If you’re running Google Ads and noticing your budget disappearing on clicks that never turn into sales, there’s a good chance irrelevant searches are eating into your spend. This is exactly the problem negative keywords are meant to solve. In this guide, we’ll walk through what negative keywords are, why they matter, and exactly how to add them to your campaigns.

What Are Negative Keywords?

A negative keyword tells Google Ads which searches you do not want your ad to show up for. Normally, when you add keywords to a campaign, you’re telling Google “show my ad when someone searches for this.” Negative keywords work the opposite way, they tell Google “never show my ad when someone searches for this.”

For example, if you sell premium leather handbags, you probably don’t want your ad appearing when someone searches “free handbag” or “cheap handbag patterns.” Adding “free” and “cheap” as negative keywords keeps your ad away from those searches.

Why Negative Keywords Matter

Every time your ad appears and gets clicked, you pay. Whether or not that click leads to a sale. Without negative keywords, your ads can show up for searches that have nothing to do with what you’re actually offering. Over time, this wastes money, lowers your click-through rate, and can even drag down your Quality Score.

Adding negative keywords helps you:

• Stop paying for clicks that were never going to convert
• Keep your ad spend focused on people who actually want what you’re selling
• Improve your click-through rate and Quality Score
• Get a better return on your advertising budget

Where to Find Irrelevant Searches

Before you can add negative keywords, you need to know which searches are wasting your money. Here’s how to find them:

1. Log into your Google Ads account
2. Go to the campaign or ad group you want to review
3. Click on Insights and reports (or Keywords depending on your interface version)
4. Select Search terms

This report shows you the actual words and phrases people typed before your ad appeared. Scroll through this list and look for searches that don’t match your product or service. These are your candidates for negative keywords.

How to Add Negative Keywords: Step by Step

There are two main ways to add negative keywords (directly from the search terms report, or manually through the negative keyword list).

Method 1: Add From the Search Terms Report

This is the easiest way because you’re adding keywords based on real data.

1. Open your campaign and go to Search terms (under Insights and reports)
2. Look through the list of terms
3. Tick the checkbox next to any irrelevant search term
4. Click Add as negative keyword
5. Choose whether to add it to the ad group, the campaign, or a shared negative keyword list
6. Pick a match type (more on this below)
7. Click Save

Method 2: Add Manually

If you already know which words you want to block, you don’t need to wait for them to show up in a report.

1. Go to your campaign
2. Click on Keywords in the left-hand menu
3. Select Negative keywords
4. Click the blue + button
5. Choose whether this applies to the current campaign or a specific ad group
6. Type in the words or phrases you want to exclude, one per line
7. Select the match type
8. Click Save

Understanding Match Types for Negative Keywords

Just like regular keywords, negative keywords have match types that control how strictly they block searches.

• Broad match: Blocks any search containing all the words in your negative keyword, in any order. This is the loosest and can accidentally block more than you intend.
• Phrase match: Blocks searches that include your exact phrase, in that exact order, even if other words are added around it.
• Exact match: Only blocks the search if it matches your negative keyword exactly, word for word.

A common mistake is using broad match too aggressively, which can accidentally exclude searches you actually wanted. It’s worth double-checking your negative keywords after adding them to make sure they’re not blocking good traffic by accident.

Campaign-Level vs. Ad Group-Level Negative Keywords

You can add negative keywords at different levels:

• Ad group level: Blocks the term for just that specific ad group, useful when a word is fine for one part of your account but not another.
• Campaign level: Blocks the term across the entire campaign.
• Shared negative keyword lists: A list you create once and apply across multiple campaigns, which saves time if you manage several campaigns with similar irrelevant traffic.

To create a shared list, go to Tools and Settings > Shared Library > Negative keyword lists, and you can build a master list to apply wherever needed.

A Few Practical Tips

• Review search terms regularly. New irrelevant searches show up over time, so check this report weekly or biweekly rather than treating negative keywords as a one-time task.
• Watch for job seekers and researchers. Words like “jobs,” “salary,” “how to,” or “definition” often signal someone who isn’t ready to buy.
• Exclude competitor confusion carefully. If your brand name is similar to a competitor’s, add their name as a negative keyword to avoid wasted clicks.
• Don’t overdo broad match negatives. Being too aggressive can block genuine customers without you realizing it.
• Build your list gradually. You don’t need to add hundreds of negative keywords on day one. Let the data guide you over the first few weeks of a campaign.

Final Thoughts

Negative keywords are one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your Google Ads budget working for you instead of against you. By regularly checking your search terms report and refining your negative keyword list, you can cut wasted spend, improve your ad relevance, and get more value from every rupee (or dollar) you put into your campaigns.

If you’re just getting started, don’t overthink it just begin by reviewing your search terms this week, block the obvious mismatches, and build from there.