Google Ads
Negative keywords
Words or phrases that stop an ad from showing on searches that contain them.
What it is
They tell the platform which searches are not worth paying for, such as job searches, free tools or a different meaning of the same word.
Why it matters
For lead generation and e-commerceThey are the main control on wasted search spend, and they matter more as matching becomes looser.
In practice
Add them from the search terms report and from keyword research, at campaign or account level, using shared lists across campaigns.
A common mistake
Adding negatives so broad that they block searches from real buyers.
All terms