Negative keywords are specific words or phrases that prevent ads from being displayed in a user’s search query. They are primarily used in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns to ensure that an ad is only shown to users most likely to find relevant.

Negative Keywords Purpose & Benefits

  • Improve ad relevance: Negative keywords help tighten the relevance of your ad groups, ensuring that one ad speaks to an entire set of keywords.
  • Increase conversion rate: By filtering out irrelevant clicks, advertisers can reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of their campaigns.
  • Save advertising budget: Negative keywords help prevent ads from appearing for irrelevant searches, saving your business money and improving your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

Examples of Negative Keywords

  • A housewares retailer advertising “wine glasses” might add “reading” as a negative keyword to avoid showing ads to people searching for eyeglasses.
  • A premium product seller might add “cheap” or “bargain” to their negative keyword list to avoid attracting budget-conscious shoppers.
  • A digital marketing agency could include “jobs” or “careers” as negative keywords to prevent their ads from appearing in employment-related searches.

Best Practices For Negative Keywords

  • Regular review: Continuously analyze your search query reports to identify new negative keywords and refine your list.
  • Use match types: Utilize broad, phrase, and exact match types for negative keywords to have more control over when your ads don’t show.
  • Start with common irrelevant terms: Begin with a list of commonly irrelevant terms for your industry, which Google and Bing representatives can often provide.

Negative keywords are a powerful tool in PPC advertising that helps improve ad relevance, increase conversion rates, and optimize advertising budgets by preventing ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Contact the experts at CyberOptik today to discuss your SEO strategies in more detail.