When running paid search campaigns, advertisers usually spend most of their time choosing the right keywords. However, the real secret to cost-effective advertising lies in understanding how to use negative keywords in PPC. These keywords protect your budget by preventing your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches. As a result, you avoid wasted clicks, improve ad performance, and bring in more qualified leads.

In this guide, you will learn what negative keywords are, why they matter, and step-by-step instructions on how to use them in Google Ads and other PPC platforms. Additionally, you will find examples, common mistakes to avoid, and expert tips to optimize your campaigns.

What Are Negative Keywords in PPC?

Negative keywords are search terms you exclude from your campaign. When someone types a query that contains any of your negative keywords, your ad will not appear. Simply put, they act as filters that remove unwanted traffic.

For example:
If you sell luxury handbags, you wouldn’t want your ads to appear for searches like:

• free handbags

• cheap handbag deals

• DIY handbag tutorials

These searches would waste money without generating valuable customers. That is why understanding how to use negative keywords in PPC is essential for campaign success.

Why Negative Keywords Matter

Before we move into strategies, let’s understand why negative keywords are powerful. They help you:

✅ Reduce wasted ad spend

Without negative keywords, your ads may show up in unrelated searches. Every irrelevant click drains your budget.

✅ Improve click-through rate (CTR)

When your ads appear only for relevant users, more people click — boosting CTR.

✅ Improve conversion rates

Relevant audiences convert better. Therefore, removing unqualified traffic increases your conversion rate.

✅ Enhance Quality Score

Google rewards ads that match user intent. By filtering irrelevant queries, quality score increases over time.

✅ Strengthen audience targeting

You attract the right users, not random searchers. Consequently, your ad spend becomes more strategic and profitable.

Because of these benefits, learning how to use negative keywords in PPC is just as important as choosing the right keywords in the first place.

Types of Negative Keywords

There are three main match types you can use in PPC:

Negative Broad Match

Prevents your ad from showing if all terms in the keyword appear in the search, in any order.

Example:
Negative keyword: cheap shoes
Your ad will not show for:

• shoes cheap online

• best cheap running shoes

However, it may still show for “cheap running shoes for men” if the platform doesn’t catch variations. Be careful.

Negative Phrase Match

Blocks search queries containing the exact phrase.

Negative phrase: cheap shoes
Your ad will not show for:

• buy cheap shoes

• cheap shoes for women

But it may show for:

• affordable shoes

• discounted running footwear

Negative Exact Match

Prevents your ad from showing only when the exact term is searched.

Negative exact: cheap shoes
Blocks only the exact search “cheap shoes.”

How to Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads

Here’s how to use negative keywords in PPC inside Google Ads:

Step 1: Open your Google Ads dashboard

Log in and choose the campaign or ad group you want to optimize.

Step 2: Go to the Keyword Section

Left menu → Keywords → Negative Keywords

Step 3: Choose where to apply

• Campaign-level negative keywords

• Ad group–level negative keywords

Campaign negatives apply to all ads inside the campaign.
Ad group negatives allow more precision.

Step 4: Add your negative keyword list

Manually type keywords or upload a file.

Step 5: Save and monitor

After applying, monitor search terms daily or weekly to refine further.

How to Find Negative Keywords

To master how to use negative keywords in PPC, you need to find the right waste terms. Here are powerful methods:

Check the Search Terms Report

Google Ads Search Terms Report shows real queries triggering your ads. Look for:

• Unrelated intent terms

• Research-only terms

• Job-seeker queries

• Free or discount-seeking searches

Add them as negatives.

 Think of user intent

List keywords that imply:

• Free

• Cheap

• Jobs

• DIY

• Near me (if you don’t serve local)

Example negatives:
free, trial, coupon, salary, tutorial, how to make

 Use keyword research tools

Tools like:

• Google Keyword Planner

• SEMrush

• Ahrefs

• Ubersuggest

These tools reveal search phrases to avoid.

 Analyze customer questions & support emails

Sometimes customers reveal intent that does not match your offer.

Examples of Negative Keywords by Industry

Including such terms makes learning how to use negative keywords in PPC easier and more strategic.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even though adding negatives sounds easy, beginners make mistakes:

❌ Over-blocking keywords and losing good traffic
❌ Using only broad match and missing variations
❌ Forgetting to update lists regularly
❌ Not separating brand and non-brand campaigns
❌ Ignoring short tail terms like “free” and “cheap”

Avoid these errors to succeed.

Pro Tips to Master Negative Keywords

✅ Review search terms weekly
✅ Build a shared negative keyword list for all campaigns
✅ Use automation rules to exclude low-quality queries
✅ Add seasonal negatives when needed
✅ Test phrase vs broad negative match

Once you start applying these strategies, you’ll immediately notice better targeting and lower wasted spend — showing the importance of knowing how to use negative keywords in PPC properly.

FAQs

1. What is a negative keyword in PPC?

It is a keyword you add to prevent your ads from appearing for irrelevant searches.

2. Where do I add negative keywords?

In the Google Ads dashboard under Keywords → Negative Keywords.

3. How often should I update negative keywords?

Weekly for active campaigns, monthly at minimum.

4. Can too many negative keywords hurt my ads?

Yes. Over-blocking may prevent good traffic. Review carefully.

5. Are negative keywords useful for shopping ads?

Absolutely. Shopping ads rely heavily on search term filtering.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to use negative keywords in PPC is one of the smartest ways to boost ROI, save budget, and increase targeting accuracy. Although selecting the right keywords is important, excluding the wrong ones is equally critical. With regular monitoring, strategic match-types, and consistent optimization, you can dramatically improve your paid search performance.

Start applying negative keywords today, and watch your PPC campaigns become more efficient, profitable, and impactful.