How to Add Negative Keywords at Ad Group Level: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you've ever watched two of your own ad groups compete for the same search terms—driving up costs and tanking performance—you already know why ad group level negative keywords exist. Campaign-level negatives are great for blocking irrelevant traffic across your entire campaign, but when you need surgical precision to keep ad groups in their lanes, you need ad group level control.

Here's the thing: most Google Ads managers add negatives at the campaign level by default. It's faster, it feels cleaner, and it blocks junk traffic everywhere at once. But that approach falls apart when you're running multiple ad groups targeting related products or services.

Picture this: You're running a shoe store campaign with separate ad groups for "running shoes" and "walking shoes." Someone searches for "best running shoes for walking." Which ad group should show up? Without ad group level negatives, both might compete, Google picks a winner semi-randomly, and you're left wondering why your walking shoes ad group has terrible conversion rates.

TL;DR: Adding negative keywords at the ad group level prevents internal competition between your own ad groups, refines traffic for specific product categories, and gives you granular control over which searches trigger which ads. The process involves navigating to your target ad group, accessing the negative keywords section, adding your terms with the correct match type, and verifying they're working. This guide walks through every click, plus insider tips for doing it faster.

When should you use ad group level negatives instead of campaign level? Use ad group negatives when you want to prevent cannibalization between related ad groups, refine traffic for specific product variations, or exclude terms from one ad group while keeping them active in another. Use campaign negatives when a term is universally irrelevant across your entire campaign—like "free" for a paid product campaign.

Let's walk through exactly how to add these negatives, step by step, so you can stop wasting budget on the wrong ad group traffic.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Target Ad Group in Google Ads

First things first: log into your Google Ads account. If you manage multiple accounts, make sure you're in the correct one—this sounds obvious, but I've seen managers add negatives to the wrong client account more times than I'd like to admit.

Once you're in, look at the left navigation panel. Click on "Campaigns" to see your campaign list. Find the campaign that contains the ad group you want to refine. Click into that campaign.

Now you'll see a list of all ad groups within that campaign. This is where location matters. Ad group level negatives only affect the specific ad group where you add them—they don't block traffic for other ad groups in the same campaign, and they definitely don't affect other campaigns.

Click on the exact ad group where you want to add negative keywords. Let's say you're in that shoe store campaign and you want to add negatives to your "walking shoes" ad group to prevent "running" searches from triggering those ads.

You should now see the ad group name in your navigation breadcrumb at the top of the screen. Double-check it. Seriously. Adding negatives to the wrong ad group is a mistake that's easy to make when you're moving fast through optimizations.

Why this step matters: The entire point of ad group level negatives is precision. If you accidentally add them at the campaign level (we'll cover how to avoid this in Step 3), you'll block terms across all ad groups, which defeats the purpose. Understanding where to add negative keywords in the account hierarchy before you start saves you from cleanup work later.

In most accounts I audit, I find negatives added at the wrong level because managers rushed through this navigation step. Take the extra five seconds to confirm you're in the right ad group before moving forward.

Step 2: Access the Keywords Section and Find Negative Keywords

Now that you're inside your target ad group, look at the left navigation menu again. You'll see several options: Ads, Keywords, Audiences, Settings, and more.

Click on "Keywords." This opens the keywords view for your ad group. Here's where the interface can get confusing if you're not paying attention.

At the top of the main content area, you'll see two tabs: "Search keywords" and "Negative keywords." The Search keywords tab shows your positive keywords—the terms you're bidding on to trigger your ads. The Negative keywords tab shows the terms you're blocking from triggering ads in this ad group.

Click on the "Negative keywords" tab. This is where you'll see any existing ad group level negatives you've already added. If you haven't added any yet, this section will be empty or show a message prompting you to add your first negative.

Common mistake to avoid: Some managers accidentally try to add negatives while still on the Search keywords tab. They'll click the blue plus button, add terms, and wonder why those terms are now triggering ads instead of blocking them. Always confirm you're on the Negative keywords tab before proceeding.

The interface here is pretty straightforward. You'll see columns showing the negative keyword text, match type, and when it was added. If you're working in an account with a long optimization history, you might see dozens or even hundreds of negatives listed here.

Understanding what you're looking at matters. These negatives only affect this specific ad group. If you navigate to a different ad group and check its Negative keywords tab, you'll see a different list (or no list at all). This is the key difference from campaign level negatives, which would appear across all ad groups in the campaign.

What usually happens here is managers realize they've been adding all their negatives at the campaign level and never touched ad group negatives. That's fine—there's no wrong time to start using them. But once you see how much cleaner your traffic gets when you prevent ad group cannibalization, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.

Step 3: Add Your Negative Keywords Using the Blue Plus Button

You're on the Negative keywords tab inside your target ad group. Now it's time to actually add some terms.

Look for the blue plus button (+) near the top of the page. It's usually in the upper right area of the content section. Click it.

A dropdown menu appears with options. You'll see "Add negative keywords" as one of the choices. Click that option.

Here's where you need to pay close attention. A dialog box opens asking where you want to add these negative keywords. You'll see two options: "Add to ad group" and "Add to campaign."

Make absolutely sure "Add to ad group" is selected. If you accidentally select "Add to campaign," you'll block these terms across every ad group in the campaign, which might not be what you want.

The interface should default to "Add to ad group" since you accessed this through the ad group view, but always verify. I've seen the interface glitch or default to campaign level in certain situations, especially if you've been bouncing between campaign and ad group views.

Once you've confirmed you're adding at the ad group level, you'll see a text box where you can enter your negative keywords. You can enter them one per line or separated by commas—both work fine.

Let's say you're adding negatives to that "walking shoes" ad group. You might enter:

running

marathon

trail running

jogging

Or with commas: running, marathon, trail running, jogging

Google Ads will accept either format. I prefer one per line because it's easier to scan and catch typos, but use whatever feels natural to you.

Before you click save, take one more look at the top of the dialog box. It should clearly state which ad group these negatives will be added to. If it says the wrong ad group name, stop and cancel out. Navigate back to the correct ad group and start over.

The mistake most agencies make is adding negatives while multitasking across multiple ad groups. They'll have several ad groups open in different tabs, lose track of which one they're in, and add negatives to the wrong place. Close other tabs. Focus on one ad group at a time. Your future self will thank you.

Once you're 100% certain you're in the right place with the right terms, click "Save." The dialog closes and your negative keywords now appear in the list.

Step 4: Choose the Right Match Type for Each Negative Keyword

Here's where things get interesting. Negative keyword match types work differently than positive keyword match types, and understanding this difference is crucial for not accidentally blocking good traffic.

You have three negative match type options: broad, phrase, and exact. Let's break down what each one actually does.

Broad negative match is the default and most commonly used. When you add a broad negative keyword, you're telling Google Ads to block any search query that contains all the words in your negative keyword, in any order, with other words before, after, or in between.

Example: If you add "running shoes" as a broad negative to your walking shoes ad group, it will block queries like "best running shoes," "running shoes for women," "cheap running shoes sale," and even "shoes for running marathons." It blocks any query containing both "running" AND "shoes."

But here's the twist: it won't block "running socks" or "running apparel" because those queries don't contain the word "shoes." Broad negatives require all terms in the negative to be present in the search query.

Phrase negative match requires the exact phrase to appear in the search query, but other words can come before or after it. You indicate phrase match by putting the keyword in quotes: "running shoes"

Example: The phrase negative "running shoes" will block "best running shoes" and "running shoes for women" but won't block "shoes for running" because the words aren't in the exact order.

Phrase negatives are useful when word order matters. If you're selling running shoes but want to block searches for running shoe repair services, you might use "shoe repair" as a phrase negative. Learn more about phrase match negative keywords for advanced targeting.

Exact negative match only blocks that exact query with no additional words. You indicate exact match with brackets: [running shoes]

Example: The exact negative [running shoes] will only block the query "running shoes" and nothing else. It won't block "best running shoes" or "running shoes for women."

Exact negatives are rarely used because they're so narrow. The main use case is when you want to block one very specific query that's wasting budget, but you want to keep closely related variations active.

Real-world example from my own accounts: I had a client selling premium software with a free trial. We wanted to keep "free trial" searches active because they converted well, but we needed to block "free software" searches because those users expected fully free products.

I added "free" as a broad negative, which blocked everything containing "free." Bad move. It also blocked "free trial," "free shipping," and other valuable queries. I removed that broad negative and instead added "free software," "free download," and "free version" as phrase negatives. Problem solved.

In most accounts I manage, 90% of negatives are broad match. It's the most efficient way to block irrelevant traffic patterns. Phrase and exact negatives are for surgical precision when broad is too aggressive.

When you're adding negatives in that dialog box we covered in Step 3, you can specify match type right in the text box. Just use the syntax: quotes for phrase, brackets for exact, or nothing for broad.

The interface will show you the match type in the list after you save. If you see a negative without any special formatting, it's broad. If you see quotes or brackets, you know it's phrase or exact.

Step 5: Review Your Search Terms Report to Find More Negatives

Adding negatives isn't just a one-time setup task—it's an ongoing optimization process. The best source for finding negative keywords is your search terms report, which shows you the actual queries people typed that triggered your ads.

While you're still in your target ad group, look for "Search terms" in the left navigation menu. It's usually under the Keywords section. Click on it.

This report shows every search query that triggered an ad in this ad group, along with performance metrics like impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, and conversion rate. This is gold for finding optimization opportunities.

Scan through the list looking for search terms that are clearly irrelevant or performing poorly. Sort by cost to see which irrelevant terms are wasting the most budget. Sort by impressions to find high-volume junk traffic.

What usually happens here is you'll spot patterns. Maybe you're seeing a bunch of "DIY" searches that never convert because your product is for professionals, not DIY enthusiasts. Or you're seeing location-based searches for areas you don't serve.

Here's the beautiful part: you can add negatives directly from this report without going back to the negative keywords section. Select the checkboxes next to the irrelevant search terms, then click "Add as negative keyword" from the action menu that appears.

A dialog box pops up asking if you want to add these as ad group or campaign level negatives. Since we're focused on ad group level control, select "Ad group" and confirm it's the correct ad group name.

Google Ads will automatically add those search terms as negatives. The default match type is usually exact, which means it only blocks those exact queries. In most cases, you'll want to manually edit these to broad match so you block the entire pattern, not just that specific query.

For example, if you see "cheap walking shoes under $20" in your search terms and you sell premium shoes starting at $80, don't just add that exact query as a negative. Add "cheap" as a broad negative to block all cheap-related searches. Or add "under $20" as a phrase negative if you want to be more specific.

Make reviewing your search terms report a weekly habit. I recommend spending 15-20 minutes every Monday morning going through your top ad groups, identifying junk traffic, and adding negatives. This regular maintenance prevents budget waste and gradually improves your traffic quality over time.

In accounts I've taken over from other managers, I often find search terms reports that haven't been reviewed in months. The result? Thousands of dollars wasted on obviously irrelevant clicks that should have been blocked weeks ago. Don't let that be your account.

Step 6: Verify Your Negative Keywords Are Working Correctly

You've added your negatives. Great. But how do you know they're actually working? And how do you avoid accidentally blocking good traffic?

First, go back to your Negative keywords tab (inside your ad group) and visually confirm your negatives appear in the list. Check that they're showing the correct match type. If you intended to add "running" as broad but it's showing with quotes or brackets, you'll need to edit it.

To edit a negative keyword, click on the pencil icon next to it. You can change the match type or remove it entirely if you made a mistake.

Next, use Google Ads' keyword diagnosis tool to test for conflicts. This tool isn't always easy to find, but here's how to access it: Go to your Search keywords tab (the positive keywords), click on any keyword, and look for "Keyword diagnosis" in the options. This shows you if any negatives are preventing your positive keywords from showing.

For example, if you have "walking shoes" as a positive keyword in your ad group but you accidentally added "shoes" as a broad negative, the diagnosis tool will flag this conflict. Your ad won't show for "walking shoes" searches because the negative is blocking it.

Watch for these conflicts carefully. The most common mistake is adding a negative that's too broad and accidentally blocking your target keywords. Learn how to avoid blocking good traffic with proper negative keyword strategy.

Over the next few days after adding negatives, monitor your search terms report again. You should see those irrelevant queries stop appearing. If you're still seeing them, your negative might not be formatted correctly or might be at the wrong level.

Signs your negatives are working: Fewer impressions overall (because you're blocking junk traffic), higher click-through rate (because only relevant searches see your ads), lower cost per conversion (because you're not wasting budget on non-converters), and cleaner search terms reports with fewer irrelevant queries.

If your impressions drop dramatically but your CTR doesn't improve, you might have added negatives that are too aggressive. Review what you added and consider removing or adjusting some of them.

One trick I use: before adding a large batch of negatives, I'll screenshot my current performance metrics (impressions, CTR, conversion rate, cost per conversion). Then I'll check those same metrics a week later to see the impact. If performance improved, the negatives were good. If it got worse, I need to audit what I added.

Also, keep an eye on your positive keyword performance. If a keyword that was previously getting traffic suddenly stops showing, check your negative keyword list. You might have accidentally blocked it. Understanding how to fix conflicting negative keywords is essential for maintaining healthy campaigns.

Putting It All Together

Let's recap the six steps to adding negative keywords at the ad group level:

Step 1: Navigate to your target ad group in Google Ads by selecting the campaign, then clicking into the specific ad group.

Step 2: Click Keywords in the left menu, then select the Negative keywords tab (not Search keywords).

Step 3: Click the blue plus button, select "Add negative keywords," and confirm you're adding at ad group level (not campaign level).

Step 4: Choose the right match type for each negative—broad for most cases, phrase or exact for surgical precision.

Step 5: Review your search terms report regularly to identify new negative keyword opportunities and add them directly from the report.

Step 6: Verify your negatives are working by checking the list, using keyword diagnosis tools, and monitoring performance metrics.

Ad group level negatives are your secret weapon for preventing cannibalization between related ad groups and refining traffic for specific product categories. They give you control that campaign level negatives simply can't provide.

The difference between a mediocre Google Ads account and a high-performing one often comes down to negative keyword discipline. Accounts that regularly audit search terms and add negatives at the appropriate level waste less budget, get better traffic, and see higher conversion rates.

Make negative keyword reviews a non-negotiable part of your weekly optimization routine. Block one Monday morning every week, pull up your top ad groups, scan the search terms reports, and add negatives where needed. This 20-minute habit will save you thousands in wasted spend over time.

If you're managing multiple ad groups across multiple campaigns, this manual process can get tedious fast. That's where tools designed for speed come in. Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme and optimize Google Ads campaigns 10X faster without leaving your account. Keywordme lets you remove junk search terms, build high-intent keyword lists, and apply match types instantly—right inside Google Ads. No spreadsheets, no switching tabs, just quick, seamless optimization. After your trial, it's just $12/month to take your Google Ads game to the next level.

Now go clean up those search terms reports. Your ad groups will thank you.