Assigning a negative keyword list to your Google Ads campaigns is an excellent way to keep your ads focused on the right audience while eliminating irrelevant traffic. It's a simple but effective method that keeps your ads from appearing for searches that don't correspond with your offerings and objectives. Think of it like a filter—you’re telling Google, “Hey, if someone searches for this, don't show my ad!” Here’s a quick guide to help you easily assign a negative keyword list to your Google Ads campaigns and ensure you're maximizing your ad spend on relevant clicks.
How to Assign a Negative Keyword List to Your Google Ads Campaigns:
Option 1:
Login to your Google Ads account
Navigate to Campaigns (left-hand-side menu)
Select the campaign you would like to modify
Click on the Edit button
Select Edit Targeting, then Negative Keyword Lists
Select the Negative Keyword List and click Apply
Option 2:
Navigate to Tools (left-hand-side menu) and open Shared Library
Select Exclusions List
Select the Negative Keyword List and click Apply to campaigns
Select the campaigns you would like to apply the negative keyword list to and click Apply
Frequently Asked Questions on Negative Keyword List in Google Ads
How do I create a negative keyword list in Google Ads?
You can follow our tutorial to create your negative keyword list here:
How do Negative Keyword Lists differ from regular negative keywords?
Negative Keyword Lists can be applied to multiple campaigns or ad groups simultaneously, while regular negative keywords are added individually to specific campaigns or ad groups. Lists offer a more efficient way to manage negative keywords across your account, especially if you're managing large accounts or want to maintain consistent negative keyword strategies across multiple campaigns.
Can I use negative keywords in all types of campaigns?
Negative keywords are available for Search and Display campaigns. However, they work differently: In Search campaigns, they prevent your ads from appearing for specific search terms, while in Display campaigns, they prevent your ads from showing on web pages with content related to those terms.
What are the benefits of using Negative Keyword Lists?
Using negative keywords helps improve the efficiency of your Google Ads campaigns as follows:
Filter out irrelevant searches and traffic
Improve ad relevance
Increase click-through rates
Improve quality of traffic
Better budget allocation
Increase return on investment (ROI)
Easier management of negative keywords across multiple campaigns
How many negative keywords can I add to a list?
You can add up to 5,000 negative keywords to a single list. However, it's important to keep your lists organized and relevant to maintain optimal campaign performance.
Are there any best practices for creating Negative Keyword Lists?
Some best practices for creating Negative Keyword Lists include:
Review search terms report to find irrelevant queries
Group similar negative keywords together
Create separate lists for different themes or product categories
Regularly review and update your lists
Be selective with the match types
Include common misspellings
Use campaign-level and account-level lists accordingly
Add your main competitors’ names to a negative keyword list (if necessary)
Monitor campaign after assigning negative keyword lists
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