You’ve poked around inside your Google Ads account and you’ve seen all sorts of terms like CTR, CPC, match types, conversions… but then you see negative keywords. The name sounds… well, negative.
But they’re not a bad thing. Negative keywords are actually one of the best tools you have to make your Google Ads more effective and less expensive.
I’m walking you through what negative keywords actually are (in plain English), why they matter more than most business owners realize, and how they can quietly save your Google Ads budget from being chewed up by clicks that were never going to convert.
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Even if you’re not managing your campaigns yourself, understanding this piece of the puzzle will help you see just how much nuance goes into running ads that actually work.
Because spoiler: Google Ads isn’t just about setting a daily budget and letting it rip. Smart strategy starts with knowing what not to show up for.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you tell Google not to show your ad for. It’s like a pre-filter for traffic you don’t want. Second only to accurate conversion tracking, they are one of the most important pieces to a profitable Google Ads campaign by making ads more relevant and less expensive.
Related Post: What is conversion tracking? If you’re running ads and you don’t have this in place—we need to talk, pronto!
You already know regular keywords are what help your ads show up but negative keywords help your ads stay out of irrelevant searches, i.e. clicks that were never going to convert.
Here’s a quick example:
Let’s say you’re a family photographer in Austin. You want to show up when someone searches:
- “Austin family portraits”
- “professional photographer for kids”
But you definitely don’t want to show up for:
- “free family photo shoot”
- “DIY family photo tips”
- “stock images of happy families”
Add words like “free”, “stock” and “DIY” to your negative keyword list so your ad doesn’t get triggered by people who aren’t looking to book a real session with a paid photographer.
Other real-world negative keyword examples:
- A high-end remodeling company may want to exclude terms like “cheap,” “low cost,” or “handyman”
- A plumber may want to exclude terms like “certification course” or “how to”
- A dog trainer might add “training apps” or “YouTube dog training” to filter out DIY searchers
Case Study: How negative keywords transformed a construction company’s business by increasing quality lead volume by 433% without a higher ad budget.
Why Are Negative Keywords Important?
With Google Ads, you’re charged by the click—whether they’re actually you’re intended audience or not. If you’re not using negative keywords your ad budget can disappear fast on clicks from people who were never going to hire you in the first place.
People do weird things online. Just because someone types in “stock family images” doesn’t mean they won’t click your ad for family photography just to poke around. That’s not a potential lead. That’s an irrelevant click you paid for.
4 big benefits of negative keywords:
1. Avoid wasted ad spend
Your ads won’t show up for irrelevant searches = fewer junk clicks = lower cost per lead.
2. Improve click-through and conversion rates
You’re only showing up for people more likely to click and convert.
3. Enhance ad relevance and quality score
Google rewards ads that match what people are searching for. Better targeting = better results.
4. Protect your brand
You don’t want your business showing up for terms that aren’t aligned with what you do (or worse, what you don’t want to be associated with).
How to Find Negative Keywords
You don’t need to guess what to block—you can actually see what people are searching when your ad gets triggered.
Use the Google Ads Search Terms Report
- Head to your campaign
- Click “Search Terms” under the “Insights and reports” menu
- Sort the list by Cost and review the list of actual queries triggering your ads
- Look for anything irrelevant, misleading, or clearly not your target audience
- Add those terms to your negative keyword list
What to Watch for:
- High impressions but low CTR
- High clicks but no conversions
- Queries that clearly target a different product, industry or intent
How to Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads
Once you’ve found terms to exclude, there are several ways to add them as negative keywords depending on your goals and strategy. You’ll have to decide if adding them at the campaign, ad group or account level makes the most sense for your needs and Google Ads management skill level.
Step-by-Step:
- Go to your Google Ads dashboard
- Click on the campaign or ad group you want to update
- In the left-hand menu, click “Keywords” → “Negative Keywords”
- Click the blue plus (+) button
- Add your negative keywords—one per line
- Choose to apply them at the campaign, ad group or list level
- Save
Negative Keyword Best Practices:
- Use phrase match for most cases
- Neg out the term that’s most irrelevant e.g. “free” instead of “free photoshoot”, “free photographer” by adding “free” you’re proactively blocking all variations with free in the search term
- Review your search term list weekly (especially when your campaign is new)
- Build a reusable negative keyword list you can apply across campaigns
- Don’t get too aggressive—you still want to show up for good variations
Negative Keywords = Smarter Spending
Most business owners focus on how to get seen more. But just as important is knowing where not to show up.
Negative keywords are one of the most underused tools in Google Ads and one of the quickest wins when you want to improve your ROI without raising your budget. You don’t have to master every setting in Google Ads. But if you don’t understand this one, you’ll end up thinking Googles “just don’t work”—when really, they were just set up wrong.
Using negative keywords is one of the fastest, easiest ways to:
- Reduce wasted clicks
- Improve lead quality
- Lower your cost per acquisition
- Keep your targeting tight and your results clean
If you’re not using them, I can say with confidence: you’re likely spending too much—and getting too little in return.
Need Help Making Your Google Ads Actually Work?
If your campaigns feel messy or unpredictable, negative keywords is one of the first places I look during an audit. It’s where I spot thousands in wasted spend, my highest record to-date is $43K for a plumbing company.
So if you’re not sure your campaigns are set up right, or you’re tired of guessing—let’s fix that.
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