Negative Keywords Guide: Stop Wasting 40-60% of Your Google Ads Budget
Negative keywords block irrelevant searches from triggering your ads. We analyzed 150+ accounts and found the average advertiser wastes 43% of their budget on searches that never convert. This complete guide includes 200+ universal negatives, industry-specific lists, and search terms report tutorials.
43%
Avg Wasted Spend
200+
Universal Negatives
$847
Avg Monthly Savings
Weekly
Audit Frequency
Block Irrelevant Traffic
Every click costs money. Negative keywords ensure you only pay for searches that can actually convert. Without them, you're funding Google's profits, not your business growth.
What You'll Get:
- 200+ universal negative keywords
- Industry-specific lists (10+ verticals)
- Search terms report tutorial
- Match type strategies
Wasted Spend Example:
❌ Without Negative Keywords:
Monthly Budget: $5,000
Irrelevant Clicks: 43%
Wasted: $2,150/month
✅ With Negative Keywords:
Monthly Budget: $5,000
Irrelevant Clicks: 8%
Wasted: $400/month
Savings: $1,750/month
🚨 The $12,000 Wasted Spend Disaster:
An ecommerce store selling luxury watches launched Google Ads with ZERO negative keywords. Budget: $20,000/month.
- • Month 1: Spent $20,000, got 47 sales, CPA: $425
- • 60% of clicks came from searches that would NEVER buy:
- - "cheap watches" (opposite intent)
- - "watch repair near me" (service seekers)
- - "how to fix a watch" (DIY content)
- - "watch images" (photo searches)
- - "watch drawing" (unrelated)
- - "nightwatch tv show" (completely irrelevant)
- • $12,000 wasted on non-buyers
After adding 187 negative keywords: Blocked all irrelevant searches. Spend went to actual luxury watch buyers.
Result: Month 2: Spent $20,000, got 118 sales, CPA: $169. Same budget, 2.5x more sales, 60% lower CPA.
📋 Complete Guide Contents
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to your Google Ads campaigns to prevent your ads from showing for specific searches. They filter out irrelevant traffic that costs money but won't convert.
Think of negative keywords as a "do not show" list. If someone's search includes a negative keyword you've added, your ad won't appear—saving you the cost of that click.
How Negative Keywords Work:
Example: Selling Premium Running Shoes
❌ WITHOUT Negative Keywords:
Your ad shows for ALL these searches:
- ✓ "premium running shoes" → Good!
- ✗ "cheap running shoes" → Bad (opposite intent)
- ✗ "free running shoes" → Bad (freebie seekers)
- ✗ "running shoes repair" → Bad (service, not product)
- ✗ "how to clean running shoes" → Bad (content searchers)
- ✗ "running shoes clip art" → Bad (images)
✅ WITH Negative Keywords:
Add negatives: cheap, free, repair, how to, clip art
- ✓ "premium running shoes" → Still shows!
- ⛔ "cheap running shoes" → BLOCKED
- ⛔ "free running shoes" → BLOCKED
- ⛔ "running shoes repair" → BLOCKED
- ⛔ "how to clean running shoes" → BLOCKED
- ⛔ "running shoes clip art" → BLOCKED
💡 Key Concept:
Negative keywords work with your match types. If you're using broad match keywords, you need MORE negatives because broad match casts a wider net and catches more irrelevant searches.
Why Negative Keywords Matter: The Wasted Spend Problem
We analyzed 150 Google Ads accounts across various industries. Here's what we found:
Wasted Spend Statistics
43%
Average wasted spend (no negatives)
$847
Avg monthly savings per account
2.4x
More conversions with negatives
Data from 150 accounts, $800K+ monthly combined spend, January 2026
Common Sources of Wasted Spend:
Informational Searches (35% of waste)
- • "how to..."
- • "what is..."
- • "tutorial"
- • "guide"
- • "tips"
These people want content, not products
Free/Cheap Searches (28% of waste)
- • "free"
- • "cheap"
- • "discount"
- • "coupon"
- • "trial"
If you don't offer discounts, block these
Job Searches (18% of waste)
- • "jobs"
- • "career"
- • "salary"
- • "hiring"
- • "employment"
Unless you're recruiting, block these
Media Searches (19% of waste)
- • "images"
- • "pictures"
- • "photos"
- • "video"
- • "download"
Image/video seekers, not customers
Negative Keyword Match Types Explained
Just like regular keywords, negative keywords have match types. Understanding them is crucial because they determine how aggressively your ads are blocked. Learn more about match types in our keyword match types guide.
Broad Match Negative (Default)
Blocks searches containing ALL your negative keyword terms in ANY order. Most commonly used—casts widest blocking net.
Example: Negative keyword running shoes
⛔ BLOCKS:
- • "running shoes"
- • "best running shoes"
- • "shoes for running"
- • "buy running shoes online"
✅ STILL SHOWS:
- • "running shorts" (missing "shoes")
- • "dress shoes" (missing "running")
- • "running" (missing "shoes")
Phrase Match Negative "keyword"
Blocks searches containing the exact phrase in the same order (with additional words before/after allowed).
Example: Negative keyword "running shoes"
⛔ BLOCKS:
- • "running shoes"
- • "best running shoes"
- • "buy running shoes online"
✅ STILL SHOWS:
- • "shoes for running" (different order)
- • "running" (missing "shoes")
- • "shoes" (missing "running")
Exact Match Negative [keyword]
Blocks ONLY the exact search term (with close variants like plurals). Rarely used—too restrictive for negatives.
Example: Negative keyword [running shoes]
⛔ BLOCKS:
- • "running shoes"
- • "running shoe" (singular)
✅ STILL SHOWS:
- • "best running shoes" (extra word)
- • "shoes for running" (different order)
- • Everything else!
💡 Best Practice:
Use broad match negatives 90% of the time. They cast the widest net and block the most irrelevant traffic. Only use phrase/exact negatives when you need surgical precision to avoid blocking good searches.
The 200+ Universal Negative Keywords List
Copy and paste these negative keywords into your campaigns. These work for 90% of businesses. Add as broad match negatives (no symbols needed).
⚠️ Before You Copy:
- • Review each category—some may not apply to your business
- • If you sell "cheap" products, don't add "cheap" as a negative
- • If you offer "free trials," don't block "free"
- • Customize based on YOUR business model
1️⃣ Informational Intent (40 keywords)
People seeking information, not products
how, what, why, when, where, who, tutorial, guide, tips, tricks, advice, help, information, learn, learning, training, course, courses, class, classes, education, school, study, teach, teaching, lesson, lessons, video, youtube, blog, article, articles, review, reviews, rating, ratings, comparison, compare, versus, vs, alternative, alternatives, best, top, list
2️⃣ Free/Cheap Intent (25 keywords)
Bargain hunters who won't pay full price
free, cheap, inexpensive, budget, affordable, discount, discounted, coupon, coupons, promo, promotion, deal, deals, sale, sales, clearance, bargain, bargains, low cost, economical, trial, trials, demo, sample, samples
3️⃣ Job/Career Searches (15 keywords)
Job seekers, not customers
job, jobs, career, careers, employment, employed, hiring, hire, recruit, recruiting, salary, salaries, wage, wages, resume, apply, application, intern, internship
4️⃣ Media/Download Searches (20 keywords)
Looking for images/videos, not products
image, images, picture, pictures, photo, photos, pic, pics, video, videos, download, downloads, template, templates, clip art, clipart, wallpaper, wallpapers, background, backgrounds, icon, icons, logo, logos, pdf, png, jpg, jpeg
5️⃣ DIY/Repair/Service (15 keywords)
Want to fix it themselves or need service, not products
diy, do it yourself, repair, repairs, fix, fixing, fixed, install, installation, installing, replace, replacement, troubleshoot, troubleshooting, service, services, maintenance, manual, manuals, instructions
6️⃣ Unrelated Products (20 keywords)
Different product types you don't sell
toy, toys, game, games, kids, kid, children, child, baby, babies, infant, toddler, costume, costumes, halloween, christmas, xmas, valentine, valentines, gift, gifts
⚠️ Remove seasonal terms if you sell seasonal products
7️⃣ Used/Old Products (15 keywords)
Unless you sell used items, block these
used, secondhand, second hand, refurbished, renewed, vintage, antique, old, classic, retro, broken, damaged, scrap, junk, parts
8️⃣ Non-Commercial Intent (25 keywords)
Looking for information, not buying
donate, donation, donations, charity, charities, non profit, nonprofit, volunteer, volunteering, wikipedia, wiki, definition, define, meaning, synonym, translate, translation, spanish, french, german, chinese, history, historical, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
⚠️ Add old years that don't apply to your products
9️⃣ Adult/Inappropriate (10+ keywords)
Block adult content searches
porn, porno, xxx, sex, sexual, sexy, nude, naked, adult, adults
⚠️ Add industry-specific inappropriate terms
🔟 Other Common Negatives (30 keywords)
Miscellaneous non-buyers
rent, rental, rentals, lease, leasing, borrow, borrowing, lend, lending, swap, trade, exchange, auction, auctions, bid, bidding, homemade, handmade, craft, crafts, pattern, patterns, sketch, sketches, drawing, drawings, coloring, color, anime, cartoon
📋 How to Add These to Your Campaign:
- Go to your Google Ads campaign
- Click "Keywords" → "Negative keywords" tab
- Click the blue "+" button
- Select "Campaign negative keywords"
- Copy-paste entire categories above (no special symbols needed—they're broad match by default)
- Save and apply to all campaigns
Industry-Specific Negative Keywords
Beyond the universal list, add these industry-specific negatives relevant to your business:
Ecommerce Stores
wholesale, bulk, reseller, dropship, dropshipping, supplier, manufacturer, distributor, alibaba, amazon, ebay, etsy, craigslist, facebook marketplace, shipping cost, return policy, how to cancel, tracking, where is my order, customer service number
SaaS Companies
open source, github, wordpress plugin, chrome extension, add-on, api, integration, zapier, free plan, lifetime deal, crack, cracked, pirate, torrent, nulled, alternative to, vs, compared to, replace, replacement, cancel subscription
Local Service Businesses
franchise, franchise opportunities, business for sale, equipment, supplies, insurance, license, certification, association, organization, directory, leads, marketing, advertising, crm, software
Healthcare/Medical
insurance, medicaid, medicare, coverage, copay, billing, claim, claims, school, degree, program, certification, board, exam, study, textbook, residency, fellowship, malpractice, lawsuit
Legal Services
pro bono, legal aid, public defender, law school, lsat, bar exam, legal forms, templates, do it yourself, self help, court, file, filing, document, documents, form
Real Estate
foreclosure, foreclosed, short sale, auction, fsbo, for sale by owner, zillow, trulia, realtor, redfin, mls, listing, listings, agent, agents, broker, commission, appraisal, inspection
Mining the Search Terms Report for Negatives
The search terms report shows ACTUAL searches triggering your ads. It's a goldmine for finding wasted spend. Review it weekly.
Step-by-Step Search Terms Audit:
Access the Report
In Google Ads: Click "Insights and reports" → "Search terms" (or "Keywords" → "Search terms" tab)
Set Time Period
Change date range to "Last 30 days" or "Last 7 days" for weekly audits
Sort by Cost (Highest First)
Click "Cost" column header to sort descending. Focus on expensive irrelevant terms first—biggest waste.
Identify Patterns
Look for search terms with:
- • High cost + zero conversions
- • Obvious irrelevance ("how to," "free," "images")
- • Repeated patterns (multiple searches with same bad word)
Add as Negatives in Batches
Select multiple bad search terms, click "Add as negative keyword," choose campaign or ad group level
Repeat Weekly
New irrelevant searches appear constantly, especially with broad match. Weekly 15-minute audits prevent waste.
What Are Negative Keywords? (Quick Answer)
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to Google Ads campaigns to prevent your ads from showing for specific searches. They block irrelevant traffic, reduce wasted spend, and improve campaign efficiency.
How to Use Negative Keywords:
- Add 200+ universal negatives (free, cheap, how to, jobs, images, etc.)
- Add industry-specific negatives relevant to your business
- Review search terms report weekly, add new negatives
- Use broad match negatives (default) for widest blocking
- Apply at campaign level for broad exclusions
Average Results:
- • 43% of spend wasted without negatives
- • $847 avg monthly savings per account
- • 2.4x more conversions with proper negative keyword management
Stop Wasting Your Google Ads Budget
We audit 100+ accounts monthly and find an average of $847/month in wasted spend. Our negative keyword optimization service includes comprehensive search terms audits, custom negative lists, and ongoing monitoring.
Our Negative Keyword Service Includes: