Negative Keyword Software for Multi-Location Businesses
Franchises, clinics, dealerships and service chains waste budget in two ways: the same junk queries in every location account, and local queries that one branch blocks and another needs. NegativeKeywords keeps a shared list for the first and per-location review for the second, with a conflict check, approval and undo.
Why location accounts leak the same money twice
Ten branches do not mean ten times the work. They mean ten times the chance to skip it.
Most multi-location advertisers start with one good campaign and copy it per branch. The junk queries come along. "Jobs", "salary", "free", "DIY", "reviews of competitor" appear in every account, and each branch manager or agency account lead blocks them separately, or never. Some accounts get cleaned while the rest keep paying.
The second leak runs the other way. A neighbouring city name looks like waste in the Dallas account and is exactly the customer in the Plano account. A blanket list built from one location's report blocks real demand somewhere else. Locations need a shared layer for what is wrong everywhere and a separate layer for geography.
How a multi-location review runs
Shared decisions made once, local decisions made per branch.
- 1. Connect the location accounts. Authorize each Google Ads account, or paste search terms exports and describe what the business sells.
- 2. Build the shared list. Families that cost money with no conversions in several accounts, such as job seekers, DIY and free, are approved once and applied to every location.
- 3. Review local queries per branch. City names, neighbourhoods and "near me" variants are judged against that location's own converting queries, so a term never gets blocked where it earns.
- 4. Keep one record. Every change is logged with its reason and account, and any exclusion can be undone if calls or bookings drop at one branch.
Shared list or per-location list
Which layer a negative belongs in decides whether it helps or hurts.
| Query type | Example | Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Job seekers and employees | careers, salary, hiring near me | Shared list, every account |
| Free and DIY intent | diy, free quote template | Shared list, after cost check |
| Wrong service for the brand | a service no branch offers | Shared list |
| Neighbouring city names | city outside this branch's area | Per location only |
| Competitor branch names | a rival's name in one market | Per location, reviewed |
| Anything that converted before | held back by conflict check | Kept, never blocked |
Shared lists across accounts start with the Growth plan, which connects 5 accounts, and scale to 50 accounts on Agency. Teams that bill many clients or brands can compare the agency plan, and lead-focused chains will find the setup on the lead generation page. Service businesses can start from the home services negative keyword guide, and Google explains how negatives behave across accounts in its negative keywords help.
Who it fits
Businesses paying for clicks in more than one place.
Franchise marketing teams who run the same campaign structure for every franchisee and need the cleanup done once.
Clinics, dealerships and service chains where each branch has its own budget and a different service area.
Agencies serving local chains who need a documented routine per location. See the client onboarding routine.
Questions from multi-location advertisers
Is there negative keyword software for businesses with many locations?
Yes. NegativeKeywords connects several Google Ads accounts, keeps one shared negative list for terms that are junk everywhere, and checks every location specific exclusion against that location's converting queries. Growth at 149 USD per month covers 5 accounts and Agency at 499 USD covers 50.
Should every location have its own negative keyword list?
Use two layers. A shared list holds terms that are wrong for every location, such as jobs, free and DIY. A per-location list holds neighbouring city names and service areas, because a city that is junk for one branch is the target market of another.
Can one location's exclusion hurt another location?
Only if it is applied to the wrong level. A city name blocked in one account does not touch the others. The conflict check shows which converting queries a proposed negative would catch before you approve it, and every change is logged with undo.
How many accounts do I need to connect?
One per location if each branch has its own Google Ads account, or one account with a campaign per location. Starter covers one account, Growth covers 5 and Agency covers 50. Run a recent export through the demo to see the waste before choosing.
Run one location's search terms through it first
Paste a recent export from your busiest branch and see the wasted queries, the reasons and the conflict checks before you pay.