Negative Keywords: Stop Paying for the Wrong Google Searches

What negative keywords do

A negative keyword tells Google Ads not to show your ad when a search contains that term. Google's negative keywords article gives the example of an optometrist selling glasses who excludes searches for 'wine glasses' and 'drinking glasses'.

They matter more on a small budget because broad match, Google's default match type, can show ads on searches that are only related to your keyword. Google's keyword matching article says broad match can include searches that don't contain the direct meaning of your keyword, and recommends pairing it with Smart Bidding. Without negatives, part of that reach is people who will never buy.

Negative match types work differently

Google warns that negative match types don't behave like their positive versions. The biggest difference: negatives don't match close variants or synonyms, so you must add plurals and alternative words yourself. Casing and misspellings are handled automatically.

Google also notes a few edge cases: negatives can't block a term that appears after the 16th word of a long search, the minus sign and search operators like 'site:' are ignored, and on Display and Video campaigns negatives work as topic exclusions and only 1,000 are considered.

Reading the search terms report

Keywords are what you bid on; search terms are what people actually typed. Google's search terms report article says the report is under Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. It also says some low-volume terms are hidden for privacy, so you will never see every search.

1. 1

   Set the date range to the last 7 or 30 days

   New accounts: weekly. Stable accounts: monthly is often enough.

2. 2

   Sort by cost, highest first

   Look at terms that spent money with no conversions. These are your first candidates.

3. 3

   Add the Keyword column

   Google says it is hidden by default. It shows which of your keywords matched each search, so you can see if one broad keyword is pulling in junk.

4. 4

   Exclude whole themes, not single searches

   If 'aircon servicing job vacancy' appears, add 'job', 'jobs', 'vacancy' and 'hiring' as broad negatives, not just that one search.

5. 5

   Also note good searches

   Terms that converted but aren't keywords yet can become exact or phrase keywords with their own ad.

A starter negative list for Singapore service businesses

These themes waste money for most local service businesses. Remove any that you actually sell, for example 'course' if you run training.

If you're still building your keyword list, our guide to free keyword research tools shows how to find the searches you do want.

Where to add negatives: ad group, campaign, list or account

Google's add negative keywords article describes four levels. Use the broadest level that is still correct.

• Account level: applies automatically to all Search and Shopping inventory in relevant campaign types, with a limit of 1,000 negatives. Good for 'jobs', 'free' and 'diy'.
• Negative keyword lists: shared lists you apply to several campaigns. Google allows up to 20 lists per account, with up to 5,000 terms in each.
• Campaign level: for terms wrong for one service but right for another, such as excluding 'installation' from a repair campaign.
• Ad group level: to steer searches between ad groups, for example excluding 'commercial' from the residential ad group.

Performance Max campaigns also take negatives. Google's Performance Max negative keywords article says they apply to Search and Shopping inventory only, at campaign or account level. Our Performance Max guide explains when PMax suits a small account.

A 15-minute weekly negative keyword routine

Most of the savings come from doing this consistently for the first two months.

Google warns that too many negatives can make your ads reach fewer customers. If impressions drop sharply after a big batch of exclusions, review the newest ones first.

Do it yourself or get help?

Negative keywords are one of the easiest things to manage yourself: the starter list above plus a weekly look at the search terms report covers most small accounts. Our Google Ads setup checklist covers the other settings that leak budget in the first month.

If you'd rather have it set up properly from day one, Google Ads Setup (Search + Performance Max) (S$690) includes keyword research, one Search campaign and a negative keyword list, with a two-week check-in. If you already run ads and suspect waste, the Ad Account Audit (S$290) reviews search terms, placements and audiences that cost money without results and gives you a prioritised fix list.