Negative Keywords: How to Find, Add and Manage Them

What are negative keywords?

Negative keywords are words or phrases that stop your Google Ads from showing when a search contains them. Add "jobs" as a negative and your ad no longer appears for "electrician jobs near me". You pay for clicks, so every search you block is budget kept for searches that can turn into a sale or a lead.

Regular keywords tell Google where to show your ads. Negative keywords tell it where not to. Google's own example is an optometrist who sells eyeglasses and adds "wine glasses" and "drinking glasses" as negatives, because those searches share a word but want a different product (About negative keywords).

Negatives matter more each year because Google's matching keeps getting wider. Broad match is the default match type, and AI Max for Search campaigns and Performance Max reach further still. Negatives are how you tell all three "never this".

How much money can negative keywords save?

Negative keywords save whatever you now spend on searches that never convert and never could. Your search terms report shows the exact figure, so measure it before you guess.

For example, a store selling leather work boots spends $3,000 a month on Search and gets 60 orders, a cost per order of $50. In the last 30 days of search terms it finds $420 spent on searches such as "boot repair near me", "work boot jobs", "how to clean leather boots" and "free safety boots", none of which produced an order.

$420Monthly spend on searches that could not buy boots

14%Share of the $3,000 budget

$50 to $43Cost per order after blocking them, at the same 60 orders

If the store keeps the full $3,000 budget and the freed $420 converts at its $50 average, that is about 8 more orders a month. Treat that as a best case, since the freed budget still has to find searches that convert. Our guide to how much Google Ads costs covers the other drivers of cost per click and cost per lead.

What are the negative keyword match types?

Negative keywords come in three match types: broad, phrase and exact. You set them with the same symbols as regular keywords: nothing for broad, quotes for phrase and square brackets for exact. Broad is the default, so a negative typed without symbols is a negative broad match keyword.

Google's help page uses the negative keyword running shoes to show the difference:

• Negative broad match blocks a search that contains every word of the negative, in any order, with or without extra words. A search with only some of the words still shows your ad.
• Negative phrase match blocks a search that contains the words in the same order. Extra words before or after do not matter.
• Negative exact match blocks only that exact search: the same words, in the same order, with nothing added.

For a one-word negative, broad and phrase behave the same: both block any search that contains the word. The choice matters once a negative has two or more words. We use phrase match for most multi-word negatives and exact match when a search is bad only on its own. A bike light store might add [bike] as an exact negative: the bare search "bike" is too vague to sell lights, but "bike lights for night riding" should still show the ad.

How are negative keywords different from regular keywords?

Regular keywords stretch to cover similar searches; negative keywords do not. Google says negatives "won't match to close variants or other expansions", so you add plurals, synonyms and related word forms yourself. Google's current help also says negatives automatically account for casing and misspellings, so typo versions no longer need their own entries.

Regular keyword: plumber

• Matches plumbers and plumbing
• Matches misspellings and same-meaning searches
• As broad match, reaches related searches

Negative keyword: plumber

• Blocks searches that contain plumber
• Does not block plumbers or plumbing
• Covers casing and misspellings, per Google

Three details from Google's documentation change how you write negatives:

• Plurals and synonyms need their own entries. In Google's example, the negative flowers blocks "red flowers" but not "red flower", and "cheap" never blocks "budget".
• Long searches can slip through. If a search runs longer than 16 words and your negative comes after the 16th word, the ad can still show.
• Only three symbols count. Negatives accept ampersands, accent marks and asterisks. "Socks & shoes" and "socks and shoes" are different negatives, and so are "cafe" and "café". Periods are ignored, the "site:" and OR operators are dropped, and a minus sign in front of a word makes Google ignore that word.

Where should you add negative keywords: ad group, campaign, account or list?

Add each negative at the narrowest level that solves the problem. Ad group negatives route searches between ad groups, campaign negatives and shared lists block themes for a set of campaigns, and the account-level list blocks searches no campaign should ever buy.

Sources: Google's account limits, negative keyword lists and account-level negatives pages.

Shared lists save the most time. Add "jobs" once to a list called "Jobs and hiring", apply it to every campaign, and a new campaign only needs the list attached. A list blocks nothing until it is applied to a campaign, which is the first thing to check when a negative seems not to work.

How do you add negative keywords in Google Ads?

Add campaign and ad group negatives from the Search keywords page, shared lists from the Shared library, and account-level negatives in Account settings. These menu paths match Google Ads as of October 2026.

Add negatives to a campaign or ad group

1. Open Search keywords. Click the Campaigns icon, open Audiences, keywords, and content and choose Search keywords.
2. Open the negatives tab. Go to the Negative search keywords tab and click the plus button.
3. Pick where they go. Choose the campaign, or an ad group inside it.
4. Enter one negative per line. Leave it plain for broad, wrap it in quotes for phrase, or in brackets for exact.
5. Save repeat themes to a list. Tick Save to new or existing list and name it by theme, such as "DIY and how to".
6. Save, then check for conflicts. Google warns that a negative which overlaps one of your keywords stops that ad from showing.

Apply a shared list to more campaigns

1. Open the list library. Click the Tools icon, open Shared library, choose Exclusion lists and go to the Negative keyword lists tab.
2. Select the list. Tick it and click Apply to campaigns.
3. Pick the campaigns. Tick each campaign that needs it and click Done.

Add account-level negative keywords

1. Open Account settings. Click the Admin icon, then Account settings.
2. Add the terms. Expand Negative keywords, click the plus button and enter one word or phrase per line.
3. Set the match type. Save, then pick broad, phrase or exact in the Match type column for each term.

How do you find negative keywords in the search terms report?

The search terms report lists the real searches that triggered your ads, so it is where you find most negatives. Open it weekly, sort by cost and block the searches that spent money with no realistic chance to convert.

1. Open the report. Go to Campaigns › Insights and reports › Search terms. For Performance Max, choose "Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max" from the dropdown.
2. Set the date range. Use the last 7 days for a weekly check and 30 to 90 days for a deeper review.
3. Add the columns you need. Cost, Conversions, Cost per conversion and the Keyword column, which shows which of your keywords matched each search. Google hides the Keyword column by default.
4. Sort by cost, highest first. The rows that spent the most are where a negative saves the most.
5. Judge intent, then numbers. Ask one question per row: could this person buy what this ad group sells?
6. Block the misses. Tick the rows and click Add as negative keyword. Google adds them as negative exact match by default, then lets you send them to the ad group, the campaign or a negative keyword list.
7. Log what you blocked. Note the term, date and reason.

What to look for in each review:

• Job and career searches: jobs, hiring, salary, resume, training
• Free, cheap, used or DIY intent you cannot serve
• Products, services, brands or models you do not sell
• Place names outside your service area
• Research searches: what is, meaning, examples, pdf
• People trying to reach another company: competitor logins, marketplaces

Search terms reportLast 7 days, sorted by cost

Read the intentCould this person buy what the ad sells?

Check the numbersSpend above target cost per conversion, no conversion

Pick level and match typeAd group, campaign, list or account

We flag a search term once it has spent more than the target cost per conversion without converting, then read it for intent. A relevant search that misses that bar often needs a better ad or page, not a negative. On larger accounts, count which single words recur across costly searches: "salary" spread over 40 searches becomes one negative. Google also leaves low-volume searches out of the report for privacy, so start with a list of obvious negatives instead of waiting for each one to appear.

What should a starter negative keyword list include?

A starter list covers the searches that rarely fit your type of business: jobs, free and DIY intent, research, and products you do not sell. Treat the tables below as starting points to review against your own offer and search terms, not as lists to paste in unread.

eCommerce starter negatives

Shopping campaigns have no positive keywords, so negatives carry more of the load; see the guide to Google Shopping ads.

Home services starter negatives

Our guide to Google Ads for contractors shows how these lists fit campaigns split by trade and job type.

B2B lead generation starter negatives

How do negative keywords work with broad match, AI Max and Performance Max in 2026?

Negative keywords still apply in Google's AI-driven campaigns, but where they apply differs by campaign type. Broad match and AI Max honor your negatives. Performance Max applies them only to Search and Shopping inventory, and Google asks you to keep that list short.

Broad match and AI Max for Search

Google says broad match can show ads on searches related to your keyword, including ones without its direct meaning (About keyword matching options). AI Max for Search campaigns goes further. Its search term matching uses broad match and keywordless technology, so ads can show on searches none of your keywords contain. Google's AI Max FAQ confirms that negative keywords are still respected with AI Max on.

Two habits keep AI Max in check. Filter the search terms report to the "AI Max" match type, whose source column shows whether a match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. And block competitor names with brand exclusions rather than long negative lists. On a new account with little conversion data we leave AI Max off at first, as our guide to Google Ads for small business explains.

Performance Max

Performance Max takes campaign-level negatives, shared negative keyword lists and the account-level list (Negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns). Three rules shape how you use them:

• They cover Search and Shopping inventory only. To keep Performance Max ads away from unsuitable YouTube and Display content, use excluded content keywords in your content suitability settings, which take up to 1,000 terms.
• Brand exclusions handle brand traffic. Google recommends brand exclusions over negatives for your own brand, because they also block misspellings, variants and sub-brands (About brand exclusions).
• Negatives are for the clearly irrelevant. Google calls them "a highly restrictive control" in Performance Max and recommends them only for brand safety or completely irrelevant terms (Search controls for Performance Max).

Before you add a negative to Performance Max, use Preview impact on the Search keywords page: add up to 10 terms and Google predicts the change in conversions or conversion value. In Google's example, a 10% predicted loss turns 100 conversions a day into about 90. The guide to Performance Max campaigns covers the campaign's other controls.

Which negative keyword mistakes block good traffic?

The expensive mistakes are the ones that block searches that sell. Check these five first; each is quick to fix.

1. Blocking search terms that convert

A search with an odd word can still sell. Before you block a term, check its conversions over 90 days, not 7, and confirm that conversion tracking worked during that period. With broken tracking every search looks like waste. Our Google Ads audit checklist shows how to confirm tracking before you cut anything.

2. Negatives that conflict with your own keywords

A conflict happens when a negative blocks a keyword you bid on. Google warns that a negative overlapping a regular keyword stops that ad from showing. A typical case: a pest control company adds "free" as a negative and also bids on "free termite inspection". The keyword status then reads "A negative keyword is preventing your ad from showing", and the blocking term may sit in a shared list or a manager account list.

3. Single-word negatives that are too broad

A one-word negative blocks every search that contains the word. Added to a whole campaign, "repair" blocks "repair or replace water heater", which often ends in a replacement job. "Kids" blocks "kids bike helmet" for a store that sells them. When one word is too blunt, use a phrase of two or three words, such as "repair manual" or "free diy".

4. Forgetting plurals and synonyms

"Job" does not block "jobs", and "cheap" does not block "budget". Add every form. Misspellings are the exception: Google now covers those.

5. Lists that are not applied, and old date ranges

A list blocks nothing until it is attached to a campaign, so check each new campaign's Negative keywords tab. And a search terms report whose date range starts before you added a negative still shows the searches it now blocks, which looks like a leak but is not. Change history shows the date each negative went in (Fix issues with negative keywords).

How often should you review negative keywords?

Review search terms weekly and your negative lists monthly. New accounts, and accounts running broad match, AI Max or Performance Max, need the weekly check most because they match the widest range of searches.

WeeklyLast 7 days of search terms; block clear misses

Monthly30 to 90 days of terms; check conflicts and list coverage

Each new campaignAttach shared lists before launch

Offer changesRemove negatives that block what you now sell

Every week:

• Block clear misses from the last 7 days at the right level
• Move any word you have blocked three times into a shared list
• For Performance Max, preview impact before adding

Every month:

• Look for keywords blocked by a negative
• Remove negatives that block things you now sell
• Confirm every shared list is applied where it belongs
• Compare cost per conversion before and after

If your search terms report shows more waste than you can clear in an hour a week, a free Google Ads audit tells you whether we found what is pushing your cost per conversion up. If you would rather hand the weekly work off, see how Logical Gecko manages Google Ads for online stores and home-service businesses.