Google Ads negative keywords: filtering unsuitable searches

Chosen keywords and actual searches can differ

A business sells website development, yet some clicks come from people seeking developer jobs or tutorials to build a site themselves. The topic is related, but the searcher’s need differs from the service being offered.

Negative keywords help prevent ads from appearing for certain searches. In Search campaigns, start by understanding search terms: the phrases people used that triggered delivery. These may differ from the keywords you added.

Do not immediately exclude every search without a lead. Some terms are irrelevant; others are relevant but have too little data or an unsuitable landing page. Exclusion needs a clearer reason than one click without a conversion.

Define service boundaries before making a list

Record what you sell, the areas you serve, and enquiries you do not accept. This provides an initial boundary. An agency not recruiting developers can examine “web developer jobs”. A premium service provider can review free-template searches without automatically excluding every pricing-related word.

Context matters. “Cheap” may not suit the positioning, yet “how to avoid problems with a cheap website” can be part of a customer’s research. “Free” can be relevant if your business offers an initial consultation at no charge.

Group exclusion reasons: job seekers, learning needs, different products, or unserved locations. Avoid importing a generic list from another account without checking what it contains.

Distinguish negative broad, phrase, and exact match

The match type determines the scope of filtering. Negative keyword behaviour differs from positive keyword behaviour. Google explains that negatives do not automatically match close variants, so relevant variations need separate review.

The broad example also shows the risk. “Course website development” might describe an education provider seeking a website for a course. If that is a suitable customer, broadly excluding both words could remove a useful opportunity.

Read search terms alongside the outcomes

Review the terms available in your account’s report. Reporting limits mean not every search appears, so this is not a complete list of queries. Ask whether the business can serve the need behind each visible phrase.

Record a decision: relevant, needs investigation, or excluded. For a relevant search without results, examine the message, landing page, and data volume. A clearly recruitment-related search is easier to exclude when the campaign sells services.

Do not rely solely on CPL. A query can produce cheap forms with unsuitable needs. A more specific term may bring fewer leads but more useful conversations. Review the findings with the team receiving the enquiries.

Apply exclusions at the right scope

A shared negative list works for needs that are consistently unsuitable across campaigns, such as recruitment terms when all campaigns sell services. Use narrower scope where services differ so another offer is not accidentally blocked.

For example, “training” might be unsuitable for an ad-management campaign but relevant if the business also sells workshops. Check the application scope before saving. Record when the term was added and which campaigns it affects.

Negative keywords do not replace sound campaign structure. If many searches stray off-topic, review positive keywords, the offer, and the destination. Our guide to what happens after an ad click helps assess that continuity.

Review the list when your services change

After adding negatives, watch delivery and enquiry quality. Fewer clicks can be reasonable if unsuitable demand is removed, but disappearing relevant demand needs investigation. Do not judge the change only by lower total spend.

Review exclusions when adding a product, location, or offer. A term irrelevant last year may now match a new service. Maintain the exclusion list alongside the campaign.

Connect filtering with your Google Ads budget plan. In campaign management, the aim is to align spending with business needs without closing off relevant opportunities.