Every click on a Google Ad costs money, and not every click comes from someone who wants to buy from you. A person searching “boiler engineer jobs” is not a customer for your boiler installation business, but if your ad appears, you still pay when they click it. Negative keywords are how you stop that happening. They tell Google which searches your ads should never appear for, so your Google Ads budget goes on people who are actually looking for what you sell.
At Rank Matrix, a UK SEO agency that also supports clients with PPC management, we know that organic and paid search share one thing: both live or die on understanding what people really type into Google. This guide explains what negative keywords are, how the match types work, how to build a negative keyword list, and where to add it, including in Performance Max. It is based on Google’s own documentation, with UK examples throughout.
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
A negative keyword is a word or phrase you add to your account so that your ad does not show when a search contains it. The keywords you bid on tell Google when to show your ads. Negative keywords tell Google when not to. Google’s help page, About negative keywords, describes them as a way to exclude searches that aren’t relevant to what you offer, and it also warns that too many negatives can mean your ads reach fewer customers.
Here is a simple example. If you advertise “emergency plumber”, you might add “jobs”, “training” and “course” as negatives. Someone searching “plumber training course” is trying to become a plumber, not hire one, and you don’t want to pay for their click. The same idea applies to every search query your ads can trigger. If you want a refresher on how a query turns into a results page, our guide to what a search engine is and how it works covers the basics.
Why irrelevant clicks waste your Google Ads budget
Google Ads is pay-per-click, so you are charged when someone clicks, not when they become a customer. Three things make wasted ad spend easy to build up without noticing:
- Matching is wider than most people expect. Broad match and automated campaign types match your ads to searches related to your keywords, not only identical to them. That can uncover new customers, but it also pulls in searches you would never have chosen on purpose.
- Automation learns from whatever it is fed. If irrelevant clicks sit in your data, they can dilute the signals that automated bidding uses to decide what to pay for.
- Small leaks add up. For illustration only: if a search term costs £1.80 a click and 50 people click it in a month without ever enquiring, that is £90 gone on one phrase. Most accounts have dozens of phrases like that.
If you are still deciding how much to put into paid search against organic growth, our comparison of SEO vs Google Ads for UK businesses sets out the trade-offs. Either way, the pounds you stop wasting are pounds you can spend on traffic that has a chance of converting.
The three negative keyword match types
Negative keywords use the same three match types as normal keywords, but they behave differently. According to Google, a broad match negative blocks a search that contains all of your negative terms, in any order. A phrase match negative blocks searches that contain the terms in the same order, with extra words allowed. An exact match negative blocks only the exact terms, in the same order, with no extra words.
Here is how that plays out if you add “boiler jobs” as a negative to a boiler installation campaign:
| Match type | How you type it | Ads are blocked for | Ads can still show for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad | boiler jobs |
Any search containing both words, in any order, such as “boiler engineer jobs” or “jobs for boiler fitters” | “boiler job” (singular), “boiler installation” |
| Phrase | "boiler jobs" |
Searches containing those words in that order, such as “boiler jobs near me” | “jobs for boiler engineers” (different word order) |
| Exact | [boiler jobs] |
Only the search “boiler jobs” | “boiler jobs near me”, “jobs boiler” |
Negative keywords don’t match close variants
This is the detail that catches out most advertisers. Google states that negative keywords do not match close variants or other expansions. A negative of “flowers” will not stop your ad showing for “red flower”. You need to add singular and plural forms and synonyms as separate negatives. Google does say negatives automatically account for casing and misspellings, so you don’t need to add those separately.
In practice, “job” and “jobs” are two entries, and so are “vacancy” and “vacancies”. Add each one you want to block.
Which match type should you choose?
Our rule of thumb is to match the type to the risk. Use broad match negatives for single words that are never relevant to your offer. Use phrase match for multi-word terms where the order matters, and exact match when you only want to block one specific search while still allowing longer ones that contain the same words. Broad match negatives are the most powerful, which also makes them the easiest to overuse, so think about the good searches you could block before you add one.
How to find negative keywords for your campaigns
Step 1: Read your search terms report
The search terms report is the most reliable source of negative keywords, because it shows the real searches that triggered your ads. Google describes it in About the search terms report, including how it helps you spot terms that aren’t relevant enough to the products or services you offer. Menu names in Google Ads change from time to time, so if you can’t find the report, search for “search terms” in the help box inside your account.
When you review it:
- Sort by cost and look for searches with spend but no conversions.
- Check the “Keyword” column to see which of your keywords attracted each bad search. The fix is sometimes a tighter match type, not just a negative.
- Remember that Google leaves out search terms with too little query activity to protect privacy, so the report never shows everything.
Step 2: Build a starter list before you launch
You don’t have to wait for wasted spend to appear. Most UK service businesses can start with a short list built around the kinds of searcher they don’t want:
- Job seekers: jobs, careers, vacancies, salary, apprenticeship, CV.
- Learners and researchers: course, training, qualification, definition, meaning.
- DIY and freebies: DIY, template, tutorial, free (see the warning below).
- Resale and marketplaces: second hand, used, ebay, gumtree.
- Public sector or wrong audience: nhs, council, gov.uk, legal aid, depending on your sector.
- Wrong location: towns and cities you don’t serve. For location, also use your campaign’s location settings, and consider our local SEO checklist for the organic side.
Treat this as a starting point, not a universal list. Every term needs checking against your own offer first.
Step 3: Tailor negatives to your business
The right negatives depend on what you sell. These are examples only:
| Business | Possible negatives | Why they might help |
|---|---|---|
| Solicitors | training contract, salary, legal aid, template | Filters out trainees, job seekers and people wanting a free document |
| Plumbers and heating engineers | jobs, apprenticeship, course, diy | Filters out career and DIY searches |
| Private dentists | nhs, dental school, jobs | Filters out people looking for NHS care or careers |
| Online shops | second hand, repair, manual, jobs | Filters out used-item hunters and people wanting support, not a purchase |
Where to add negative keywords: ad group, campaign, account and shared lists
Google lets you add negatives at several levels, and choosing the right one saves time:
- Ad group level: useful for steering searches between ad groups so the right ad appears for each one.
- Campaign level: excludes terms from one campaign without affecting the others.
- Account level: applies across eligible campaigns. Google’s page on account-level negative keywords says they apply to eligible Search and Shopping inventory, including in Performance Max, and it states a limit of 1,000 negative keywords per account.
- Shared negative keyword lists: you build one list and apply it to many campaigns. Google’s help on negative keyword lists states limits of 5,000 keywords per list and 20 lists per account at the time of writing, and says these limits can change.
A tidy structure that works for many accounts (this is our recommendation, not a Google rule) is to keep universal exclusions such as jobs and careers at account level, group the rest into themed shared lists, and use campaign-level negatives to separate one campaign’s intent from another’s.
One warning from Google: make sure your negative keywords don’t overlap with your regular keywords, because that stops your ad from showing. Check any new negative against the keywords you are bidding on before you save it.
Negative keywords in Performance Max and AI-driven campaigns
Automated campaigns make negative keywords more important, because you control less of the matching. Google’s page on negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns says they apply to Search and Shopping inventory only, so they won’t change where your ads run on other channels. You can add them to all your Performance Max campaigns or to one, and account-level negatives also reach Performance Max.
The practical lesson is that automation doesn’t remove the need to check your search data. It makes checking it more valuable, because the system is choosing the searches for you. It also fits a wider shift in search, which we cover in our guides on how AI is changing SEO for UK businesses and how to rank in Google AI Overviews.
Six negative keyword mistakes that quietly cost you money
- Blocking words you actually want. A broad negative of “free” would block “free quote” and “free survey”, which might be exactly what your best customers type. Look at your conversion data before blocking any term that could signal buying intent.
- Assuming plurals and synonyms are covered. They aren’t. Add each form you want to block.
- Overlapping with your own keywords. A negative that clashes with a keyword you bid on can stop that keyword showing at all.
- Overusing broad match negatives. They ignore word order, so common words can block far more than you expect.
- Adding negatives once and forgetting them. New searches appear all the time, so the list needs regular attention.
- Using negatives to patch a structural problem. If one keyword keeps attracting off-topic searches, tighten its match type or ad group structure instead of adding endless negatives.
How often should you review your negative keywords?
Google doesn’t set a schedule, so this is our recommendation rather than a rule. Review the search terms report weekly for the first month of a new campaign and whenever you raise budgets or switch on a new match type or campaign type. After that, every two to four weeks is a sensible rhythm for most small and medium accounts. A short routine keeps it manageable:
- Sort search terms by cost and scan for irrelevant searches.
- Check each candidate against your keywords and conversions.
- Add the right match type at the right level, or to a shared list.
- Note what you changed, so you can see the effect next time.
What negative keywords tell you about SEO and content
The search terms report is also a free record of the exact words your customers use. The searches that convert are strong candidates for new pages and articles, and the ones that never convert show where your messaging attracts the wrong audience. Our guide to finding the keywords UK customers actually search shows how to turn that kind of data into a content plan, and our keyword research services do the same work at scale.
It works the other way round too. Organic and paid search reinforce each other, which is part of why many UK businesses ask whether SEO is still worth it in 2026. If you are new to the subject, start with what SEO is and how it works, and see how much SEO costs in the UK before you set a budget. If you want expert help with the paid side, our Google Ads services and wider digital marketing services are there for that.
Frequently asked questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are words or phrases that stop your ads showing for searches that contain them. You add them to prevent irrelevant clicks, for example adding “jobs” so a business selling a service isn’t charged when job seekers click its ads.
How do I add negative keywords in Google Ads?
In most accounts you open the Keywords area, choose Negative keywords, click the plus button, pick whether to add them to an ad group, a campaign or a shared list, then enter one term per line using the match type symbols and save. Google changes menu names occasionally, so follow the steps on Google’s own help page, Add negative keywords to campaigns, if your screen looks different.
Do negative keywords match close variants?
No. Google says negative keywords don’t match close variants or other expansions, so you need to add singular and plural forms and synonyms separately. They do automatically account for casing and misspellings.
Can negative keywords hurt my campaigns?
Yes, if you use them carelessly. Google warns that too many negatives can reduce your reach, and a negative that overlaps with one of your own keywords can stop your ad from showing. Check your conversion data before blocking any term that might signal buying intent.
Do negative keywords work in Performance Max?
Yes, but only for Search and Shopping inventory. Google says Performance Max negative keywords don’t control other channels, and account-level negatives apply to Performance Max too.
Will negative keywords lower my Google Ads costs?
They stop you paying for clicks you have blocked, but they don’t guarantee a lower overall bill or more conversions. The real benefit is that your budget has more room to reach relevant searches, so it works harder for the same spend.
The bottom line
Negative keywords are one of the simplest ways to protect your Google Ads budget. Start with a sensible list, choose the right match type, add negatives at the right level, remember that close variants aren’t covered, and keep reading your search terms report. Done well, you stop paying for the wrong clicks and give your campaigns a better chance with the right ones.
If you would rather have a team do it, Rank Matrix SEO Agency UK provides complete search engine optimisation services: technical SEO, on-page SEO, link building, local SEO, keyword research, content marketing and AEO, GEO & AIO services for AI search, with PPC support alongside. You can see how we compare in our guide to the best SEO companies in the UK, read how to choose an SEO agency, check our SEO pricing, or explore our full range of SEO services.
Not sure Google Ads is the right place for your budget? Our comparison of Google Ads vs Facebook Ads shows when search wins, when social wins, and how to use both.
Want to know where your search budget is going? Get a free SEO audit and a senior strategist will show you what to fix first, or talk to our team about growing your visibility.