What are negative keywords?
Malthe Weibeck Thomsen · Growth Hacker · Senior Pull Specialist · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
Negative keywords are search terms you exclude from your campaigns, so your ads don't show on searches that contain them.
Also called: Negative keywords, Excluded keywords
Sådan virker det
Negative keywords fortæller Google, hvilke søgninger du IKKE vil vises på. De filtrerer irrelevant trafik fra, så budgettet ikke brænder på søgninger, der aldrig konverterer — et af de billigste og mest oversete håndtag i søgeannoncering.
01Stopping waste is as important as bidding
Without negative keywords, budget burns on searches that never convert — “free”, “used”, “repair”, competitor names, or searches with a completely different intent than buying. Negative keywords filter out that traffic, so the money goes to searches that can actually become sales.
They're especially important with broad match and in Performance Max, where Google matches broadly. A well-run account has a living, continuously updated negative list, built from search terms — it's one of the cheapest ways to improve both CPA and relevance.
Frequently asked questions
Why are negative keywords important?+
Because they stop budget from burning on irrelevant searches that never convert. That improves CPA and relevance directly — and is especially critical with broad match and in Performance Max, where Google matches broadly.
How do I find negative keywords?+
In the search terms report: review the actual searches your ads appeared on and exclude the ones that are irrelevant or carry the wrong purchase intent. It's an ongoing task, not a one-off.
Related terms
Glossary
What are search term insights?
Search term insights (search terms) are the report of the actual search queries users typed when your ads showed — as opposed to the keywords you chose to bid on.
Read the entry →Glossary
What are match types?
Match types determine how closely a user's search must match your keyword before your ad shows: broad match (widest), phrase match (medium) and exact match (narrowest).
Read the entry →Glossary
What is Quality Score?
Quality Score is a rating from 1 to 10 that Google assigns your keywords based on three factors: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.
Read the entry →
Malthe Weibeck Thomsen
Growth Hacker · Senior Pull Specialist at Oaksmond
Pull specialist with 8+ years' experience. Comes from the agency world and has since worked as an independent consultant for several of the country's largest brands.
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