MARKETING MATE · LEARN BY DOING
Negative keywords explained: which clicks would you pay for?
A click can be relevant, irrelevant or worth a closer look. Learn to tell the difference before you block your next potential customer.
Free · No signup · About 3–5 minutes · Fictional campaign data
THE SHORT ANSWER
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are exclusions that can stop your ads from showing for unwanted searches. In a Google Search campaign, you use them to filter out searches that do not fit what your business offers. A flooring installer, for example, might exclude employment searches while keeping searches for installation estimates.
The aim is to protect relevant customer opportunities while reducing irrelevant traffic. A longer negative-keyword list is not automatically a better one.
01
Your keyword
The targeting term you add to a campaign, such as flooring installation.
02
The search term
What someone actually searches, such as flooring installation jobs.
03
Your exclusion
A negative such as jobs can filter employment intent from a campaign aimed at customers.
THE AD BUDGET GAME
Run the ad budget.
Choose a business. Protect useful searches. Put the uncertain ones under review.
5 short rounds
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Loading your business choices… If the game does not appear, check that the separate Raw HTML code has been added to this page.
KEEP THIS HANDY
Negative broad, phrase and exact match explained
These examples describe negative keywords in Google Search campaigns. Positive keywords have different matching behaviour. A search that passes an exclusion is still subject to your targeting, bids, budget and other eligibility checks.
| Negative match type | What it blocks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Broad: running shoes | Searches containing all those words, in any order. | Blocks “blue running shoes” and “shoes running”. |
| Phrase: “running shoes” | Searches containing that sequence of words. | Blocks “blue running shoes”; does not block “shoes running”. |
| Exact: [running shoes] | That search without additional words. | Blocks “running shoes”; does not block “blue running shoes”. |
A BETTER REVIEW ROUTINE
How to choose negative keywords without blocking customers
- Start with the offer. Write down what you sell, where you serve customers and which services this particular campaign promotes.
- Review actual search terms. Separate irrelevant intent from a relevant search that simply has not converted yet. The search terms report does not expose every individual query.
- Check enquiry quality. A form submission could be a customer, a job applicant or a supplier. Conversion totals alone cannot tell you whether the campaign attracted the right people.
- Choose the scope. Decide whether an exclusion belongs in one ad group, a campaign or a shared/account-level arrangement. A word that is irrelevant to one service may matter to another.
- Preview and revisit. Check relevant searches your negative could block. Review the results after changes and account for conversion delays before drawing conclusions.
For Canadian businesses, location and language also deserve attention. Review the actual wording used by your audience, including French terms where relevant, and use location settings alongside keyword exclusions.
PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Negative keyword FAQs
Should I add “free” as a negative keyword?
Only if searches containing “free” are irrelevant to the offer in that campaign. A business offering free estimates, consultations, samples or delivery could block useful customers with a broad exclusion for “free”. Check the full search and consider a narrower exclusion.
Should “jobs” always be on my negative-keyword list?
No. Employment searches are often irrelevant to customer-acquisition campaigns, but a recruiting campaign may need them. Make the decision from the business offer and campaign purpose, then check the actual search terms.
Should I exclude a search after one click without a sale?
One click does not establish performance. If the intent clearly does not fit your business, you can act on that mismatch. If it fits, investigate tracking, conversion delays, landing-page relevance and enquiry quality before making a performance judgement.
Do negative keywords work like positive keywords?
No. Negative broad, phrase and exact match use their own rules. Negatives do not automatically expand to synonyms and singular or plural variations in the way you might expect from positive keyword matching.
Can I copy another business’s negative-keyword list?
Use it as a set of ideas to review, not as an automatic upload. Another business may have different products, locations, pricing, hiring needs and offers. Preview the effect of each exclusion against searches you want to keep.
Does this game predict what Google Ads will do?
No. The match preview demonstrates simple English word-order examples for negative keywords in Search campaigns. It does not reproduce Google’s full handling of spelling, punctuation, very long queries or campaign eligibility. All click costs and results in the game are fictional.
Does this apply to Display, Video and Performance Max?
This guide teaches Search negative-keyword matching. Display and Video exclusions behave differently. Performance Max has its own controls and inventory considerations, so check the settings and scope for the campaign you are managing.
MAKE EVERY REVIEW MORE USEFUL
Want a clearer view of where your ad budget goes?
Marketing Mate helps Canadian businesses connect Google Ads targeting, search-term reviews, landing pages and lead quality. Let’s look at what your campaigns are attracting—and what your business actually needs.