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NegativeKeywords

PPC automation tools with a reviewable trail

PPC automation tools in NegativeKeywords turn search-term reports into explained negative keyword decisions. Connect an ad account, sweep available queries, approve proposals or apply your rules, then report blocked spend with an audit trail.

  1. Connect the accounts you manage

    Authorize Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising or Amazon Ads through the platform's OAuth screen. You keep your ad platform password with that platform and can revoke access at any time. Starter connects Google Ads only; Growth and above cover all supported networks.

    Tell NegativeKeywords what the business sells before reviewing exclusions. A dental clinic and a dental training provider need different treatment of course-related searches. Product context helps distinguish unwanted intent from language that belongs in the offer.

    • Read reports and manage negative keywords and shared lists within the supported platform permissions.
    • Leave billing and budget changes outside the workflow.
    • Review OAuth access and security controls before connecting.

  2. A negative keyword tool that explains each flag

    The sweep reads available search-term reports and classifies queries by irrelevant intent. Groups include jobs, careers and salary; free and cheap; DIY and how to; education, course and PDF; competitor support; wrong location; wrong product; used and second hand; and Reddit or reviews research. These are context-dependent signals, not universal block lists.

    Each flagged query carries its reason, reported cost and conversions, plus a proposed negative match type and destination. Review the negative keyword match types when a narrow exclusion looks safer than blocking a recurring phrase.

    • Starter and Growth sweep daily.
    • Agency sweeps every 6 hours.
    • Enterprise sweeps hourly.

    The sweep works from queries the platform reports. Missing search terms are not inferred as observed traffic, and a research query is not automatically irrelevant simply because it contains reviews.

  3. Choose who authorizes each change

    Approval mode puts proposed negatives in a queue for inspection before they reach an account. Growth and above also support autopilot rules you define (see negative keyword automation). Keep unfamiliar intent in review while using rules for exclusions whose meaning is clear in that account.

    Decision Approval queue Autopilot rules
    Authorization You approve each proposal Your saved rule authorizes matching proposals
    Useful for New accounts and ambiguous intent Repeated, clearly irrelevant intent
    Match type and level Inspect before approval Constrain in the rule
    Conflict check Runs before addition Runs before addition
    Audit and undo Every negative added Every negative added
    Plan access Every plan Growth, Agency and Enterprise

    A plain-language rule states the account, unwanted intent, allowed match type and destination. It should make the permitted action understandable to the person who takes over the account tomorrow.

    • For this dental treatment campaign, add exact negatives for job-seeking queries only after the conflict check passes.
    • For this new-product campaign, exclude second-hand intent with exact negatives, leaving other campaigns for review.
    • For this Microsoft Advertising campaign, use negative phrase only for the approved job-seeking word sequence.

    Avoid an account-wide rule for cheap intent when a campaign promotes low-cost products. Use the feature map to compare rules, shared lists and approval controls.

  4. Check both the match and its reach

    NegativeKeywords rejects proposed negatives that would block active keywords, products or converting queries in the reviewed data. The check applies to the chosen destination, including each account receiving a shared exclusion. A reusable list still needs account-specific checks.

    Google Ads negative broad blocks when all words appear in any order. Negative phrase blocks the same word sequence, and negative exact blocks only that full query. Negatives do not cover close variants, so relevant plurals and misspellings need separate review.

    Microsoft Advertising supports negative phrase and exact only. Amazon Sponsored Products supports negative phrase and exact keywords plus negative product targeting for ASINs. Performance Max exclusions apply where the platform allows; Shopping supports campaign and ad group negatives and shared lists.

  5. Separate exposure from completed action

    The waste dashboard shows flagged spend, blocked spend and trend. Flagged spend describes historical cost associated with queries identified as irrelevant. Blocked spend connects reported cost to queries covered by exclusions that were applied; it is not a measurement of future clicks that never happened.

    Use the Google Ads reporting guide to keep that distinction clear when discussing budget. Email and Slack alerts surface new expensive junk queries between scheduled reporting reviews.

    • Inspect the queries and reasons behind the totals.
    • Compare periods without presenting historical cost as guaranteed savings.
    • Share white-label client reports on Agency and Enterprise.

  6. Keep the decision recoverable

    Every negative added has an audit log entry and one-click undo. Undo removes the exclusion added through the service; it cannot recover an auction that already passed. If a rule's underlying business assumption changes, review the rule as well as the negative.

    Audit history lasts 30 days on Starter, 1 year on Growth and 2 years on Agency. Enterprise includes unlimited history with export. Compare plans and retention against your review requirements.

Inspect the workflow with your own report

Paste a CSV or TSV with search term, clicks, cost and conversions into the browser demo, describe what you sell and choose the network. The report stays in your browser and is never stored. The first 8 negatives appear on the results page, with the rest accessible after account creation. No card is required.

Find wasted spend