How to Use Negative Keywords in Google Ads: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide

Picture this: You're running a Google Ads campaign for your marketing agency, bidding on "Google Ads management services." Your budget is steady, clicks are coming in, but conversions feel… off. Then you check your search terms report and discover you've been paying for clicks on "Google Ads manager job openings," "free Google Ads tutorial," and "how to manage Google Ads yourself." Ouch. That's hundreds of dollars spent on people who were never going to become clients.

This is exactly where negative keywords come in—and why they're one of the most powerful tools in your Google Ads arsenal. Negative keywords tell Google which searches you don't want to trigger your ads, effectively filtering out irrelevant traffic before it costs you money. Whether you're managing a single campaign or juggling dozens of client accounts, learning to use negative keywords strategically can cut wasted spend by 20-40% while improving your overall conversion rate.

Here's what makes negative keywords so valuable: they work in the background, continuously protecting your budget from irrelevant clicks. Once you add a negative keyword, Google Ads automatically blocks your ads from showing for searches containing that term. No ongoing management required—though regular optimization definitely helps.

In this guide, we'll walk through the complete process of finding, adding, and managing negative keywords in Google Ads. You'll learn how to identify which search terms are draining your budget, choose the right match types for different scenarios, organize negatives for maximum efficiency, and build a review system that keeps your campaigns lean over time. By the end, you'll have a repeatable process for turning negative keywords into one of your highest-ROI optimization activities.

Let's get started with the most important step: finding out where your money is actually going.

Step 1: Access Your Search Terms Report to Find Wasteful Queries

The search terms report is your window into what people are actually typing when they trigger your ads. Unlike your keyword list (which shows what you're bidding on), the search terms report reveals the real-world queries that matched those keywords—and this is where you'll find the gold mine of negative keyword opportunities.

To access your search terms report, log into your Google Ads account and navigate to the left sidebar. Click on "Insights and reports," then select "Search terms." You can also get there by clicking "Keywords" in the left menu, then selecting the "Search terms" tab at the top. Either path works—choose whichever feels more intuitive.

Once you're viewing the report, set your date range to at least the last 30 days. This gives you enough data to spot patterns without getting overwhelmed. If you're working with a high-traffic campaign, 30 days is perfect. For smaller campaigns with limited data, consider extending to 60 or 90 days to capture a more complete picture.

Now comes the detective work. Sort the report by "Cost" (highest to lowest) to immediately identify which search terms are eating the biggest chunk of your budget. This is where you'll often find your worst offenders—queries that rack up clicks but deliver zero conversions. A PPC agency bidding on "Google Ads management" might discover they've spent $200 on clicks from "Google Ads certification free" or "Google Ads manager salary"—searches with completely wrong intent.

Look for patterns in the irrelevant searches. Are you seeing lots of DIY-related queries like "how to" or "tutorial"? That suggests people want to learn, not hire. Seeing terms like "free," "cheap," or "discount" when you offer premium services? Those searchers aren't your target audience. Notice competitor brand names appearing? Unless you're deliberately bidding on competitor terms (a separate strategy), those searches are probably wasting budget.

Create a simple running list as you review. You don't need fancy software—a Google Doc or spreadsheet with three columns works perfectly: "Search Term," "Why It's Irrelevant," and "Suggested Match Type." This list becomes your action plan for the next steps. Focus first on terms with high cost and zero conversions—these are your quick wins that will immediately improve campaign performance.

One important note: The search terms report only shows queries that actually triggered your ads and received impressions. There may be blocked searches you never see because your existing negatives already caught them. This is normal and actually a sign your negative keyword strategy is working.

Step 2: Identify Which Search Terms to Block

Not every irrelevant search term deserves to be blocked. The key is distinguishing between genuinely wasteful queries and searches that might occasionally drive value. This step is about developing judgment—understanding which patterns hurt your campaigns versus which ones you can live with.

Start by categorizing your irrelevant terms into three buckets: wrong intent, wrong audience, and wrong product or service. Wrong intent includes informational queries from people researching rather than buying. "How to create Google Ads" or "Google Ads best practices" might drive clicks, but if you're selling management services, these searchers want knowledge, not a vendor. Wrong audience covers searches from job seekers, students, or DIY enthusiasts when you target businesses. Wrong product refers to searches for offerings you don't provide—like "Google Ads for e-commerce" when you only serve local service businesses.

Check your conversion data religiously. If a search term has generated 20+ clicks with zero conversions and high cost, it's a strong candidate for blocking. But be careful with lower-volume terms—a query with three clicks and no conversions might just need more time. The exception? If those three clicks cost $75 and the search is obviously irrelevant, block it immediately.

Consider search intent carefully. Many advertisers make the mistake of blocking every non-commercial query, but some informational searches do convert. Someone searching "benefits of hiring PPC agency" might be in research mode, but they're also actively considering hiring help. That's different from "free PPC training," which signals someone who wants to DIY. Look at the context and conversion path, not just the query itself.

Don't over-block. This is one of the most common negative keyword mistakes. Adding too many negatives, especially in broad match, can severely limit your reach and block potentially valuable traffic. A freelancer might be tempted to add "agency" as a negative because they're not an agency—but that could block "looking for agency or freelancer" searches where they're actually a perfect fit.

Before adding any negative, ask yourself: "Could someone searching this term ever become a customer?" If there's even a small chance, check the data first. If the term has never converted but also hasn't cost much, consider leaving it alone. Your negative keyword strategy should be aggressive on high-spend irrelevant terms and conservative on everything else.

Create a tracking system for borderline terms. Keep a separate list of search queries you're monitoring but haven't blocked yet. Review these monthly. If they start generating significant cost without conversions, you can add them as negatives then. This approach balances protection against over-optimization.

Step 3: Choose the Right Negative Keyword Match Type

Negative keywords use match types just like regular keywords, but they work differently—and understanding these differences is crucial to avoiding expensive mistakes. Choose the wrong match type, and you'll either block too much traffic (hurting reach) or too little (wasting budget).

Let's start with negative broad match, which is the default when you add a negative keyword. Despite the name, negative broad match is actually the most restrictive option. It blocks searches that contain all your negative keyword terms in any order, but it doesn't block searches with additional words. For example, if you add "free" as a negative broad match, you'll block "free PPC tools" and "tools free PPC," but you won't block "PPC tools for freelancers" even though "free" appears elsewhere in the searcher's broader context.

This is different from positive broad match keywords, which trigger for close variants and related terms. Negative broad match is more literal—it looks for the exact words you specify, just in any order. This makes it powerful for blocking obvious irrelevant patterns without accidentally blocking good traffic.

Negative phrase match blocks searches containing your exact phrase in order, but allows additional words before or after. Add "Google Ads jobs" as a negative phrase match (formatted as "Google Ads jobs" with quotes), and you'll block "Google Ads jobs remote" and "senior Google Ads jobs," but you won't block "jobs managing Google Ads campaigns" because the phrase order is different. Phrase match gives you more control when you want to block a specific concept but not variations of similar words.

Negative exact match is the most surgical option, blocking only that specific search query with no additional words. Add [free PPC tools] as a negative exact match (with brackets), and you'll block only that exact search—not "best free PPC tools" or "free PPC tools 2026." This is useful when you've identified one specific high-cost query you want to eliminate without affecting anything else.

Here's a real-world example of choosing match types strategically. Let's say you're a premium PPC agency and you keep seeing variations of "cheap," "affordable," and "budget" in your search terms. You could add "cheap" as negative broad match to block most price-sensitive searches. But if you notice "affordable enterprise PPC" is actually converting (because "affordable" is relative at that level), you might use negative exact match instead to block only "[cheap PPC services]" while leaving other variations active.

Most advertisers should start with negative broad match for general exclusions like "free," "DIY," "jobs," and "salary." Use negative phrase match when you want to block a specific concept or phrase pattern. Reserve negative exact match for surgical strikes against individual high-cost queries you've identified in your search terms report. This layered approach gives you broad protection without accidentally blocking valuable traffic.

Step 4: Add Negative Keywords at Campaign or Ad Group Level

Once you've identified your negative keywords and chosen match types, it's time to add them to your account. Where you add them—campaign level versus ad group level—makes a significant difference in how they function and how much time you'll spend managing them.

Campaign-level negatives apply across all ad groups within that campaign. This is your go-to option for universal exclusions that should never trigger your ads, regardless of which ad group someone might match. Terms like "free," "jobs," "salary," "DIY," and "tutorial" are perfect campaign-level negatives because they're irrelevant across your entire campaign structure. Adding them once at the campaign level protects every ad group automatically.

To add campaign-level negatives, click into your campaign, then select "Keywords" from the left menu (or the page menu depending on your view). Click the "Negative keywords" option, then click the blue plus button. You'll see options to add negatives at either campaign or ad group level—make sure "Campaign" is selected. Type or paste your negative keywords, one per line, and Google Ads will automatically apply broad match unless you add quotes for phrase match or brackets for exact match.

Ad group-level negatives apply only to that specific ad group, leaving other ad groups unaffected. This is powerful for traffic sculpting—controlling which ad group captures which searches. For example, if you have separate ad groups for "PPC management" and "PPC consulting," you might add "consulting" as a negative in your management ad group and "management" as a negative in your consulting ad group. This ensures each search triggers the most relevant ad group.

Here's the practical workflow for adding negatives efficiently. Start with your search terms report open in one tab and your negative keywords interface in another. As you identify terms to block, add them immediately rather than building a long list to process later. This reduces the chance of forgetting context about why a particular term needs blocking.

For bulk additions, use the list format. Copy your negative keywords from your spreadsheet (one per line), click the blue plus button in the negative keywords section, and paste them all at once. Google Ads will process them as individual negatives. This is much faster than adding them one by one, especially when you're processing 20+ negatives from a thorough search terms review.

After adding negatives, verify they're applied correctly by checking the "Negative keywords" tab. You should see your newly added terms listed with their match type indicated. If something looks wrong—like a phrase match negative showing as broad match—you can edit it directly from this view. Click the pencil icon next to any negative keyword to adjust its match type or delete it if you added it by mistake.

One pro tip: When you're unsure whether a negative should be campaign-wide or ad group-specific, start at the ad group level. It's easier to promote a negative to campaign level later than to demote it back down if you realize it's blocking good traffic in some ad groups but not others.

Step 5: Build and Apply Negative Keyword Lists for Scale

If you're managing multiple campaigns—whether for one business or across several client accounts—negative keyword lists are about to become your best friend. These shared lists let you create one master set of negatives and apply them across multiple campaigns simultaneously, saving hours of repetitive work.

To create a negative keyword list, go to "Tools and settings" in the top right corner of Google Ads, then navigate to "Shared library" under the "Shared library" section. Click "Negative keyword lists," then click the blue plus button to create a new list. Give your list a descriptive name that makes its purpose obvious—something like "Job Seekers," "Free/DIY Terms," "Competitor Brands," or "Unrelated Industries."

Now add your negative keywords to the list, one per line. You can include match type indicators (quotes for phrase, brackets for exact) just like when adding negatives directly to campaigns. A typical "Job Seekers" list might include: jobs, careers, employment, hiring, salary, resume, interview, recruiter, and job openings. A "Free/DIY" list might include: free, cheap, discount, DIY, how to, tutorial, guide, tips, and tricks.

The real power comes when you apply these lists to multiple campaigns at once. From the negative keyword lists view, click on your newly created list, then click "Apply to campaigns." Select all the campaigns where these negatives should apply—you can check multiple boxes to apply the list in bulk. Click "Save," and every campaign you selected now inherits all the negatives from that list.

Here's where it gets even better: when you update a shared list by adding new negatives, those changes automatically propagate to every campaign using that list. Found a new irrelevant term in your search terms report? Add it to the relevant shared list once, and it blocks that term across all linked campaigns immediately. This centralized management is invaluable as your account grows.

Create different lists for different exclusion categories. A well-organized account might have five to seven shared lists: Job Seekers, Free/DIY Terms, Competitor Brands, Wrong Industries, Geographic Exclusions (if applicable), Student/Education Terms, and Informational Queries. Not every campaign needs every list—apply them selectively based on what makes sense for each campaign's goals.

For agencies managing multiple client accounts, this strategy scales beautifully. Build master negative keyword lists based on common negative keywords every campaign should have. When you onboard a new client, apply your pre-built lists to their campaigns from day one, giving them immediate protection against common wasteful searches. Then customize by adding client-specific negatives as you learn their unique challenges.

One important note: negative keyword lists have a limit of 5,000 keywords per list, and you can apply up to 20 lists per campaign. These limits are generous enough that most advertisers never hit them, but if you do, simply create additional lists and distribute your negatives across them strategically.

Step 6: Set Up a Regular Review Schedule

Adding negative keywords isn't a one-time task—it's an ongoing optimization process that compounds over time. The most successful Google Ads managers build negative keyword reviews into their regular workflow, catching new irrelevant terms before they accumulate significant wasted spend.

For high-spend campaigns (those spending $3,000+ per month), review your search terms report weekly. These campaigns generate enough data that new patterns emerge quickly, and the cost of missing irrelevant terms is high. For smaller campaigns spending under $1,000 monthly, bi-weekly reviews are usually sufficient. Very low-spend campaigns might only need monthly reviews, though checking more frequently never hurts.

Create a consistent review process to make this habit stick. Block 30 minutes on your calendar every Monday morning (or whatever day works for your schedule). Open your search terms report, filter to the last seven days, and sort by cost. Scan for any new irrelevant terms that crept in. Add them as negatives immediately, either at campaign level or to your shared lists. This regular cadence prevents small leaks from becoming expensive floods.

Export your search terms report periodically and compare it against previous periods. This historical view helps you spot trends—maybe "free" variations spike during certain seasons, or job-seeking terms increase at the start of each quarter. Understanding these patterns lets you proactively add negatives before they cost you money, rather than reactively after the damage is done.

Track your negative keyword impact over time. Google Ads doesn't provide a built-in "savings from negatives" metric, but you can estimate it by monitoring your overall campaign efficiency. As you add negatives consistently, you should see your cost per conversion decrease and your conversion rate increase, even if total clicks drop slightly. That's the sign of a healthier, more efficient campaign.

Watch for new irrelevant terms as your campaigns scale or market conditions change. A term that was fine six months ago might become problematic as your business evolves or as search behavior shifts. Seasonal businesses especially need to stay vigilant—a ski resort's negative keyword needs in summer (when they're closed) differ dramatically from winter (peak season).

Document your negative keyword strategy for team consistency. If you're working with a team or planning to hand off campaign management, create a simple guide explaining which types of searches you block and why. Include your shared lists with explanations of their purpose. This documentation ensures everyone applies negatives consistently and prevents one team member from accidentally removing negatives another person added for good reasons.

Finally, don't forget to review your negative keywords themselves occasionally. Sometimes you'll add a negative that turns out to be too aggressive, blocking valuable traffic you didn't anticipate. If you notice your impressions or clicks dropping significantly after adding certain negatives, investigate whether you over-blocked. You can always remove negatives that aren't serving you—they're not permanent decisions.

Putting It All Together

Negative keywords are one of those Google Ads features that seem simple on the surface but deliver compound returns when you master them. The difference between an account with sloppy negative keyword management and one with tight, strategic exclusions can easily be 30-40% of your budget—money that either vanishes on irrelevant clicks or flows toward searches that actually convert.

Let's recap the complete process so you can implement it immediately. Start by pulling your search terms report and filtering to the last 30 days. Sort by cost to identify your biggest budget drains. Look for patterns in irrelevant searches—wrong intent, wrong audience, wrong product. Create a simple list of terms to block, categorizing them by why they're irrelevant.

Choose your match types strategically. Use negative broad match for general exclusions like "free" and "jobs." Apply negative phrase match when you want to block specific concepts or phrase patterns. Reserve negative exact match for surgical strikes against individual high-cost queries. Most of your negatives will be broad match, with phrase and exact used selectively for precision. Understanding how match types work for negative keywords is essential for getting this right.

Add negatives at the right level. Campaign-level negatives work for universal exclusions that apply everywhere. Ad group-level negatives help with traffic sculpting when you want different ad groups to capture different search variations. When in doubt, start at the ad group level—you can always expand to campaign level later.

Build shared negative keyword lists for scale. Create category-based lists like "Job Seekers," "Free/DIY Terms," and "Competitor Brands." Apply these lists across multiple campaigns to protect your entire account with centralized management. Update lists as you find new terms, and those changes propagate automatically to all linked campaigns.

Establish a regular review schedule. Weekly for high-spend campaigns, bi-weekly for moderate spend, monthly for smaller budgets. Make it a calendar appointment so it actually happens. Export and compare reports over time to spot trends. Track your campaign efficiency metrics to measure the impact of your negative keyword work.

Remember, negative keywords aren't a set-it-and-forget-it task. They're an ongoing optimization lever that gets more powerful the more consistently you use it. Every week you review search terms and add negatives is a week you're tightening your targeting, improving your conversion rate, and stretching your budget further. The accounts that consistently outperform their competitors aren't doing anything magical—they're just doing this work every single week.

If you're managing your own campaigns, commit to one search terms review per week for the next month. You'll be amazed at how much cleaner your traffic becomes. If you're managing client accounts or running an agency, build negative keyword reviews into your standard operating procedures. Make it part of your monthly reporting—show clients the irrelevant terms you blocked and the estimated savings. It's one of the most visible, tangible ways to demonstrate ongoing value.

The beauty of negative keywords is that they work silently in the background after you add them. You do the work once, and they protect your budget 24/7 going forward. That's leverage. That's how you scale profitable campaigns without proportionally scaling your time investment. Master this process, and you've unlocked one of the highest-ROI activities in all of Google Ads management.

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