Open the search terms report of almost any unmanaged Google Ads account and you'll find money leaking away: a solicitor paying for “law jobs”, a software company paying for “free download”, a luxury retailer paying for “cheap”. None of those clicks were ever going to convert.
Negative keywords are how you stop that leak. They tell Google which searches your ads must not appear for. With broad match and AI-driven features such as AI Max and Performance Max widening the searches your ads can enter, they matter more in 2026 than they did a few years ago.
This guide explains how negative match types actually behave (they don't work like positive keywords), where to apply them, the current limits, and a weekly process for finding new ones.
Key Takeaways
- Negative keywords block your ads from showing on specific searches; they don't expand to close variants such as plurals or misspellings.
- Negative broad, phrase and exact match behave differently from their positive equivalents.
- You can apply negatives at ad group, campaign, shared list and account level, and now at campaign level in Performance Max.
- The search terms report is your main source of new negatives; review it weekly while a campaign is young.
- Over-blocking is a real risk: too many negatives can cut off profitable traffic.
What are negative keywords?
A negative keyword is a word or phrase that prevents your ad from being triggered. If you sell premium running shoes and add “free” as a negative, your ads won't appear for “free running shoes”. Negatives don't cost anything and don't affect your bids. They simply narrow which auctions you enter.
The most important rule to understand is that negatives are literal:
“Negative keywords won’t match to close variants or other expansions.”
— Google Ads Help, About negative keywords
So if you want to block both “job” and “jobs”, you need to add both. Positive keywords match close variants; negative keywords don't.
Negative keyword match types
Each negative match type controls how strictly the term must appear in the search before your ad is blocked. Here's how they behave with the negative keyword running shoes:
| Search | Negative broadrunning shoes | Negative phrase"running shoes" | Negative exact[running shoes] |
|---|---|---|---|
| running shoes | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked |
| blue running shoes | Blocked | Blocked | Can show |
| shoes for running | Blocked | Can show | Can show |
| running shoe | Can show | Can show | Can show |
| running trainers | Can show | Can show | Can show |
- Negative broad blocks the ad if the search contains all the negative terms, in any order.
- Negative phrase blocks the ad if the search contains the terms in that exact order, even with extra words around them.
- Negative exact blocks the ad only if the search is exactly those words, with nothing added.
In practice, single-word negative broad terms (“free”, “jobs”, “salary”) do most of the work. Use phrase for multi-word ideas, and exact when you want to block one precise query but keep longer variations.
Where to apply negative keywords
| Level | Scope | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ad group | One ad group | Steering a query to the right ad group within a campaign |
| Campaign | One campaign | Terms irrelevant to that campaign's product or service |
| Negative keyword list | Any campaigns you attach it to | Themes reused across campaigns (jobs, free, DIY, competitors) |
| Account level | All eligible Search and Shopping inventory | Terms you never want, e.g. brand safety words |
| Performance Max (campaign / shared list) | PMax Search and Shopping inventory | Keeping PMax away from irrelevant or brand queries |
Google's documentation on negative keyword lists sets the main limits:
“You can add up to 5,000 negative keywords per list, and create up to 20 negative keyword lists in your account.”
— Google Ads Help, About negative keyword lists
The same page notes a cap of 1,000 account-level negative keywords. For Performance Max, Search Engine Land reported in March 2025 that Google raised the limit from 100 to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign, and Google's August 2025 update added campaign-level negative keyword lists that can be shared across PMax campaigns. Our Performance Max guide covers how negatives sit alongside brand exclusions there.
How to find negative keywords: step by step
- Start before launch. Brainstorm obvious exclusions by intent: jobs and careers, free and DIY, education and courses, used or second-hand, and locations you don't serve. Our guide to types of keywords helps you spot informational versus commercial terms.
- Mine your keyword research. When you research positive keywords, note irrelevant suggestions. If “roof repair course” appears for a roofer, “course” is a negative.
- Open the search terms report. In Google Ads, go to Insights and reports, then Search terms. Sort by cost and look at terms with spend and no conversions.
- Look for patterns, not single queries. If several bad queries share a word, block the word (negative broad) instead of each query.
- Choose the right level. If the term is irrelevant everywhere, add it to a shared list or account level. If it's only wrong for one campaign, keep it there.
- Check for conflicts. Make sure a new negative doesn't block one of your own keywords. Google flags conflicts in the Recommendations and Keywords sections.
- Repeat on a schedule. Weekly for new or broad-match campaigns, then fortnightly or monthly once stable.
Note that the search terms report hides queries that don't meet Google's privacy thresholds, so you won't see every search. That's another reason to block whole themes rather than individual queries.
A starter negative list
These themes are irrelevant for most commercial advertisers, but always check them against your business first:
- Employment: job, jobs, career, careers, salary, hiring, vacancy, internship
- Education: course, courses, training, certification, degree, tutorial
- Free and DIY: free, diy, homemade, template, “how to make”
- Research-only: definition, meaning, wikipedia, pdf, examples
- Second-hand (if you sell new): used, second hand, refurbished, rental
A training company obviously shouldn't block “course”, and a recruiter shouldn't block “jobs”. Context is everything.
Negative keywords and Smart Bidding
Some advertisers assume automated bidding makes negatives unnecessary because the algorithm will bid low on poor queries. Smart Bidding does adjust bids per auction, but it still needs data to learn that a query doesn't convert, and you pay for those lessons. Google itself recommends pairing broad match with Smart Bidding in its match type documentation, and negatives are what keep that pairing on topic. See our guide to Google Ads bidding strategies for how the two interact.
Common mistakes with negative keywords
- Blocking your own keywords. A negative “repair” in a campaign that bids on “boiler repair” stops it entirely.
- Forgetting plurals and misspellings. Negatives don't extend to close variants.
- Adding every bad query as negative exact. You'll never keep up. Find the word that makes the query irrelevant.
- Over-blocking. Google warns that too many negatives can reduce your reach. Words like “cheap” or “best” may convert well for some businesses.
- Using negatives instead of structure. If many queries land in the wrong ad group, fix the ad group structure with keyword clustering.
- Never reviewing old lists. Your offer changes; a negative added two years ago may now block a product you sell.
How negatives improve more than cost
Removing irrelevant impressions usually raises click-through rate, which helps the expected CTR component of Quality Score. It also gives automated bidding cleaner data, sends better-qualified visitors to your landing page and makes your conversion rate a truer reflection of page performance. Informational queries you exclude from ads, such as question keywords, are often better targeted with SEO content instead.
Related Guides
- Performance Max Campaigns: How They Work and Best Practices
- Google Ads Bidding Strategies Explained
- PPC Landing Pages: How to Build Pages That Convert
Frequently Asked Questions
Do negative keywords match plurals and misspellings?
No. Google says negative keywords do not match close variants, so add singular, plural and common misspellings separately.
How many negative keywords can I add?
Google allows up to 20 shared negative keyword lists per account with up to 5,000 keywords each, and 1,000 account-level negatives. Performance Max campaigns allow up to 10,000 negatives per campaign.
Can I use negative keywords in Performance Max?
Yes. Campaign-level negative keywords and shared negative keyword lists are available for Performance Max, and they apply to Search and Shopping inventory.
How often should I add negative keywords?
Weekly for new campaigns or those using broad match, then every two to four weeks once performance is stable.
Do negative keywords improve Quality Score?
Indirectly. Blocking irrelevant searches tends to raise click-through rate, which feeds the expected CTR component.
Conclusion
Negative keywords are the cheapest optimisation in Google Ads: they cost nothing to add and can stop a large share of wasted clicks. Build a starter list before launch, review search terms weekly, block themes rather than single queries and watch for conflicts. If your search terms report looks like a list of things you don't sell, our PPC management team can audit and clean up your account. Request a free quote.
References
- About negative keywords – Google Ads Help
- About negative keyword lists – Google Ads Help
- About the search terms report – Google Ads Help
- Unlock more visibility and control in Performance Max – Google Ads Help
- Google Ads expands PMax negative keyword limits – Search Engine Land
- About keyword matching options – Google Ads Help
- Negative Keywords: What They Are & How to Use Them – Semrush Blog
