Negative keywords are specific words or phrases that prevent your ads from appearing for irrelevant or low-quality searches. They help you filter out unwanted traffic, saving ad spend and improving overall campaign performance.
When you add a negative keyword, Google Ads won’t show your ad to users searching for that term — ensuring your ad budget is used only for the most relevant and high-intent clicks.
Why Negative Keywords Are Important
Improve Click Quality
By filtering irrelevant searches, your ads attract only genuine users likely to convert.Reduce Wasted Spend
Prevent clicks from unrelated or low-intent searches that drain your ad budget.Boost CTR and Conversion Rate
Your ads appear to more qualified audiences, leading to higher engagement and conversions.Improve Ad Relevance & Quality Score
When your ads align better with search intent, your Quality Score improves — lowering CPC over time.Enhance ROI on Campaigns
Smarter targeting ensures better budget allocation and improved return on ad spend (ROAS).
Example
Let’s say you sell “premium running shoes.”
If you add “free,” “cheap,” or “used” as negative keywords — your ads won’t appear when someone searches for “cheap running shoes” or “used running shoes.”
This ensures your budget focuses on users interested in premium products only.