11 min read · Google Ads · Last updated July 2026
Quick answer: Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Adding them is one of the highest-ROI optimisations in any Google Ads account — most accounts waste 20-40% of budget on searches that will never convert. Build negative lists before launch, then expand them weekly from the Search Terms report.
Introduction
A plumbing company spending $3,000/month on Google Ads discovers that 35% of their clicks come from people searching “how to unclog a drain yourself,” “plumbing apprenticeship,” and “plumbing tools for sale.” These searchers are not looking for a plumber. They’re DIYers, job seekers, and tool shoppers.
That’s $1,050/month wasted. On irrelevant traffic. Every month.
Negative keywords are the fix. They’re the most consistently undermanaged element of Google Ads accounts — and improving them can cut wasted spend dramatically while improving conversion rates simultaneously (because you’re removing non-converting traffic from the denominator).
What you’ll learn:
– The three negative keyword match types and how each works
– How to build your negative list before you launch
– The weekly search term review process
– Shared negative lists and when to use them
– Industry-specific negative keywords to add now
Table of Contents
- How Negative Keywords Work
- Negative Keyword Match Types
- Building Your Starter Negative List
- The Search Terms Report: Your Weekly Habit
- Shared Negative Lists
- Negative Keywords at Account vs Campaign vs Ad Group Level
- Common Industry Negative Keywords
- FAQ
How Negative Keywords Work
Regular keywords tell Google when to show your ad. Negative keywords tell Google when NOT to show your ad.
If you’re bidding on the phrase match keyword “web design” and someone searches “web design course,” your ad might show (because “web design” is contained in the search). If you add “course” as a negative keyword, your ad won’t show for that search.
This is how negative keywords save budget: they filter out searches where the intent doesn’t match what you’re selling.
Why this matters so much with broad and phrase match:
With exact match keywords, you have precise control — the ad only shows for very close variants of your keyword. But phrase match (and especially broad match) gives Google flexibility to show your ad for loosely related searches. Negative keywords are the guardrails on that flexibility.
As accounts trend toward fewer, broader keywords to feed smart bidding, negative keyword management becomes more critical, not less.
Negative Keyword Match Types
Broad negative match (just type the word): Blocks any search that contains the negative keyword as a word. Does not apply to plurals, misspellings, or close variants (unlike regular broad match keywords). Most aggressive — use for clearly irrelevant terms.
Example: -free blocks “free web design templates,” “free website builder,” but NOT “freedom of design”
Phrase negative match ("keyword"): Blocks any search containing the negative phrase in that exact order. More targeted than broad negative.
Example: -"how to" blocks “how to build a website,” “how to design a logo” but not “design how to guides”
Exact negative match ([keyword]): Only blocks searches that exactly match the negative keyword. Very specific. Rarely used for negatives — usually better to use phrase or broad.
Example: -[web design] only blocks searches for exactly “web design” — not “web design agency” or “best web design”
Which to use:
– Use broad negatives for single words that should never trigger your ads (free, cheap, DIY, tutorial, course, jobs, salary)
– Use phrase negatives for multi-word phrases you want to exclude
– Use exact negatives rarely — only when a term is relevant in some searches but irrelevant when searched alone
Building Your Starter Negative List
Before you launch a single campaign, build these four negative keyword lists:
Universal negatives (apply to almost every business):
– free, cheap, discount (if you’re not offering these)
– DIY, how to, tutorial, guide, tips, tricks
– jobs, career, hiring, salary, apprenticeship
– course, training, certification, degree
– Wikipedia, definition, meaning, what is
– review (depends — you may want reviews if you have good ones)
– template, sample, example, download
Intent-filtering negatives (searchers researching, not buying):
– vs, versus, comparison, alternative, competitor
– blog, article, news (unless you’re running content campaigns)
– Reddit, Quora, forum
Geographic negatives (if you serve specific locations):
If you serve Sydney only, add other major cities as negatives to prevent broad match spill.
Industry-specific negatives:
These vary by business — see the Industry section below.
The Search Terms Report: Your Weekly Habit
The Search Terms report (Campaigns → Keywords → Search Terms) shows you the actual queries that triggered your ads. This is real-world data on what searches led to your ad being shown.
Review it at least once per week. More often in the first month of a new campaign.
The review process:
- Open Search Terms report
- Filter date range to last 7 days
- Sort by Cost (highest first)
- Work down the list: for each search term, decide — good, bad, or undecided?
- For bad searches: add the relevant word/phrase as a negative keyword
- For good searches that aren’t in your keyword list: consider adding as an exact match keyword
- For undecided: leave for now, revisit next week
What to look for:
– High spend, zero conversions → strong negative candidate
– Competitor brand names (if you’re not running conquest) → negative
– Product/service you don’t offer → negative
– Info-seeking queries (how to, what is) → negative if you’re running conversion-focused campaigns
– Geographic mismatches → negative
Shared Negative Lists
Shared negative lists let you create one master list of negative keywords and apply it to multiple campaigns simultaneously. When you add a term to the shared list, it’s excluded from all campaigns using that list.
Create shared lists for:
– Universal negatives (applies to all campaigns)
– Competitor names (exclude from all non-conquest campaigns)
– Geographic exclusions (if consistent across campaigns)
– Job/career terms
To create: Tools → Shared Library → Negative keyword lists. Apply to campaigns under Campaign Settings → Negative keywords → Use shared list.
When to use campaign-level vs ad group-level negatives:
– Campaign level: Terms that should never trigger any ad in this campaign
– Ad group level: Terms that are fine for other ad groups but not this one (prevent internal competition between ad groups)
Common Industry Negative Keywords
B2B Software:
free, open source, cheap, affordable, trial (if you don’t offer one), student, nonprofit, course, training
Legal Services:
free consultation (if you charge), pro bono, law school, attorney salary, legal templates, DIY, self-represented
Home Services (plumbing, electrical, cleaning):
DIY, how to, tutorial, training, apprenticeship, tools, parts, supply, wholesale, hire (UK meaning, if you’re in AU), jobs
Healthcare/Dental:
free clinic, payment plan (if you don’t offer), dental school, NHS (if AU/US), Medicaid/Medicare (if private)
E-commerce:
wholesale, bulk, manufacturer, OEM, factory, distributor (unless you offer this)
FAQ
Q: How many negative keywords should I have?
A: A new campaign might start with 50-100. A mature account might have 500-2,000+. There’s no upper limit — but quality over quantity. Each negative should have a clear reason for being there.
Q: Can negative keywords accidentally block too many searches?
A: Yes — “over-blocking.” Adding broad negatives too aggressively can prevent your ads from showing for relevant searches. Always double-check broad negatives against your target keywords. If “design” is a negative and you’re targeting “web design,” you’ve just blocked yourself.
Q: Should I add competitor names as negatives?
A: Only if you explicitly don’t want competitor traffic. Many advertisers target competitor keywords (conquest campaigns). But if you’re not running conquest, and broad match is sending you competitor searches, add them as negatives.
Q: Do negatives apply to dynamic search ads differently?
A: Yes. For DSAs and PMax, negatives work differently. In PMax, you add negative keywords at the campaign level or via account-level negative keyword lists. They apply across all PMax asset groups.
Q: How often should I review the search terms report?
A: Weekly for new campaigns (first 60 days). Monthly for stable, mature campaigns. After any major change (new keywords added, match type changes, budget increases).
Conclusion
Negative keywords are not glamorous. They don’t show up in the dashboard as a clear win. But systematically removing irrelevant traffic is one of the most reliable ways to improve conversion rate, reduce CPA, and make every dollar work harder.
Start with a solid pre-launch list, then maintain a weekly Search Terms review habit. Most accounts that struggle with high CPA are missing this basic hygiene.
Work With Ignited Nepal on Google Ads
Our Google Ads team manages campaigns across Australia, UAE, Nepal, USA, and UK — focused on verified conversions, not just clicks.
Written by the Ignited Nepal paid acquisition team. ignitednepal.com