Key Takeaways
- Universal Negative Keywords
- Mining Search Term Reports
- Negative Match Types
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant search queries — directly reducing wasted spend and improving account efficiency. In most new accounts, 20–30% of initial spend goes to irrelevant queries that proper negative keyword management would have prevented.
Universal Negative Keywords
Every account should block: "free", "DIY", "jobs", "careers", "salary", "resume", "template" (unless you offer templates), "how to", "tutorial" (unless educational). These intent signals indicate users who will never convert.
Mining Search Term Reports
Review your Search Terms report weekly (Campaigns > Insights & reports > Search Terms). Filter for non-converting queries with any spend. Add irrelevant queries as negative keywords at the ad group, campaign, or account level depending on breadth.
Negative Match Types
Negative exact: blocks exactly that phrase only. Negative phrase: blocks any query containing that phrase in that order. Negative broad: blocks any query containing all those words in any order. Use negative phrase match for most brand exclusions and competitor brand exclusions.
Quick Facts
The OwlClaw team brings together specialists in SEO, paid media, social marketing, and AI automation — delivering measurable growth for 150+ businesses across India.