Digital marketing term
Negative Keyword
A Negative Keyword is a term added to a search network campaign to specify which searches an ad should NOT appear for, preventing irrelevant impressions and wasted spend.
Detailed explanation
This list is continuously updated during campaign setup or after reviewing performance data; for example, an advertiser selling a paid product might add the word "free" as a negative keyword to keep budget from being spent on searches without buying intent.
Search term reports are reviewed regularly to identify low-performing or irrelevant queries, which are then added to the negative keyword list. This process has a positive effect on the campaign's overall CTR and conversion rate.
A well-managed negative keyword list directs ad spend toward the right audience, improving performance metrics like CPA and ROAS.
Frequently asked questions
- How does a negative keyword benefit a campaign?
- It prevents the ad from showing on irrelevant searches, directing budget toward a more relevant audience.
- How are negative keywords identified?
- By regularly reviewing search term reports to spot low-performing or irrelevant queries and adding them to the list.
Related terms
Internal links for the topic cluster — read these concepts together.
- SEMSEM (Search Engine Marketing) is the practice of acquiring visibility and traffic through search engines—typically via paid search, and sometimes including SEO.
- PPCPPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a paid advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks your ad; it underpins Google Ads and many social ad platforms.
- CPCCPC (Cost Per Click): A click-based purchasing model. This digigund glossary entry explains how the term is used in digital marketing.
- Ad RankAd Rank is the ranking score that determines the position an ad appears in on platforms like Google Ads for a given search, combining bid amount, ad quality, and expected impact.
- TargetingTargeting is the set of criteria — demographic, geographic, behavioral, or contextual — used to decide who sees a given ad or piece of content.