Negative Keywords
Keywords that prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant or unwanted search queries.
Full definition
In Google Ads, negative keywords prevent your ads from appearing when users include specified terms in their search. They are essential for preventing wasted spend on irrelevant traffic. Example: a luxury hotel adding 'cheap' and 'free' as negative keywords to avoid appearing for users seeking budget accommodation. Negative keywords can be applied at campaign or ad group level, and can be set as broad match, phrase match, or exact match negatives. Regular search term report audits — reviewing which actual queries triggered your ads — are critical for building effective negative keyword lists and improving campaign efficiency.
Real-world example
A B2B software company adds 'free', 'tutorial', 'how to', and 'student' as negative keywords, reducing irrelevant clicks by 30% and improving lead quality significantly.
Related terms
The real-time process search engines use to determine which ads appear for a given query and in what order.
Read definitionGoogle Ads' 1–10 rating for each keyword reflecting the expected relevance of your ad and landing page to a user's search.
Read definitionThe amount an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad.
Read definitionGoogle's system for determining the position and eligibility of ads in search results, based on bid, Quality Score, and other factors.
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