Negative keywords meaning and answers to common questions
Negative keywords stop ads from appearing for searches that match an exclusion rule. Use them to filter irrelevant intent while checking that each exclusion protects the products, keywords and queries that bring conversions.
Negative keyword basics
Negative keywords are exclusions that prevent an ad from serving when a search matches the negative's rule. They help separate buying intent from searches for unrelated jobs, courses, products or locations. Start with the negative keywords list, then adapt it to what you sell.
Negative broad match blocks a search when all the negative's words appear, in any order. Negative phrase match blocks searches containing the same word sequence, while negative exact match blocks only the full query without additional words. Compare the negative keyword match types before widening an exclusion.
No, negative keywords do not automatically cover close variants. Add relevant plural forms and misspellings separately after reviewing their intent. The exact match negative keywords guide explains what an exact exclusion misses.
Use ad group exclusions for local routing, campaign exclusions for a campaign-wide restriction and account exclusions for intent irrelevant across the account. Shared lists help reuse exclusions where the platform supports them, but every account still needs a conflict check. Read the campaign and account level guide before broadening the scope.
No, the same word can signal irrelevant intent in one account and a valuable purchase in another. A seller of used products should not block used-product searches just because that group appears in a library. Review negative keyword examples against your offer before adding them.
No, Google Ads supports negative broad, phrase and exact, while Microsoft Advertising supports negative phrase and exact only. Microsoft negatives also do not automatically cover close variants. Amazon Sponsored Products supports negative phrase and exact keywords plus negative product targeting for ASINs; compare the Microsoft Advertising guide and Amazon search-term guide.
Using NegativeKeywords
NegativeKeywords sweeps the available search-term reports from your connected ad accounts and classifies queries by intent. Each flagged query gets a reason, a proposed negative, a match type and a level, followed by a conflict check. See the search-term review workflow for how these decisions reach the approval queue.
The conflict check rejects proposed negatives that block active keywords, products or converting queries in the reviewed data. Approval mode lets you inspect every remaining proposal before it changes an account. Read the conflict-check features and keep your product context current.
Starter is approval only, so you review proposals before they are added. Growth and above also support autopilot rules that you define, with a conflict check before each change. Every negative added has an audit log entry and one-click undo, as described in the automation workflow.
Yes, where Google Ads allows the exclusion type and level. Performance Max uses account-level negatives and campaign-level negative keyword lists where supported, while Shopping accepts campaign and ad group negatives and shared lists. Check the Performance Max guide and Shopping exclusions guide for the relevant controls.
Wasted spend is the historical cost of queries flagged as irrelevant after intent and conflict checks. It describes cost in the report you reviewed and does not guarantee the same amount of future savings. The Google Ads reporting guide separates flagged spend, blocked spend and trends.
Exports include Google Ads Editor CSV, Microsoft Advertising Editor CSV and Amazon bulk sheets according to the networks in your plan. Growth and above also maintain shared lists across accounts, with application limited to what each network supports. Review the agency workflow for shared lists and client reporting.
Access and data
You authorize the connection through the ad platform's OAuth flow. The requested scopes and controls are listed on the security page, and you can revoke the connection at any time. Do not send your ad platform password to connect an account.
No, the one-off demo analyzes the report in your browser and never stores it. Paste a CSV or TSV with search term, clicks, cost and conversions, or choose one of the datasets. The search terms report guide explains the fields to export.
Connected account data is limited to your workspace, and we never sell or share search terms. Agency includes team roles, while Enterprise adds SSO through SAML and SCIM. Read the privacy policy and workspace security controls before connecting accounts.
Starter keeps 30 days of audit log history, Growth keeps 1 year and Agency keeps 2 years. Enterprise has unlimited audit log history with export, and every plan includes one-click undo for negatives added. Compare the plan limits to choose the retention your team needs.
Plans and billing
Monthly billing is 49 USD for Starter, 149 USD for Growth and 499 USD for Agency. Yearly billing is 288, 888 and 2 988 USD respectively, equivalent to 24, 74 and 249 USD per month. Enterprise is 999 USD per month, or 5 988 USD per year (499 USD per month); see the PPC software plans for account and spend limits.
Yes, the one-off browser demo works without a card, and ongoing account monitoring requires a paid subscription. The first 8 proposed negatives are visible before account creation unlocks the rest. Return to the search-term demo to use your own report.
You can cancel any time and retain access until the end of your paid period. You can also switch plans as your account count, spend or team needs change. Review the billing FAQ when choosing a different billing period or level of coverage.
We prompt you to upgrade to a plan that covers your monthly ad spend. Sweeps keep running for the current period. Compare the account and spend limits when adding accounts or increasing budgets.
Agency covers 50 ad accounts, up to 500 000 USD in monthly ad spend and all supported networks, with sweeps every 6 hours. It adds shared lists, white-label reports, 15 team seats with roles and 2 years of audit history. Read the PPC management for agencies page for how the workflow fits account review.
Invoices are available for subscriptions, and Enterprise includes invoicing. Enterprise also includes SSO through SAML, SCIM, a DPA, a security review pack and a 99.9 percent uptime SLA. Review the security details or send billing questions to [email protected].