Negative Keywords
Negative Keywords are search terms for which your ad should NOT appear. They prevent irrelevant clicks and save budget.
What are Negative Keywords?
Negative Keywords are an essential budget optimization tool. If you have "lawyer Munich" as a keyword, you don't want to appear for "lawyer Munich salary" or "lawyer Munich training". Those searchers don't want to hire you.
Why Negative Keywords Matter
In my experience, campaigns without negative keywords waste a noticeable share of their budget on irrelevant clicks.
How to Find Negative Keywords
- Search Terms Report: Check weekly which actual search terms triggered clicks
- Pre-built lists: Create lists with typical exclusions: "free," "jobs," "salary," "training," "wiki"
- Competitors: Exclude competitor names if you don't want to appear in comparison searches
Pro Tip: Create a shared negative keyword list at account level for universal exclusions and additional lists at campaign level for specific ones.
Further resources
Frequently Asked Questions
A well-optimized campaign typically has 50-200 negative keywords. Start with 20-30 universal exclusions and expand weekly based on the Search Terms Report.
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