Negative Keywords For PPC

Creating Shared Negative Keyword Lists in Google Ads

Negative keywords are used in PPC to prevents ads from displaying when certain terms are searched. Blocking unwanted terms will help your campaigns reduce wasteful spending and increase conversion rates. The lists can also be used to correctly silo terms to certain campaigns.

Unique Negative keywords can be configured at the Ad Group and Campaign level. However, the most efficient way to manage your negative keywords is with shared lists. This will allow you to create a list and share it across many different campaigns.

List Suggestions

  • Common Terms: Every day terms that are commonly used but have no connection to your business. Example: joke, scam, download, funny, photo, etc.
  • Locations: Commonly search places outside of your target market. Example: uk, paris, canada, "los vegas", etc
  • Competitors: This is truly dependant upon the business and campaign. Listing your competition as negatives can be effective.
  • Related Topics: The most likely culprit for wasteful spending are terms very similar to your business but there's not value from the traffic.
  • Career: Offen times you'll find users searching for a job. Terms would include: job, career, resume, salary, full-time, etc.
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Instructions: Create a Shared Negative Keyword Lists

First we'll need to navigate to the Shared Library. This is where you'll create and manage your negative keyword lists.

Navigate to Shared Library

  1. Log into your Google Ads Account.
  2. Select Tools & Settings, located at the top right.
  3. Click Negative Keyword Lists listed under Shared Library
Share Library - Negative Keyword Lists

Create a Negative Keyword List

  1. Click on the blue plus:
  2. Enter a name for the list.
  3. Add your negative keywords:
    • One keyword per line.
    • If term requires a space, use the phrase match format: "phrase match type"
  4. Save your list.
Negative Keyword List Example

Apply Negative Keywords List to Campaigns

  1. Click into your newly created negative keyword list.
  2. Select Apply to Campaigns.
  3. Choose your desired campaigns.
  4. Select Done

Advice: Make Negative Keywords a Frequent Task

Search terms should be monitored frequently to discover new negative keywords. In the beginning, you'll find loads of words worthy to set as negatives. After a while, you'll notice a heightened level of quality in the search terms. This will lead to increase conversions rates and reduce wasteful spending.

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