How to Use Negative Keywords in Google Ads Optimisation

Negative keywords are a vital component of any successful pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign. These are the keywords for which one does not want one’s advertisements to appear. By utilising negative keywords, one can prevent one’s adverts from being displayed to users who are unlikely to convert, thereby conserving one’s budget and enhancing the overall performance of one’s campaign.

When negative keywords are employed effectively, one can filter out irrelevant traffic and ensure that one’s adverts are only shown to users who are more likely to be interested in one’s products or services. This can help improve one’s click-through rate (CTR), reduce one’s cost per click (CPC), and ultimately increase one’s return on investment (ROI). Without the use of negative keywords, one may end up wasting one’s budget on clicks that are unlikely to result in conversions, leading to a lower ROI and a less effective advertising campaign.

In essence, negative keywords allow one to refine one’s targeting and ensure that one’s adverts are reaching the appropriate audience. By understanding the importance of negative keywords and implementing them effectively, one can maximise the impact of one’s PPC campaigns and achieve superior results.

Summary

• Negative keywords are crucial for improving the relevance and effectiveness of your ad campaigns
• Identify and add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches
• Use match types for negative keywords to control which search terms trigger your ads
• Regularly monitor and adjust negative keywords to ensure optimal campaign performance
• Utilise negative keywords differently for search, display, and video ad campaigns
• Follow best practices such as starting with broad negative keywords and using campaign-level negatives
• Use tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush for negative keyword research

Identifying and Adding Negative Keywords

Conducting Thorough Keyword Research

One way to identify negative keywords is by conducting thorough keyword research and analysis. Look for keywords that are related to your products or services but are not relevant to what you offer.

Analysing the Search Terms Report

Another way to identify negative keywords is by analysing the search terms report in your PPC account. This report shows you the actual search terms that triggered your ads, allowing you to identify any irrelevant or non-converting keywords. For example, if you sell luxury watches, you may want to add negative keywords such as “cheap watches” or “affordable watches” to prevent your ads from showing to users who are looking for lower-priced options.

Adding Negative Keywords to Your Campaigns

By reviewing this report regularly, you can identify new negative keywords to add to your campaigns and continuously refine your targeting. Once you have identified negative keywords, it is important to add them to your campaigns. You can add negative keywords at the campaign level to apply them across all ad groups within a campaign, or at the ad group level for more granular control. By adding negative keywords, you can ensure that your ads are not shown for irrelevant searches, ultimately improving the performance of your PPC campaigns.

Using Match Types for Negative Keywords

When adding negative keywords to your PPC campaigns, it is important to understand match types and how they can impact the effectiveness of your negative keyword strategy. There are three match types for negative keywords: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Broad match negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for any search query that includes the specified keyword in any order.

For example, if you add “free shipping” as a broad match negative keyword, your ads will not show for any search query that includes the words “free” and “shipping” in any order. Phrase match negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for search queries that include the specified keyword in the exact order. For example, if you add “free shipping” as a phrase match negative keyword, your ads will not show for search queries such as “get free shipping” or “shipping for free”, but they will still show for queries like “free international shipping”.

Exact match negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for search queries that exactly match the specified keyword. For example, if you add [free shipping] as an exact match negative keyword, your ads will not show for the exact search query “free shipping”, but they may still show for variations like “shipping free” or “shipping is free”. By using different match types for negative keywords, you can have more control over which searches trigger your ads and ensure that your ads are only shown to users who are more likely to convert.

Monitoring and Adjusting Negative Keywords

Monitoring and adjusting negative keywords is an ongoing process that is essential for the success of your PPC campaigns. It is important to regularly review the search terms report in your PPC account to identify new negative keyword opportunities and remove any irrelevant or non-converting keywords. Additionally, it is important to monitor the performance of your campaigns and make adjustments to your negative keyword list based on the data.

If you notice that certain search terms are consistently triggering your ads but are not leading to conversions, consider adding them as negative keywords to prevent wasted spend. On the other hand, if you find that certain negative keywords are preventing your ads from showing for relevant searches, consider adjusting their match types or removing them altogether. By continuously monitoring and adjusting your negative keywords, you can ensure that your ads are reaching the right audience and maximise the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns.

Utilising Negative Keywords for Different Campaign Types

Negative keywords can be utilised across different types of PPC campaigns, including search campaigns, display campaigns, and shopping campaigns. In search campaigns, negative keywords can help refine targeting and ensure that your ads are only shown for relevant searches. In display campaigns, negative keywords can prevent your ads from being displayed on irrelevant websites or placements.

In shopping campaigns, negative keywords can help filter out irrelevant product searches and improve the performance of your product listings. For search campaigns, it is important to regularly review the search terms report and add negative keywords to prevent wasted spend on irrelevant searches. For display campaigns, consider adding negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing on websites or placements that are not relevant to your target audience.

For shopping campaigns, use negative keywords to filter out irrelevant product searches and improve the performance of your product listings. By utilising negative keywords across different campaign types, you can ensure that your ads are reaching the right audience and maximise the impact of your PPC advertising efforts.

Best Practices for Negative Keyword Usage

Regular Review and Refining

Firstly, regularly review the search terms report in your pay-per-click account to identify new negative keyword opportunities and remove any irrelevant or non-converting keywords.

Match Type Control

Secondly, use different match types for negative keywords to have more control over which searches trigger your adverts and ensure that your adverts are only shown to users who are more likely to convert.

Ongoing Optimisation

Additionally, continuously monitor the performance of your campaigns and make adjustments to your negative keyword list based on the data. This will help ensure that your adverts are reaching the right audience and maximise the effectiveness of your pay-per-click campaigns. Lastly, utilise negative keywords across different campaign types to refine targeting and improve the overall performance of your advertising efforts.

By following these best practices for negative keyword usage, you can maximise the impact of your pay-per-click campaigns and achieve better results.

Tools and Resources for Negative Keyword Research

There are several tools and resources available to help with negative keyword research for PPC campaigns. Google Ads provides a search terms report that shows the actual search terms that triggered your ads, allowing you to identify new negative keyword opportunities and remove any irrelevant or non-converting keywords. Additionally, there are third-party tools such as SEMrush and Ahrefs that offer keyword research and analysis features, allowing you to identify potential negative keywords based on search volume and relevance.

These tools can also provide insights into competitor keywords and industry trends, helping you refine your negative keyword strategy. Furthermore, Google Keyword Planner is a useful tool for finding new keyword ideas and identifying potential negative keywords based on search volume and competition. By using these tools and resources for negative keyword research, you can improve the targeting of your PPC campaigns and achieve better results.

In conclusion, understanding the importance of negative keywords is crucial for the success of any PPC advertising campaign. By identifying and adding negative keywords, using match types effectively, monitoring and adjusting them regularly, utilising them across different campaign types, following best practices for their usage, and using tools and resources for research, you can maximise the impact of your PPC campaigns and achieve better results. Negative keywords play a vital role in refining targeting, improving performance, and ultimately increasing ROI in PPC advertising.

FAQs

What are negative keywords in Google Ads?

Negative keywords in Google Ads are specific words or phrases that you can add to your ad campaigns to prevent your ads from showing for certain search queries. By using negative keywords, you can refine your targeting and ensure that your ads are only shown to the most relevant audience.

Why should I use negative keywords in Google Ads?

Using negative keywords in Google Ads can help you to improve the relevance of your ads and increase the overall performance of your campaigns. By excluding irrelevant search queries, you can reduce wasted ad spend and improve the click-through rate of your ads.

How do I identify negative keywords for my Google Ads campaigns?

You can identify negative keywords for your Google Ads campaigns by reviewing the search terms report in your Google Ads account. Look for search queries that are irrelevant to your products or services, and add them as negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing for those terms.

How do I add negative keywords to my Google Ads campaigns?

To add negative keywords to your Google Ads campaigns, you can navigate to the “Keywords” tab in your Google Ads account, and then select the “Negative keywords” option. From there, you can add negative keywords at the campaign or ad group level to ensure that your ads are not shown for specific search queries.

What are the best practices for using negative keywords in Google Ads?

Some best practices for using negative keywords in Google Ads include regularly reviewing your search terms report to identify new negative keywords, organising your negative keywords into relevant lists, and using broad, phrase, and exact match types for your negative keywords to ensure that you are excluding the right search queries.