords in your campaigns is a great way to customize the ads more effectively, thus improving the chance of showing them only to the people interested in the offer. This, in turn, has a positive effect on CTR and increases return on investment. It’s worth mentioning that in Display Ads and Video Networks, negative keywords work differently than in Search Networks. Their maximal defined number for the former equals 5 thousand. You can also exclude places where the ad shouldn’t be displayed. These can be apps or websites that cover certain topics you want to avoid.
Read also: First Steps in Google Ads Campaign
Keyword Match Types in Google Ads
There are various types of keyword matches used in Google Ads campaigns. The same applies to negative keyword matches. It’s crucial, however, to adopt a bit different approach to defining the negative keywords than when doing so with positive keywords. To help you understand this better, see the examples below.Search Network Ads Campaigns
If you have already had a chance to add positive keywords to Search Network campaigns, then you probably remember that Google Ads offers 3 mach types:- exact match
- phrase match
- broad match
| Example of broad match | Example of phrase match | Example of exact match |
| garden umbrellas | “garden umbrella” | [garden umbrella] |
| patio umbrellas | “umbrella for terrace” | [sun umbrella for terrace] |
| restaurant umbrellas | “umbrella for the garden” | [large umbrella for the garden] |
Display Network Campaigns
When it comes to Display Network campaigns, you need to remember that each negative keyword you define equals the rejection of a particular content topic, so that the ad won’t be displayed on websites related to this topic. To make this clearer, let’s analyze “men’s shoes”. The campaign rejects each website that is more or less closely related to the negative keyword. In this case, your ad won’t appear on websites with “men’s shoes”, but it also won’t be displayed on websites that don’t have this phrase, yet are connected with it. This means that the ad won’t be shown on websites having phrases like “men’s footwear”, “men’s sneakers”, “men's derby shoes”. Thus, it’s not about the phrase itself but also about the strong connection between the web content and the defined negative keyword. However, it’s worth noting that the mentioned phrase won’t interfere with other keywords connected with men’s fashion or women’s shoes.
How to Add Negative Keywords to Search Network
Negative Broad Match
Let’s start with the broad match. In this case, you don’t assign any symbols to the keywords. It’s worth emphasizing that the broad match is set by default in Google Ads. Negative broad match depends on excluding each search that includes all words that make up the defined phrase, even if their order is changed. However, if a search contains only some of the words used in the defined phrase, the ad will be displayed. Here, as an example: calligraphy accessories Among the excluded phrases, there are “calligraphy accessories”, “professional calligraphy accessories” or “amateur calligraphy accessories”. However, there is a great chance that the ad will be triggered by phrases like “professional lettering accessories”, “amateur lettering accessories”, and “calligraphy pens”. Negative broad match: calligraphy accessories| Blocked searches | The ad will show on |
| professional calligraphy accessories | amateur lettering accessories |
| calligraphy accessories | professional lettering accessories |
| amateur calligraphy accessories | calligraphy pens |
Negative Phrase Match
Another type of match type is phrase match. Such phrases need to be put in quotation marks. Those phrases won’t trigger ads when the search includes the words used in the phrase - no matter the order they are arranged in. Negative phrase match also works when the user types more words before or after the defined phrase.
Here’s an example - a negative phrase match:
“calligraphy accessories”
The ad won’t be triggered by phrases like “professional calligraphy accessories”, “amateur calligraphy accessories”, “cheap amateur calligraphy accessories” or simply by “calligraphy accessories”. At the same time, you have a chance to get your ad called out by phrases like “calligraphy accessories”, “lettering accessories” and “calligraphy pens”.
Negative phrase match: “calligraphy accessories”
| Blocked searches | The ad will show on |
| professional calligraphy accessories | calligraphy accessories |
| amateur calligraphy accessories | lettering accessories |
| cheap amateur calligraphy accessories | calligraphy pens |
| calligraphy accessories |
Negative Exact Match
The last match type is the exact match. The defined phrases are put in square brackets. The phrases used in this match eliminate all types of searches that are identical to the negative keywords.
This means that when a customer types your phrase but adds some extra words at the front or end of the phrase - your ad can be displayed. Let’s see an example of the following phrase:
[calligraphy accessories]
All identical-looking queries will be blocked, however, the ad will show on “professional calligraphy accessories”, “amateur calligraphy accessories”, “amateur lettering accessories”, “calligraphy kits”, and “calligraphy accessories”.
Negative exact match: [calligraphy accessories]
| Blocked searches | The ad will show on |
| calligraphy accessories | calligraphy accessory |
| lettering accessories | |
| calligraphy pens |
How and When Should You Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads Campaigns. How to Edit Negative Keywords
Due to the differences between using negative keywords in Search Network Ads and Display Ads, we’re going to divide this part into two sections. The first section is going to be devoted to Search Network Ads, whereas the other will be about Display Ads.Search Network Ads
If you want to add negative keywords to Search Network Ad, you need to go through the following steps:- Sign into your Google Ads account.
- Click on the chosen search campaign.
- Select the Keywords tab and click on Negative keywords.
To add a phrase, you need to type it into the box. In this place, you can also choose whether a given phrase should be assigned to a campaign or an ad group.
You are also given the option to add extra negative keywords to an already-existing list or to create a completely new list.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the lists affect the whole campaign. You can’t apply them to one ad group.
However, you can do this with individual negative phrases. You can add them to the whole campaign or to chosen ad groups.
Don’t forget to mark the keywords appropriately. You need to decide if the match type is broad (no definition), phrase (quotation marks) or exact (square brackets). When you finish, hit the Save button.
We need to point out that the negative keywords can't be identical to the positive keywords. By doing so, you risk having your ads not displayed.
Another issue to mention - keyword lists. If you create a negative keyword list and match it with one campaign, you can make the very list available for another campaign.
To do so, open the Keywords tab. In the Negative keywords tab, click on Use negative keywords list (1). Next, select the campaign you want to include the keyword list to (2) and hit Save.
Naturally, you can edit negative keywords. Just click on the pen icon that will appear next to a highlighted phrase. Here is an exemplary view:
However, if you wish to delete a phrase, you need to check the box located right next to the phrase and click Delete.
Additionally, if for some reason you need to download all negative keywords you created for a certain campaign or ad group, you can also do it.
Display Ads
As we already mentioned, negative keywords play a different role in Display Ad than they do it in Search Network Ads. They also work differently. The key issue is that each negative keyword you add is not only assigned to the broad match type, but it’s also the only match type that is available. This means that an ad won’t be displayed on websites that are topic-related to the negative phrase. At the same time, it’s worth noting that this system isn’t flawless, meaning your ad may be displayed on such websites from time to time. Another important issue is that in the case of Display Ads, you can add no more than 5,000 negative keywords.How to Select Negative Keywords for Campaigns
In most cases, selecting negative keywords is more important than choosing positive keywords. This makes more sense when your budget is tight. Why is that? Simply because selecting negative keywords saves you from losing a big part of the campaign budget that would otherwise go to non-relevant website impressions. Resigning from utilizing negative keywords, your ad will be shown to people uninterested in your order, eating your budget up. Before making a list of negative keywords, you need to analyze your niche. You need to think through what people look for when they visit your website by accident - when they click on a phrase that isn’t connected with your business. For example, if you run a health clinic offering a whole range of medical treatments, you may consider excluding phrases typical of aesthetic medicine clinics. Another example, is if you’re a seller of kids’ dresses, you should think about blocking keywords for teenagers' and women’s dresses. There are other ways to select negative keywords for your business. You can analyze your competition, or check Google statistics. When your campaign is active, Google collects information about the phrases used by the searchers. This is the simplest way to find out what your prospects are looking for. This is also the best way to check whether your ads are triggered by irrelevant keywords. You can find the list in the Keywords tab, by clicking on Search terms.
You can use this list to add words that don’t match your business profile. To do so, click on Add as a negative keyword.
Naturally, you can add a word to a specific ad group or campaign. You can also just include it in the already-existing list or create a new list. Do this wisely, though. The more negative words you add, the less coverage your ads will get.
Another issue you need to think through is the phrases that begin with question words such as “which”, “how”, “what”, “where”, and “how much”. In most cases, it’s better to exclude these interrogative questions in ecommerce. On the other hand, such words are worth adding in the case of promoting blog posts, running a service company, or when launching an ad campaign.
You may also consider adding names of locations that aren’t connected with your business, or names of local shops.
Keep in mind that there is a simple way to streamline the process of adding negative keywords - creating a list of negative keywords. If you’re planning to conduct extensive marketing campaigns, it’s way easier and faster to upload a list of already defined negative keywords than adding them separately for each of your campaigns.
Read also: How to improve Google Ads Quality Score?
Final Remarks on Using Negative Keywords
Finally, we’d like to sum up the most important information on negative keywords. We’d also like to help you realize the crucial aspects of using negative keywords in Google Ads:- First and foremost, while creating new campaigns and ad groups, always include negative keywords. This way you will steer clear of the high burn rate.
- Secondly, do this wisely. Exclude the unrelated keywords, yet bear in mind that with each negative keyword added, the ad reach is getting narrower.
- Thirdly, each negative keyword should go with its synonyms, conjugations, and singular/plural forms. Mind the match types, too.
- Fourthly, remember that there are some differences between using negative keywords in Search Network and Display Ads.
