Negative keyword match types in Google Ads are essential tools that help advertisers prevent their ads from showing for irrelevant searches, thereby improving campaign efficiency and reducing wasted ad spend. There are three main negative keyword match types: negative broad match, negative phrase m…Negative keyword match types in Google Ads are essential tools that help advertisers prevent their ads from showing for irrelevant searches, thereby improving campaign efficiency and reducing wasted ad spend. There are three main negative keyword match types: negative broad match, negative phrase match, and negative exact match.
Negative broad match is the default type for negative keywords. When you add a negative broad match keyword, your ad will not show if the search contains all the negative keyword terms, regardless of the order. However, your ad may still appear if the search only contains some of the terms. For example, if your negative broad match keyword is "running shoes," your ad would be blocked for searches like "blue running shoes" but might still show for "running sneakers."
Negative phrase match prevents your ad from appearing when the search includes the exact keyword phrase in the same order. Your ad can still show if additional words are present, as long as they break up the phrase. Using the negative phrase match "running shoes" would block searches like "red running shoes sale" but allow "shoes for running."
Negative exact match is the most restrictive option. Your ad will only be blocked when the search query matches the negative keyword exactly, with no additional words. If you set "running shoes" as a negative exact match, only searches for exactly "running shoes" would be excluded.
Unlike positive keywords, negative keywords do not consider close variants, synonyms, or misspellings. This means you need to add all variations you want to exclude manually. Proper use of negative keywords helps improve click-through rates, increase Quality Scores, and ensure your budget is spent on reaching genuinely interested customers. Regular review and updating of your negative keyword list based on search term reports is a best practice for maintaining optimal campaign performance.
Negative Keyword Match Types: Complete Guide
Why Negative Keyword Match Types Are Important
Negative keyword match types are essential for controlling when your ads should not appear. They help you prevent wasted ad spend by excluding irrelevant searches, improve your click-through rate (CTR) by showing ads only to qualified audiences, and increase your return on investment (ROI) by focusing budget on searches that matter.
What Are Negative Keyword Match Types?
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing when certain terms are included in a user's search query. Google Ads offers two primary negative keyword match types:
1. Negative Broad Match This is the default type for negative keywords. Your ad will not show if the search query contains all the negative keyword terms, regardless of order. However, your ad may still show if the query contains only some of the terms.
Example: If your negative keyword is running shoes, your ad will not show for searches like "blue running shoes" or "shoes for running," but it may show for "running gear" or "dress shoes." 2. Negative Phrase Match Your ad will not show if the search contains the exact keyword terms in the same order. Additional words can be before or after the phrase.
Example: If your negative keyword is "running shoes", your ad will not show for "buy running shoes" or "running shoes sale," but it could show for "shoes for running." 3. Negative Exact Match Your ad will not show only if the search query matches the exact keyword terms in the exact order, with no extra words.
Example: If your negative keyword is [running shoes], your ad will not show for "running shoes" but will still show for "blue running shoes" or "running shoes for men." How Negative Match Types Work
Unlike positive keywords, negative keywords do not include close variants, synonyms, or misspellings. You must manually add variations you want to exclude. Negative keywords can be applied at the campaign or ad group level, giving you control over where exclusions take effect.
Key Differences from Positive Keywords: - No close variant matching for negatives - You must add singular, plural, and misspelled versions separately - Negative keywords have a 5,000 keyword limit per campaign
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Negative Keyword Match Types
Tip 1: Remember that negative broad match excludes searches containing all the terms in any order, not just one of the terms.
Tip 2: Know that negative phrase match requires the terms to appear in the exact order specified.
Tip 3: Understand that negative exact match is the most restrictive and only blocks the precise query.
Tip 4: Be aware that close variants, synonyms, and misspellings are not automatically included in negative keywords. This is a common exam question topic.
Tip 5: When asked about preventing irrelevant traffic, consider which negative match type provides the appropriate level of restriction for the scenario described.
Tip 6: Questions may present scenarios where you need to identify which searches would still trigger ads despite negative keywords. Work through each option systematically.
Tip 7: Remember that negative keywords can be added at both campaign and ad group levels, and ad group negatives only affect that specific ad group.