Negative Keyword
Paid MediaAlso: Negative Match · Keyword Exclusion
Quick definition
A negative keyword is a word or phrase that tells Google Ads (or Microsoft Ads) not to show your ad when that term appears in a search query. Adding 'free' as a negative keyword means your ad for a paid service will not appear when someone searches 'free accounting software'. It is one of the most impactful levers for improving campaign efficiency.
How it varies across Australia
Accounts that actively maintain negative keyword lists tend to show meaningfully higher conversion rates and lower cost per acquisition than those that do not, as a greater proportion of spend reaches genuinely interested prospects.
Explore benchmarks →Blocks your ad if all the words in your negative keyword appear in the search query, in any order. Least restrictive. Use for clearly irrelevant topics.
Blocks your ad if the exact phrase appears in the search query, in that order. More precise than broad. Useful when a word is fine in some contexts but not others.
Blocks your ad only when the query exactly matches your negative keyword. Most restrictive. Use when you want to exclude only a very specific search with no variations.
A shared library of negative keywords that can be applied across multiple campaigns. Saves time and ensures consistent exclusions at account level.
What it actually means
When you run a Google Ads campaign, your keywords tell Google which searches to target. Negative keywords do the opposite: they tell Google which searches to ignore. Without them, your ads can appear for searches that sound vaguely related to your keywords but are completely irrelevant to your business. A law firm bidding on 'personal injury lawyer' might appear for 'personal injury lawyer salary' or 'personal injury lawyer jokes' without negatives. Those clicks cost money and produce nothing. Negative keywords are the filter that makes sure the traffic you buy is the traffic you actually want.
Every dollar not spent on someone who would never buy is a dollar freed up for someone who will.
The Australian context
In Australia, industry-specific negative keywords matter. Legal and financial service businesses need to exclude student and career-oriented terms ('lawyer jobs', 'accounting graduate program'). Trade businesses need to exclude DIY terms. Healthcare businesses need to exclude symptom-only queries where users are self-diagnosing rather than seeking a provider. Building an Australian-market negative keyword list from the start of a campaign prevents the most common sources of wasted spend.
Where people get this wrong
The two most common mistakes are adding negatives too aggressively (excluding terms that do convert) and not adding them at all. The middle path is to check the Search Terms report regularly and add negatives based on actual data rather than guesswork. The second mistake is working only at campaign level and missing account-level negative lists, which means the same irrelevant terms need to be excluded campaign by campaign.
Related terms
Common questions
How many negative keywords should I have?
There is no ideal number. A new campaign might start with 50 to 100 foundational negatives covering obvious irrelevant terms. A mature campaign might have 500 or more built up over time from Search Terms report analysis. Focus on quality and relevance rather than hitting a number.
Do negative keywords work the same in Performance Max campaigns?
Performance Max has limited negative keyword support compared to standard search campaigns. You can apply account-level negative keyword lists and, as of 2024, add campaign-level negatives via Google Ads support or the API. This is a known limitation of the format.
Can negative keywords hurt my campaign?
Yes, if applied incorrectly. Adding a negative that is too broad can exclude valuable traffic. For example, adding 'cheap' as a negative when some of your converting customers search for 'cheap accountant Melbourne' would cut off a segment that does convert. Always check Search Terms data before adding negatives to confirm the term is genuinely non-converting.
Should I use negative keywords in Google Shopping campaigns?
Yes. Shopping campaigns match based on product feed data, not keyword bids, so irrelevant traffic can accumulate quickly. Negatives in Shopping work the same way as in Search. Adding terms like 'used', 'second hand', 'free' or competitor brand names (if you do not want to appear there) can significantly improve Shopping campaign efficiency.
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About New Rebellion
New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.
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