Google Ads Negative Keywords Guide for 2022

TL;DR

Learn how to use negative keywords to exclude specific search terms from your Google Ads campaigns for better targeting and optimization.

Transcript

what's up everyone welcome to the surfside ppc youtube channel today i'm going to be going over negative keywords for google ads search campaigns and display campaigns so i'm going to go over exactly how they work for both campaign types and i'm going to start with search campaigns so the first thing i want to go over are negative keyword match typ... Read More

Key Insights

• ❎ Negative keywords are essential for optimizing Google Ads campaigns and ensuring targeted advertising.
• 👻 Different match types for negative keywords allow for precise exclusion of irrelevant searches.
• 🫠 Negative keyword lists can be created and applied to campaigns or ad groups for more efficient management.
• 🤯 The search terms report and ad group-level analysis help identify irrelevant or low-performing searches, which can be excluded using negative keywords.
• 💦 Negative keywords on the display network work differently than on the search network, focusing on excluding content rather than specific keywords.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are negative keywords, and how do they differ from regular keywords?

Negative keywords are used to exclude specific search terms from your Google Ads campaigns. They have the same match types as regular keywords but are used to filter out irrelevant searches rather than target them.

Q: How do negative broad match keywords work?

Negative broad match keywords remove any search term that contains the specified words, whether it's one word or multiple words. For example, if you add "farmhouse decor" as a negative broad match keyword, it will exclude search terms like "farmhouse bathroom decor" or "farmhouse style wall decor."

Q: What is the difference between negative phrase match and negative exact match keywords?

Negative phrase match keywords remove specific phrases from your campaign and will not exclude search terms that have synonyms, misspellings, or plural versions of the phrase. On the other hand, negative exact match keywords remove exactly the specified search term, without any variations.

Q: Should I focus on negative keywords when using Google Ads' smart bidding strategies?

If you are using smart bidding strategies like target return on ad spend or maximize conversions, Google Ads will automatically optimize your campaign. However, you may still want to add negative keywords like "free" or "affordable" depending on your product or service.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Negative keywords have the same match types as regular keywords, but they are used to exclude irrelevant search terms from your campaign.

• Negative broad match keywords remove any search term that contains the specified words, while negative phrase match keywords remove specific phrases.

• Negative exact match keywords remove exactly the specified search term, and there are no close variants for negative keyword match types.