--- title: "Negative Keywords in Google Ads: How to Find, Add and Manage Them Without Blocking Good Traffic" description: "How to find negative keywords in Google Ads, add them at campaign and account level, and avoid blocking converting searches." date: "2026-10-27" draft: false tags: - "Google Ads" - "PPC" - "Keywords" rendered: markdown --- For a B2B SaaS campaign targeting "project management software", compare queries such as "project management jobs", "free project plan template" and "project management software free trial". A jobs query may be irrelevant to the offer; a trial query may fit it. Blocking "free" without checking the full queries can exclude both. This guide covers how negative keywords match in Google Ads, where to add them (Performance Max included), and how to review search terms without blocking good traffic. ### What are negative keywords in Google Ads? A negative keyword [excludes searches according to the match type you choose](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2453972). For example, adding "free" as a negative to a Search campaign or ad group blocks searches containing that word. For a SaaS campaign, consider "jobs", "salary", "template," and "course" only when those queries do not fit your offer. #### Why negative keywords matter Irrelevant clicks consume budget. Excluding queries that do not fit your offer is one way to [cut wasted spend and lower your CPA](https://synterai.com/blog/reduce-cpa-google-ads). It also changes which searches contribute impressions, clicks and conversions: - Conversion data. Excluding job searches keeps that traffic out of a campaign selling software. - Click-through rate and conversion rate. Removing irrelevant impressions and clicks can change these rates; evaluate them alongside conversion volume. - **Traffic sculpting.** Exclude brand terms from a non-brand campaign when you want a separate brand campaign to handle them. Use Quality Score to diagnose relevance issues, rather than as a bidding target: it [does not enter the ad auction](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118). ### Negative keyword match types: broad, phrase, and exact Negative match types differ from [positive keyword matching](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2497836). Broad is the default for negatives and blocks queries containing all the terms in any order. Phrase blocks the terms in sequence, even with words before or after them. Exact blocks that sequence only when the query has no extra words. Enter phrase negatives in quotes, exact negatives in square brackets, and broad negatives as plain text. For the negative "running shoes", the table shows which queries remain eligible. "Yes" means the ad could still show: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Search query Negative broad: Negative phrase: Negative exact: running shoes "running shoes" \[running shoes\] ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- blue tennis shoes Yes Yes Yes running shoe Yes Yes Yes blue running No No Yes shoes shoes running No Yes Yes running shoes No No No ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A negative "flowers" blocks "red flowers" but leaves "red flower" eligible. Add singular, plural and synonym exclusions separately; casing and misspellings are handled automatically. Positive keywords can [match close variants across all match types](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9342105), including synonyms and searches with the same intent, with no opt-out. Review the report for variants your negative list does not cover. Also account for symbol handling and long queries: - Ampersands, accents, and asterisks are recognized; "sidewalk cafe" and "sidewalk café" are two different negatives. - Periods are ignored, "site:" is removed, "OR" is ignored, and a leading minus makes that word ignored ("dark -chocolate" acts as "dark"). - A negative that sits after the 16th word of a long search might not block it. ### Where to add negative keywords: ad group, campaign, list, or account **Add each negative keyword at the narrowest level that solves the problem.** The scope and [account limits](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6372658) below determine which campaigns an exclusion can affect: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level What it blocks Limit Use it for ----------------- ----------------- ------------------- ----------------- Ad group Searches for that No Traffic sculpting ad group only negative-specific between ad groups cap on Google's limits page Campaign Searches for 10,000 per campaign Exclusions every ad group in specific to one the campaign campaign's offer Negative keyword Every campaign 5,000 per list, 20 Shared themes: list the list is lists per account jobs, education, applied to competitor brands Account level Search and 1,000 per account Terms you never shopping want on any inventory in search inventory Search, Performance Max, App, Shopping, Smart and Local campaigns Display and Video Placements; Max 1,000 Light filtering; negatives act as considered use content broad match, and exclusions for Display excludes control the related topic ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A shared list can contain [up to 5,000 negatives, with up to 20 lists per account](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2453983). [Account-level negatives cover eligible search and shopping inventory](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11396330). The [5,000-per-list cap can change](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102995), and you can apply a list to up to 1,000 campaigns at once. ![](./../images/blog/negative-keywords-in-google-ads-how-to-find-add-and-manage-them-without-blocking-good-traffic/image1.png) **Alt text: Google Ads negative keyword levels: account level covers search and shopping inventory in Search, Performance Max, Shopping, App, Smart and Local campaigns; lists cover the campaigns they are applied to; campaign and ad group negatives stay inside one campaign; Display and Video treat negatives as broad and topic-based.** #### Negative keywords in Performance Max You can add [campaign-level negatives](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15726455) to all campaigns or a specific Performance Max campaign, including through an existing negative keyword list. They affect Search and Shopping inventory only. Account-level negatives also apply to Performance Max. Before saving a broad exclusion in Performance Max, [preview its estimated effect on conversions or conversion value](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16973204). The preview supports up to 10 negatives at a time and is available only for Performance Max. To exclude a brand, use [brand exclusions](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13721847), which cover misspellings and variants on Search and Shopping inventory. For Display and Video inventory, use [excluded content keywords](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16327396). ### How to find negative keywords #### Start with the search terms report Open the [search terms report](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102466) under Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. Pick a 30-day range, filter to terms with cost and zero conversions, and sort by cost. Enable the Keyword column to trace each query back to the keyword that triggered it; that column is hidden by default. [Some low-volume queries are omitted for privacy](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2472708), so the report is not a complete list of searches. Our [search terms report template](https://synterai.com/templates/audit/search-terms-report) uses read-only access to recommend negatives by intent pattern. #### Group search terms into word patterns **Group search queries by shared words (n-grams) instead of reviewing them one at a time.** Split each search term into single words and two-word pairs, then total cost and conversions per word. In an illustrative B2B account, "pm software jobs", "project manager jobs remote" and "jobs using jira" share "jobs" and have no conversions, so one negative "jobs" covers all three and any future search containing that word, because negative broad match blocks any search containing all of its terms. Add "job" separately, since negatives skip plurals. #### Use Keyword Planner and a manual Google search before launch Before launch, use Keyword Planner to [find related keywords and search estimates](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243), then scan the ideas for queries unrelated to your offer. Search your top keywords yourself too: if a software query such as "data pipeline" returns plumbing suppliers or university courses, inspect those specific terms before deciding what to exclude. #### Search terms for Performance Max Performance Max has its own view of the report: open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms, and choose "Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max" (data from March 2023 onward). [Search terms insights](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11386930), under Insights, groups terms into categories, including low-volume terms the report hides. Check both weekly. #### Decide what is really negative Not every non-converting search query deserves a negative keyword. Sort candidates into three buckets: 1. **Irrelevant.** Wrong product or wrong meaning, like Google's own "wine glasses" example for an eyeglasses seller. Block it. 2. **Relevant but low intent.** "What is a data warehouse" is your topic but not today's buyer. Block it in conversion campaigns. 3. **Grey zone.** "Free trial", "pricing", "alternative to", and "vs" queries may fit your offer. Consider a separate ad group and ad, then review their conversion data before excluding them. For relevant queries, check whether the bid, ad, and landing page fit the intent before deciding to block the search. ### How to add negative keywords in Google Ads Menu labels below come from Google Ads Help as of October 2026; where Google's articles disagree, we show both. #### From the search terms report 1. Open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. 2. Tick the terms to exclude and click **Add as negative keyword**. 3. Choose an ad group or campaign, an existing negative keyword list or a new list, then save. **Check the match type first.** Negative keywords added from the report go in as negative exact match by default, so the same waste returns as soon as someone adds a word. Retype the term in quotes or as plain text if you meant phrase or broad. #### To a campaign or ad group 1. [Go to Keywords within the Campaigns menu and open the Negative keywords tab](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7449003). Google also documents an alternate path: Audiences, keywords, and content, then Search keywords, then "Negative search keywords". 2. Click the plus button, choose the campaign or ad group, and add one negative per line. 3. Optionally tick **Save to new or existing list**, then save. #### Create and apply a negative keyword list 1. Add negatives to a campaign as above and tick **Save to new or existing list** with a new list name. 2. Go to Tools, then Shared library, then Exclusion lists, open the "Negative keyword lists" tab, select the list, and click **Apply to campaigns**. 3. Tick the campaigns that should use it. For App campaigns, Google says to contact your Google representative. #### At account level 1. In your Google Ads account, click the Admin icon, then Account settings, and expand "Negative keywords". Google's [alternate documented path starts with Settings instead of Admin](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7102298). 2. Click the plus button, enter one word or phrase per line, and save. 3. Change match types in the "Match type" column. ### Building a negative keyword list: starter categories Use these B2B and SaaS examples as candidates to check against your own search terms, not a universal exclusion list. Each category can also contain queries that fit your offer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Category Example terms When NOT to exclude ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- Jobs and careers jobs, careers, hiring, You recruit through salary, internship ads, or sell HR software Free and cheap free download, cheap, You offer a free plan crack, torrent or trial; keep "free trial" DIY and how-to how to make, diy, Developer tools, where tutorial tutorials convert to sign-ups Training and courses course, certification, You sell training, or training, bootcamp certification drives purchase Definitions and what is, definition, Top-of-funnel campaigns research meaning, examples, pdf with their own budget Wrong product or the other meaning of Buyers use the same industry your keyword word for your product ("pipeline" plumbing) Competitor brands rival product names Your competitor campaign; keep them in a separate list Your own brand company and product Your brand campaigns names, in non-brand campaigns Locations you don't countries and cities Location targeting serve outside your market already covers it ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep each category in its own named list, so you can remove one list when it stops being true. ### Common negative keyword mistakes that block good traffic - **Single-word negatives that are too wide.** A broad or phrase negative "free" also blocks "free trial", since a one-word negative of either type blocks any search containing that word. For words with a valuable sibling, negate the longer phrase ("free download") or use negative exact match. - **Negatives that overlap your own keywords.** An overlapping negative can prevent your ad from showing. For example, a campaign-level "software" negative can exclude queries containing the product category you sell. - **Excluding a term that converted.** Check a longer date range before excluding a term with ad spend. A query with no recent conversions may have produced conversions earlier. - **Forgetting plurals and synonyms.** Because negatives skip close variants, "template" does not block "templates". - **Keeping the report's default exact match.** It blocks one query, which looks like progress until the next variation arrives. - **Never review old lists.** Recheck them when you launch a product, plan, or market. - **Using account level for a campaign problem.** Account-level negatives also reach Performance Max, Shopping, App, Smart, and Local campaigns. All of these are easier to undo with [a log of every negative the agent added](https://synterai.com/blog/ai-agent-audit-trails-ad-spend), or a person added, with the reason and date. ### Mining negative keywords at scale with an AI agent Searches can consume budget between weekly reviews. Choose a review frequency that fits the account, and use the Google Ads UI for a manual pass. Google Ads scripts can [add negatives to shared lists programmatically](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/scripts/docs/reference/adsapp/adsapp_negativekeywordlist); rules-based tools such as Optmyzr can automate parts of the routine. For a daily agent workflow, separate discovery, authorization and recovery: 1. Pull search terms daily, with cost and conversions. 2. Group them by shared words. 3. Propose each negative with a match type, a level, and a reason. 4. Wait for approval, or apply within rules you set. 5. Log the change with before and after values. 6. Allow rollback when a negative blocks good traffic. Our [Google Ads agent mines search terms daily](https://synterai.com/google-ads-ai-agent), flags irrelevant search queries, and adds negative keywords at campaign or ad group level with a rationale for each. Our PPC workflow lets you [approve suggested negatives in one click](https://synterai.com/for/ppc-managers), but the enforced policy depends on how the agent runs. Background autonomous agents and interactive calls use [different approval policies](https://docs.synterai.com/mcp/approval-model). Background agents default to "Ask before acting", which holds ad-account changes for approval. Calls over MCP, REST or the CLI follow the workspace autonomy level (Off, Suggest, Auto (safe) or Auto (full)); under Suggest, routine keyword changes run immediately. Do not assume a negative-keyword addition waits for approval: that action is not explicitly classified in the current policy. Every decision enters the workspace audit log. Our [change journal](https://synterai.com/security-governance) records old and new values and the agent's reason, with rollback for the last 10 changes per entity, negatives included. If you run Google Ads from Claude or another MCP client, [connect Synter's MCP server](https://synterai.com/installation-instructions) and try this: Pull the last 30 days of search terms for campaign "SaaS - Generic" with cost over \$50 and zero conversions. Group them by shared words and propose negatives with match type, level (ad group, campaign, or shared list), and a one-line reason for each. Do not apply anything until I approve. The prompt's final line asks the model to wait; it does not enforce a write restriction. Your MCP client's confirmation prompt runs locally, outside Synter. For a proposal-only pass, set the autonomy level to Off, which blocks live changes, and restore write access only when you are ready to authorize it. We also support [explicit negative-keyword match types for Microsoft Ads](https://synterai.com/changelog). Check defaults when copying lists: [Microsoft defaults to phrase negatives](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/negative-keywords?view=bingads-13), while Google defaults to broad. Review search terms on a schedule, add each negative at the narrowest level that works, and record a reason for each exclusion. To try the workflow, run the prompt above, or start on [Solo, our developer plan for connecting agents over MCP](https://synterai.com/pricing) (\$20 a month with \$20 in claimable monthly usage credits). ### FAQ #### How do you find negative keywords in Google Ads? Open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms, filter to terms with cost and no conversions, sort by cost, and group the results by shared words so one negative covers a cluster. #### What are examples of negative keywords? For B2B and SaaS advertisers: jobs, salary, course, definition, free download, and your own brand in non-brand campaigns. Check each against your search terms first, because "free" can block "free trial". #### How do you add account-level negative keywords in Google Ads? Click the Admin icon, then Account settings, expand "Negative keywords", click the plus button, and add one term per line, up to 1,000 terms. #### What's the benefit of negative keywords? They exclude searches that match your negative terms. Use them to avoid queries unrelated to your offer and to keep brand terms out of non-brand campaigns. Check the match type and scope so you do not exclude potential buyers. #### Can you add negative keywords to Performance Max? Yes, to all campaigns or a specific Performance Max campaign, or through an existing list, for Search and Shopping inventory only. #### How many negative keywords can you add? Up to 10,000 per campaign, 5,000 per list with 20 lists per account, and 1,000 at account level. Display and Video campaigns have a maximum of 1,000. #### Should negative keywords be exact match? Not by default. Negative exact match blocks one search query and leaves longer variations alone, so use it to remove a single search. Use phrase for a word sequence you never want, and broad when the words together signal the wrong intent in any order.