Negative keywords in paid search: 6 strategies for effective implementation

Negative keywords are terms or phrases that advertisers exclude from triggering their ads. When a user's search query includes these negative keywords, the ad will not be shown. This helps save money and ensures that the advertising budget is used more efficiently, preventing ads from appearing in response to irrelevant searches.

Negative keywords are important for PPC campaigns because they:

• Save budget: By preventing ads from being triggered by irrelevant searches, advertisers don't waste money on clicks that are unlikely to convert.
• Improve ad relevance: Ads are more likely to reach the intended audience, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion.
• Sculpt ideal traffic: By filtering out unwanted search queries, advertisers can better target their campaigns to users who are genuinely interested in their products or services.

To implement negative keywords in a PPC strategy, consider the following strategies:

1. Identify known irrelevant keywords: Exclude generic terms or industry jargon that don't relate to your product.
2. Establish keyword thresholds: Set criteria for when to move a keyword to your negative list based on cost and lack of conversions.
3. Employ search term reports: Use these reports to find user queries that aren't leading to conversions and add them as negative keywords.
4. Block out undesirable phrases: Protect your brand's integrity by excluding terms that could reflect poorly on your brand.
5. Add negatives for misaligned intent: Exclude keywords that indicate a searcher's intent that doesn't match the goal of your ads.

Regularly review and update your negative keyword list to ensure it aligns with your campaign goals and adapts to changes in search behavior.

Negative keywords can have a significant impact on both Quality Score and Cost-Per-Click (CPC). By improving the relevance of ads to targeted keywords, negative keywords can:

• Increase Quality Score: Better keyword-to-query alignment can lead to a higher Quality Score, which is a metric Google uses to determine the relevance and quality of your ads.
• Reduce CPC: A higher Quality Score can result in a lower CPC because Google rewards advertisers for relevance. Ads that are not triggered by irrelevant searches can avoid unnecessary costs and maintain a more favorable ad position.

Search term reports are valuable tools for refining negative keyword lists. They show the actual queries that triggered your ads. To use these reports effectively:

• Analyze the report to identify queries that generate clicks without conversions.
• Look for patterns in irrelevant queries that don't align with your advertising goals.
• Add these queries as negative keywords in the appropriate match type to prevent them from triggering your ads in the future.

During the Paid Search Association Webinar, it was suggested that adding negative keywords as phrase matches based on the report can save time, while the alternative method requires more precision but can prevent being overly restrictive.