If there's one lever that saves money in Google Ads faster than any other, it's negative keywords. Most underperforming accounts are quietly paying for clicks they never wanted. Here's how to stop that.
What negative keywords do
A negative keyword tells Google not to show your ad for searches containing that term. If you sell premium services, adding "free", "cheap" and "jobs" stops you paying for people who will never buy. It's subtraction, and it's powerful.
Why they matter so much
Without negatives, broad and phrase match keywords can trigger your ads on a surprising range of irrelevant searches. Every one of those is spend with no chance of return. Cutting them lowers your cost per lead without touching anything else.
How to build your negative list
- Check your search terms report to see exactly what people typed to trigger your ads.
- Add clearly irrelevant terms as negatives, ongoing, not once.
- Build a standard negative list for your industry (jobs, free, DIY, courses, and so on).
Make it a habit
Negative keywords aren't a one-time job. Review your search terms regularly and keep pruning. This simple, unglamorous routine is one of the biggest differences between an account that leaks money and one that compounds returns.
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