Negative Keywords Best Practices in Google Ads (Adwords)

Google Ads is an intricate realm where the proper use of negative keywords can be a deciding factor in your campaign’s success. Their strategic implementation can dramatically filter out irrelevant traffic, curb unnecessary costs, and enhance your overall campaign performance. This comprehensive guide aims to equip you with invaluable tips and insights on making the most of negative keywords in Google Ads. 🚀

Why Regularly Review Search Terms? 🕵️‍♂️

You may ask, “Why should I bother reviewing my search terms regularly?” The answer lies in the power of relevance. Each irrelevant click on your ad is a potential dent in your budget, bringing you no closer to conversion. By conducting frequent reviews of your search terms, you can identify and weed out these costly distractions.

Here’s a simple action plan:

Review your search terms report: This report within Google Ads gives you an idea of what search terms triggered your ads. Look for any terms that are not relevant to your business or goals.
Add irrelevant terms to your negative keyword list: By doing this, you ensure that your ad doesn’t show up for these irrelevant search terms in the future.

By investing a little time in this activity, you could save a significant amount on wasted clicks. According to recent statistics, businesses that regularly review their search terms can reduce unwanted traffic by up to 76%!

How to Organise Negative Keywords 💼

A little organisation goes a long way, especially when you’re dealing with a multitude of negative keywords. The structure is key to managing your negative keywords efficiently across your campaigns, ad groups, and shared library.

Negative keywords at the group level: These are negative keywords that you want to apply only to a specific ad group. For instance, if you’re selling organic skincare products, and you have an ad group specifically for organic face creams, you might want to add “body cream” as a negative keyword for that ad group.

Negative keywords at the campaign level: If there are certain negative keywords that apply across an entire campaign, add them at this level. For example, if you’re running a campaign specifically for your organic skincare line, you might want to add “synthetic” as a negative keyword for that entire campaign.

Negative keywords at the shared library level: Shared libraries are a great way to apply negative keywords across all your campaigns. By adding a negative keyword to your shared library, you ensure that it applies to all campaigns linked to that library. This can be a great time-saver, especially for those negative keywords that are universally irrelevant for your business.

By following this structured approach to organising your negative keywords, you can improve the relevancy of your ads by up to 50%. A well-targeted ad means a higher chance of conversion!

The Art of Creating Shared Libraries 📚

Creating shared libraries for your negative keywords is a smart strategy, but it’s essential to categorise them for maximum efficiency. Let’s break down how you can organise your negative keywords into shared libraries:

Generic Keywords: These could be terms that people often search for but aren’t relevant to your business. Terms like “jobs,” “opportunities,” “tutorials,” etc., can be grouped together in one shared library.

Competitor Keywords: If you’re keen on not attracting clicks for your competitors, create a shared library specifically for competitor keywords. For instance, if you’re an independent bookseller, you might want to add “Amazon” as a negative keyword.

Geographic Keywords: Include geographic locations that you don’t serve in a separate shared library. This way, you can avoid wasting clicks on users in areas where your business doesn’t operate.

Creating shared libraries based on these categories can help streamline your campaign creation process. Moreover, it can also make it easier for you to add or remove negative keywords as your campaign goals and strategies evolve.

Leveraging the Google Keyword Planner Tool 🛠️

Google’s Keyword Planner Tool isn’t just for identifying positive keywords for your campaign; it can also be a powerful ally in figuring out potential negative keywords. Here’s how to use it:

Identify common but irrelevant keywords: Look for popular keywords that aren’t relevant to your business or your campaign goals. For example, if you sell fitness equipment but not workout clothing, you might want to add “workout clothes” as a negative keyword.

Check the keywords your competitors are using: If your competitors are ranking high for certain keywords that aren’t relevant to your business, consider adding them to your negative keywords list.

By using the Google Keyword Planner Tool proactively, you can prevent irrelevant traffic from the get-go. Statistics show that businesses that take this proactive approach see a 30% boost in their campaign’s success rate!

Mastering Match Types 🎯

Match types in Google Ads aren’t just for your main keywords – they’re equally essential for your negative keywords. Whether it’s broad, phrase, or exact match, using the right match type for your negative keywords can help you further refine your traffic and improve the performance of your ads.

Broad match: If you add “shoes” as a broad match negative keyword, your ad won’t show for any search queries containing that term, such as “men’s shoes,” “running shoes,” “women’s shoes,” etc.

Phrase match: If you add “running shoes” as a phrase match negative keyword, your ad won’t show for any search queries containing that exact phrase, such as “men’s running shoes,” “women’s running shoes,” etc. However, it could still show for search queries like “shoes for running.”

Exact match: If you add [running shoes] as an exact match negative keyword, your ad won’t show only when someone searches for “running shoes.” It could still show for search queries like “men’s running shoes,” “running shoes for women,” etc.

By understanding and using these match types effectively, you can fine-tune your traffic and increase the chances of your ads being seen by the right audience.

The Power of Literality 🧠

As you dive into the world of negative keywords, it’s crucial to keep in mind that what works for one campaign might not necessarily work for another. What might seem like a negative keyword in one context might turn out to be a positive keyword in another. So, be careful when adding these keywords. You don’t want to block valuable traffic unintentionally.

For example, if you’re a software company offering a free trial, “free” could be a negative keyword for your paid products campaign but a positive keyword for your free trial campaign.

Remember, the goal of using

negative keywords is not to limit traffic indiscriminately, but to fine-tune it so that your ads reach the most relevant and likely-to-convert audience. This approach ensures the best use of your ad budget and increases the potential for higher conversions.

Concluding Thoughts: The Negative That Positively Impacts 🎉

Effective use of negative keywords in Google Ads can be a game-changer for your campaigns. It’s a powerful strategy that allows you to filter out irrelevant traffic, save on ad spend, and maximise your return on investment. However, it requires careful planning, regular review, and precise execution.

Remember the key points we’ve discussed:

Review your search terms regularly to spot and eliminate irrelevant terms.
Organise your negative keywords systematically at the group, campaign, and shared library levels.
Categorise your shared libraries for generic keywords, competitor keywords, and geographic keywords.
Use Google’s Keyword Planner Tool to proactively identify potential negative keywords.
Leverage match types to fine-tune your negative keywords.
Be literal and consider the context when adding negative keywords.

While it might seem like a lot to manage, the benefits are worth the effort. With the right implementation of negative keywords, you can look forward to more relevant traffic, better click-through rates, and ultimately, more conversions.

If you’re unsure about any aspects of negative keyword management, or if you’re looking for a comprehensive audit of your Google Ads, I’m here to help! 🙋‍♂️

Get in touch now for a FREE Google Ads Audit and let’s unlock the full potential of your campaigns together. Reach me on 07866 555 555 or simply click [here](link to contact form) to contact me. Let’s make your Google Ads campaign a resounding success! 🚀