How To Use Negative Keywords to Keep Your Google Ads on Point
So you have your Google Ads Search Campaign set up and it’s going well…but you're showing up for terms you know aren’t going to convert and markets you don’t sell into. What can you do? Add Negative Keywords.
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases that you can specify to prevent your ad from appearing in search results for specific terms.
For example, if you’re advertising a vegetarian restaurant, you might want to add “meat” as a negative keyword so that your ad doesn’t appear when someone searches for “steakhouse.” Negative keywords help to ensure that your ad is only shown to people who are more likely to be interested in what you’re offering.
Example of negative keywords for a Lawyer’s Google Ads
Negative keywords for a lawyer might include terms that are not relevant to the specific services they offer. For example, a lawyer who specializes in tax cases might want to use negative keywords such as “criminal,” “bankruptcy,” etc.
Special Characters
You can use special characters, like &, á, and *, in negative keywords. These are words you don’t want your ad to show up for. Keep in mind that capital letters and special marks, like á, are treated differently. So “sidewalk café” and “sidewalk cafe” would be considered different. Also, & is different from the word “and”. For example, “socks & shoes” is different from “socks and shoes.”
Here are 4 things to focus on when thinking about Negative Keywords
- Negative keywords help to exclude irrelevant search terms from triggering your ad. This can improve the relevance of your ad and increase the likelihood of conversions.
- Negative keywords can be added at the account level, campaign, ad group, or ad level. This allows you to be specific about which search terms you want to exclude and at what level of granularity.
- Negative keywords can be used to exclude competitors from triggering your ad.
- Negative keywords can be used to exclude certain locations or regions where you do not want your ads to appear.
Client Campaign
Here are some of the negative keywords for a client of ours, Little India. There are a few negative keywords here that would apply to all restaurants like art and blogs but some require a little more specific information on the style of food the restaurant provides. Do they have burgers on the menu? if not then this is a good negative keyword to remember. Catering – If the restaurant doesn’t do it then add it as a negative.
Remember, negative keywords are there to help you hone in on what your next potential customer is searching for.
Final Tip:
Keep in mind that negative keywords can have a big impact on your campaign’s performance, so use them carefully and monitor the results closely. Digital Influence knows Google Ads that’s why we are a Google Partner.
Get in touch with the team to see how we can improve your Ad campaigns.Â
