Short answer
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to a Google Ads campaign so your ad does not show when a search contains them. They stop you paying for clicks from people looking for jobs, free versions, DIY help or something you do not sell. Find them by reading your search terms report regularly and adding the unhelpful searches as negatives.
Why your ad shows for searches you never chose
Keywords in Google Ads are not exact instructions. Broad and phrase match let Google show your ad for searches it considers related. A bakery bidding on birthday cakes may appear for birthday cake recipe or birthday cake baking course. Each of those clicks costs money and brings no order.
Negative keywords are the brake. They tell Google which searches to leave out, even when they look related.
Negative match types behave differently
- Negative broad match blocks a search that contains all the words in your negative, in any order. Adding free course blocks searches with both words, but not a search with only free.
- Negative phrase match blocks searches containing the exact words in the same order.
- Negative exact match blocks only that exact search.
- Negatives do not cover close variants such as plurals or misspellings, so add the common forms yourself.
Where to find the wasted searches
In your Google Ads account, open the search terms report for a campaign. It lists the real searches that triggered your ads, with clicks and cost. Sort by cost and read from the top. For each search, ask one question: could this person become a customer? If the answer is clearly no, add the word that makes it irrelevant as a negative.
Do this weekly when a campaign is new and monthly once it has settled. Google hides some low-volume searches, so the report will never show everything.
Common negatives for small businesses
- Job seekers: jobs, vacancy, salary, hiring, internship.
- Learners: course, training, how to, tutorial, DIY, recipe.
- Bargain hunters, if you do not compete on price: free, second hand, used.
- Wrong places: names of cities or areas you do not serve.
- Wrong products: services you do not offer that share a word with ones you do.
Where to add them
You can add negatives to one ad group, to a whole campaign, or to a shared negative keyword list that several campaigns use. Shared lists are useful for words that are never customers in any campaign, such as jobs. Ad group negatives help stop two of your own ad groups from competing for the same search.
Mistakes to avoid
- Blocking a word that real customers use. A clinic that blocks cheap may also block affordable dental clinic near me if it adds the wrong match type.
- Adding hundreds of negatives on the first day from a generic list without reading your own searches.
- Forgetting to check after a change in services. A word you blocked last year may now be a product you sell.
How Milo can help
In AI Marketing Master you can ask Milo for a starter list of negative keyword ideas based on your business type and the services you do not offer, and for an explanation of how each match type would behave. You review the ideas and decide. The search terms report itself stays in your Google Ads account.
What it does not do
- The app does not read your search terms report for you; you review it in Google Ads.
- AI negative keyword ideas are suggestions without search data and need a person to check them.
Questions people ask
Can negative keywords hurt my campaign?
Yes, if you block words real customers use. Check each negative against the searches you want to keep before adding it.
How often should I review search terms?
Weekly for a new campaign, then monthly once it is steady, and again after any change to keywords or match types.
Do negatives work on Meta ads too?
No. Negative keywords are a search ads idea. On Meta you control who sees ads through audience and placement settings instead.
Should I add competitor names as negatives?
It depends. If people searching for another brand rarely become your customers, blocking those names can save money. Watch your own numbers.
We only describe what the product really does today. Results depend on your business, your market and many things no tool controls.