Negative keywords—when put to good use—let you take control of who sees your ad on Google.
At the same time, you prevent your Google ad from being shown to uninterested users, helping your ROAS improve.
In this blog, we’ll explore the definition of negative keywords and how mastering the use of negative keywords can greatly enhance your Google Ads results.
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords, also known as ‘negative matches,’ refer to certain words or phrases that, if used in searches, will prevent the ad from being shown to that user. These are the phrases that PPC marketers determine after a campaign review of which keywords follow a click-to-lead/profit ratio. From there, negative matching phrases can be set at either the ad group or campaign level (more on that later).
Please consider reviewing the search term ‘free CRM service.’ If your CRM software is not free, you would want this phrase as a part of your negative keyword list. Individuals using this phrase are likely not interested in purchasing your service, so it might be more effective to allocate your advertising budget elsewhere.
Advantages of Negative Keywords for Ecommerce Stores
Higher ROI: Stop wasting your money on clicks that lead nowhere. Rather, start narrowing down your ads and you will begin to see them reaching potential buyers who are ready to make a purchase.
Better Quality Score: This is how your ad is known to Google—a reputation. Ads that have a corresponding image to what shoppers want are rewarded with better positions and even lower prices.
More Control: Instead of hoping for the best, negative keywords allow you to have control. You specify which exact phrases will trigger your advertisements and which ones won’t.
Categories of Negative Keywords
There are three types of keyword filters: broad, phrase, and exact.
Broad Match: A negative broad match worked so that an ad can be excluded if the exact search term is included, in any sequence, in the broader search. This approach means the ad would not be shown when the complete phrase was searched for but could be shown if parts or units of the phrase were searched for. This is Google’s default option concerning PPC advertisement searches unless instructed otherwise.
Phrase Match: A negative phrase match works the exact opposite of a broad match, as it allows exclusion of the ad when a search consists of the negative keyword phrase but does not include additional words. The additional query may have other words, but all the keywords must be present in the search within the same order in which they appear. However, your ad would be displayed if anyone searched for any subset of the negative keyword phrase.
Exact Match: A negative exact match keyword enables the user to exclude the ad for searches that are of the exact keyword phrase in the same order, without additional words. However, if the search query has additional words or the order of the key terms is changed, the ad may still be displayed. This match type is so specific, it will barely eliminate any traffic.
Ecommerce Negative Keywords List
1. QUESTIONS
- can
- can’t
- cannot
- how
- will
- what
- when
- where
- who
- why
- won’t
2. SUPPORT
- chargeback
- complaint
- customer
- emails
- fraud
- guarantee
- guarantees
- help
- manual
- manuals
- negative
- phone
- recall
- recalls
- refund
- refunds
- replace
- replacement
- return
- returns
- RMA
- service
- support
- trouble
- trouble shooting
- troubleshooting
- warranty
- warranties
3. REPAIR
- apart
- broke
- broken
- burn
- burned
- burnt
- care
- caring
- condition
- crack
- cracked
- cracking
- cut
- deform
- deformed
- discolor
- drop
- dropped
- fix
- maintenance
- odor
- odors
- part
- parts
- repair
- shrank
- shrunk
- smell
- smells
- stain
- stained
- stolen
4. DISCOUNTERS
- bargain
- bargains
- bulk
- charity
- cheap
- cheapest
- clearance
- close out
- close outs
- code
- coupon
- coupons
- counterfeit
- deals
- discount
- fake
- inexpensive
- knock off
- knock offs
- liquidation
- price
- prices
- rebate
- rebates
- refurbish
- refurbished
- surplus
5. RESEARCHERS
- about
- ad
- ads
- advertisement
- advertisements
- advice
- address
- answer
- association
- associations
- bad
- blog
- blogs
- case study
- data
- define
- definition
- directions
- FAQ
- forum
- forums
- history
- horrible
- info
- information
- news
- newsletter
- newspaper
- opinion
- opinions
- publication
- question
- rating
- ratings
- report
- reports
- research
- review
- reviews
- safe
- similar
- specs
- statistic
- statistics
- study
- studies
- sucks
6. DIYers
- 3D
- advice
- art
- articles
- blueprint
- build
- cad
- clip art
- community
- craft
- crafts
- create
- creative
- custom
- customized
- diagram
- design
- D.I.Y
- DIY
- download
- downloads
- dvd
- do it yourself
- example
- examples
- gallery
- guide
- guides
- hand crafted
- hand made
- handmade
- hobby
- home made
- homemade
- idea
- image
- images
- inspiration
- instruction
- instructions
- journal
- journals
- jpg
- jpeg
- kit
- kits
- layout
- layouts
- learn
- logo
- logos
- magazine
- make
- making
- measurement
- measurements
- movie
- photo
- photos
- photograph
- photographs
- pic
- pics
- picture
- pictures
- pin
- pins
- plan
- plans
- recipe
- rent
- rental
- rule
- rules
- story
- template
- templates
- tip
- tips
- tutorial
- tutorials
- tuts
- YouTube
- video
- videos
7. COMPETITION
- com
- alibaba
- amazon
- bed bath beyond
- bonanza
- costco
- craigslist
- cvs
- ebay
- etsy
- dell
- dicks
- dillards
- hayneedle
- home depot
- ikea
- kijiji
- kohls
- lowes
- lowe’s
- macys
- macy’s
- michaels
- newegg
- nordstrom
- nordstroms
- office depot
- office max
- office max
- overstock
- pricegrabber
- qvc
- radio shack
- safeway
- sams
- sears
- staples
- target
- toys are us
- Walgreens
- walmart
- Walmart
- williams sonoma
- www
8. JOB HUNTERS
- book
- books
- career
- careers
- class
- classes
- course
- courses
- free lance
- freelance
- full-time
- hire
- hiring
- intern
- internship
- job
- jobs
- part-time
- position
- recruiter
- resume
- resume
- salary
- school
- schools
- temp
- training
- work
- writing
9. GARAGE SALE
- antique
- antiques
- auction
- auctions
- classified
- classifieds
- consignment
- drawing
- free
- freebie
- give away
- giveaway
- like new
- old
- outlet
- penny
- raffle
- resale
- sample
- second hand
- sell
- sweepstakes
- thrift
- thrifty
- used
- value
10. INDUSTRY
- bulk
- business
- buyer
- certification
- china
- container
- customs
- distributor
- distributors
- export
- exporter
- factory
- factories
- fees
- freight
- harmonized
- import
- importer
- machine
- maker
- manufacture
- manufacturer
- manufacturing
- margins
- mexico
- money
- profit
- source
- sourcing
- standards
- supply
- tariff
- trade
- overseas
- warehouse
- whole sale
- wholesale
- wholesalers
11. MATERIALS (highly dependent)
- aluminum
- bamboo
- ceramic
- cloth
- cotton
- fabric
- gold
- granite
- leather
- marble
- metal
- paper
- plastic
- polyester
- rubber
- silver
- stainless steel
- steel
- stone
- wood
12. OFF TOPIC
- bing
- e-book
- ebook
- ecommerce
- link
- lyrics
- nude
- porn
- search
- seo
- sex
- submit
- torrent
- url
- yahoo
- web
- website
- websites
- wiki
- wikipedia
13. STATES
- AK
- AL
- Alabama
- Alaska
- AR
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- AZ
- CA
- California
- CO
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- CT
- DE
- Delaware
- FL
- Florida
- GA
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- HI
- IA
- ID
- Idaho
- IL
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- KS
- KY
- LA
- Louisiana
- MA
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- MD
- ME
- MI
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- MN
- MO
- Montana
- MS
- MT
- NC
- ND
- NE
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- NH
- NJ
- NM
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- NV
- NY
- OH
- Ohio
- OK
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- PA
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- RI
- SC
- SD
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- TN
- TX
- UT
- Utah
- VA
- Vermont
- Virginia
- VT
- VW
- Washington
- West Virginia
- WI
- Wisconsin
- WY
- Wyoming
The Negative Workflow
Just like tracking negative keywords, simply finding them will not help without a proper strategy order, as there needs to be a system in place to keep them from causing havoc. For that reason, below is a simple workflow to help stay organized:
1. Research: Using the tools provided, participants should put some thought into those categories associated with irrelevant product types in order to discover issues such as spellings.
2. Category: This phase enables the organization of the negative keywords, which helps to provide lists with clear themes based on competitor names, misspellings, or even freebie seekers.
3. Implement: It’s time to execute the organized lists by using them in the appropriate campaigns or adding groups. It is also essential to remember the type of match, broad, phrase, or exact, to determine how wide “block” your needs might be.
4. Monitor: This task isn’t done until all declines are approved. Make it a habit to check your search terms report often to catch any new troublesome search terms. Be prepared to add them to your negative lists. Please remember to update your lists periodically as your business evolves—what may have been irrelevant last month could now be suitable due to new product lines.
How to find negative keywords
To put together your lists of negative keywords, begin with search terms that look very much like your keywords but might be designed for an entirely different audience—an audience whose product or service can be confused with yours because of certain search terms.
Finding negative keywords is always a time-consuming and frustrating process. Luckily, there are many resources out there. One starting point might be Google’s search term report. It shows the specific ad terms that users had searched for to trigger your ad:
You need to use this tool not only to see keywords that were winning clicks but also to check what queries or phrases that have no relevance to your product or service were used. Those are the queries/terms that should be entered as negative keywords.
Entering Keywords in Negative Terms
From your Google search terms report:
- Click the Keywords tab.
- Put a tick beside the keyword you wish to run the search report on and hit the Search Terms button.
- Pick any irrelevant search terms and hit “Add as negative keyword.”
At this point, you can opt to apply the selections to your entire campaign or particular ad groups. Google and Bing both apply negative keywords at campaign and ad group levels. However, with multi-layered usage, the lowest-level negative keywords take precedence over the higher-level ones.
Keep in mind that your selections will default as broad-match negative keywords, which is how Google sets it. If you need a different match type, you will have to change them yourself.
Without going through the trouble of running the search terms report:
1. Click “Keywords” from the menu on the left.
2. Click “negative keywords.”
3. Click the blue plus button.
From here, you can add new negative keywords to your campaigns or ad groups or create a new negative keyword list or use an existing one.
To append fresh keywords to your campaigns, ad groups, or formulate a brand new list:
- Select “Create a new list or add negative keywords.”
- Select a campaign or ad group, followed by selecting the pertinent campaign or ad group.
- Enter your keywords (one per line), making sure negative keywords do not overlap with targeted keywords, as this will block your ad from being displayed.
- If adding negative keywords to a campaign, the user has the option to save the keywords to a new list or an existing list, and that list can be applied to the campaign. So just check “Save to new or existing list,” specify your new list or select an existing list, and then click “Save.”
For using a negative keyword list that exists:
- Select the option “Use negative keyword list.”
- Select the campaign to apply the negative keyword lists to.
- Select the checkboxes of the negative keyword lists that you want to use.
- Then click “Save.”
Final Thoughts
To sum up, understanding which keywords are irrelevant is critical for optimizing e-commerce ad campaigns. Through thorough analysis of search queries and customer behavior, businesses can eliminate unwanted traffic, making more effective use of their advertising expenditures and increasing sales. This improves ROI and helps position the most relevant offerings in front of prospective customers. In today’s fast-paced world of online commerce, incorporating such strategies can make a significant difference in gaining an edge over competition. For businesses that really want to leverage negative keywords, sophisticated monitoring and analytics should be part of the marketing plan.
