Using negative keywords in Google Ads is crucial for refining your ad targeting and ensuring that your ads reach the most relevant audience. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to find and effectively use negative keywords in your Google Ads campaigns:
1. Understanding Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are terms or phrases that you exclude from your Google Ads campaign. When you specify negative keywords, your ads won’t be shown to users searching for those terms. This helps you avoid irrelevant clicks, improve your click-through rate (CTR), and ultimately lower your advertising costs.
2. Finding Negative Keywords
a. Using Keyword Planner
- Access Keyword Planner: Navigate to Google Keyword Planner (within Google Ads), and select “Discover new keywords.”
- Search for Related Keywords: Enter your main keywords or phrases related to your product or service. This will generate a list of keyword ideas.
- Identify Irrelevant Keywords: Review the list and identify keywords that are irrelevant to your business or that might attract the wrong audience.
b. Analyzing Search Terms Report
- Access Search Terms Report: In your Google Ads account, go to the “Keywords” tab and then click on “Search terms.”
- Review Search Queries: Analyze the search queries that triggered your ads. Look for terms that are unrelated to your offerings or have low conversion rates.
- Identify Negative Keywords: Select irrelevant search terms and add them as negative keywords directly from the search terms report.
c. Using Google Search Suggestions
- Manual Search: Conduct manual searches on Google using your main keywords. Pay attention to the related search suggestions at the bottom of the search results page.
- Identify Irrelevant Terms: Note down any irrelevant or unrelated terms that appear in the search suggestions.
3. Organizing Negative Keywords
a. Campaign vs. Ad Group Level
- Campaign Level: Apply broad negative keywords that are universally irrelevant across all ad groups within a campaign.
- Ad Group Level: Use specific negative keywords that are only irrelevant to certain ad groups but not others.
b. Organizational Strategy
- Lists: Group negative keywords into lists based on themes or categories (e.g., product features, user intents) for easier management.
- Match Types: Specify match types (broad, phrase, exact) for negative keywords to control the scope of exclusions more precisely.
4. Implementing Negative Keywords
a. Adding Negative Keywords
- Google Ads Interface: Navigate to the “Keywords” tab in your Google Ads account.
- Select Campaign/Ad Group: Choose the campaign or ad group where you want to add negative keywords.
- Add Keywords: Click on the “Negative keywords” tab and add your negative keywords. Specify the match type if necessary.
b. Using Negative Keyword Lists
- Shared Library: Create and manage negative keyword lists in the “Shared library” section of Google Ads.
- Apply Lists: Apply these lists across multiple campaigns to ensure consistent exclusion of irrelevant traffic.
5. Monitoring and Optimizing
a. Regular Review
- Search Terms Report: Periodically review the search terms report to identify new irrelevant keywords.
- Campaign Performance: Monitor campaign performance metrics such as CTR, conversion rates, and cost-per-click (CPC) to assess the impact of negative keywords.
b. Adjustments
- Additions: Continuously add new negative keywords as you identify them from search queries or new keyword research.
- Refinements: Refine existing negative keyword lists based on campaign performance and changes in market trends.
6. Best Practices
- Start Broad: Begin with broader negative keywords and refine as you gather more data and insights.
- Regular Updates: Regularly update your negative keyword lists to adapt to changes in search behavior and market trends.
- Be Specific: Use specific negative keywords to avoid excluding potentially relevant traffic unintentionally.
Conclusion
Effectively using negative keywords in your Google Ads campaigns is essential for maximizing ROI and improving ad performance. By carefully selecting and managing negative keywords, you can ensure that your ads are shown to the most relevant audience, thereby increasing the likelihood of conversions and reducing unnecessary costs. Regular monitoring and optimization of negative keyword lists are key to maintaining campaign efficiency and relevance over time.
