Negative keywords: reduce off-topic visits in Google Ads

Google Ads · 6 min read

To use negative keywords from Google Ads, identify searches that are incompatible with your offer, then choose an exclusion whose scope you understand. Don't automatically block all terms without conversion. A search can be relevant without having yet produced a sale. The goal is to weed out off-topic research, not to make the campaign report artificially flattering.

Key points

• Start with research and the real scope of the offer.
• Choose both a match type and an application level.
• Exclusions do not work like targeting keywords.
• Check for side effects before expanding a list.

Identify the off-topic before excluding

A keyword is a setting chosen by the advertiser. A search term corresponds to what the Internet user entered. The search term report helps match reported searches to the keywords that triggered your ads. View the associated keyword, campaign, clicks, cost and conversions relevant to your analysis.

Classify searches according to their commercial meaning: product not sold, service not offered, job request or need compatible with the offer. This sorting avoids confusing a bad target with an insufficient destination or a measure that does not work.

Clearly incompatible research may justify exclusion even without significant expense. Conversely, the absence of conversion is not enough to rule out relevant search. Reread the ad and the destination before excluding it from your targeting.

The report is not exhaustive: Google specifies that certain terms are omitted to respect its confidentiality standards. So don't claim to have reviewed all searches based on visible lines alone.

Understanding Negative Match Types

The official negative keyword documentation distinguishes the following rules for Search:

• Negative broad match: the search is normally blocked when it contains all excluded terms, even in another order, subject to the limits specified below.
• Negative exact expression: the excluded terms must be present in the same order; the search may contain additional words.
• Negative exact keyword: the search must contain the excluded terms in the same order, without additional words.

Synonyms and singular or plural forms are not automatically covered. Add those you actually want to exclude. On the other hand, Google indicates that exclusions automatically take into account case and spelling errors. This rule should not be transformed into a promise to cover all variants. Google also indicates that an exclusion located after the sixteenth word of a search of more than sixteen words may not prevent diffusion.

The same expression can have different effects

Fictitious example to illustrate the rules: the broad query exclusion “used chair” blocks a search containing “used wooden chair”. The exact negative expression “used chair” does not block this inversion, but blocks “buy second-hand chair”. The negative exact keyword [used chair] does not block “used wooden chair”.

These examples only describe the effect of this exclusion. They do not guarantee that an ad will be displayed when the search is not blocked: the other criteria of the campaign remain to be taken into account.

Choose where to apply the exclusion

Google allows you to add exclusions to ad groups, campaigns or to the account, as explained in its guide to adding negative keywords. Choose the most limited level that addresses the problem.

• Ad group: when the research is not suitable for this group, but remains relevant elsewhere.
• Campaign: when the intention is out of scope for this entire campaign.
• Account: only when the exclusion is justified for all relevant Search and Shopping inventory, including in other campaigns to which it applies.

A shared list can be applied to multiple campaigns. Its modification affects all campaigns that use it, depending on the documentation of exclusion lists. So check its assignments before adding a term. An activity may not sell second-hand today and plan a second-hand offer elsewhere.

Illustrative example: a new furniture store

This case is fictitious and does not describe any customer outcomes. A store sells new coffee tables, without second-hand models or manufacturing plans. Its analysis focuses on “used coffee table”, “free coffee table plan” and “free delivery coffee table”.

“Used” may be excluded from the new campaign. For the plan search, an exact exclusion of the complete query makes it possible to handle this case without blocking other searches containing “plan” too widely. Searching for free delivery remains relevant if this condition exists in the offer. It should not be rejected just because it contains a word associated with gratuity.

The decision is thus based on the catalog and commercial conditions, not on a universal list retrieved elsewhere.

Checklist for adding an exclusion

1. Keep the observed query and its associated keyword.
2. Write why this intention is incompatible with the offer.
3. Check other affected products and campaigns.
4. Choose match type and application level.
5. Test research on paper to block and preserve.
6. Control shared lists and possible targeting conflicts.
7. Record the addition and its justification.
8. Review exclusions when the offer or catalog evolves.

Limitations and common errors

Excluding a very general term can prevent useful research from being shared. Adding a shared list without reviewing it extends this risk to multiple campaigns. Finally, a drop in clicks after exclusions does not, in itself, prove a commercial improvement.

This method concerns Search campaigns. Exclusions from Display or video campaigns work differently, as reported in the official documentation cited. Do not transpose their effects without checking the campaign type.

Frequently asked questions

Should we always exclude “free” or “free”?

No. A request for a free resource may be off-target, while a search for free shipping may match your offer. Evaluate the entire search.

Does an exclusion in the singular cover the plural?

No, not automatically according to Google. Check and add the necessary shapes. Taking into account spelling errors does not replace this work.

Can we exclude a request because it did not sell?

Not on this observation alone. Distinguish between commercial incompatibility, lack of observations and problem of destination or measurement. An exclusion must be for an explicit reason.

Your next step

Prepare a decision table with search, exclusion reason, match type, level, and useful search to preserve. Have ambiguous cases reread by the person who knows the offer before applying them.

Sources and resources

• Google Ads: Search Terms Report.
• Google Ads: How negative keywords work.
• Google Ads: Add exclusions to campaigns.
• Google Ads: Negative keyword lists.