- Definition
- Negative keywords are words or phrases an advertiser adds to stop its ads from showing on searches that contain them.
In plain words
A negative keyword is the opposite of a keyword. Instead of saying "show my ad on searches like this", it says "do not show my ad on searches like this".
An outdoor retailer might add "free" or "jobs" as negatives to avoid people who are not shopping.
Why it matters for brand and paid search teams
On brand searches, negatives are the tool advertisers use to keep their ads off, or to route traffic. A brand adds its own name as a negative in generic campaigns so brand searches go to the brand campaign. A partner may be asked to add the brand as a negative to respect program rules.
When a competitor or affiliate says "we added your brand as a negative", monitoring is how you check whether their ads actually stopped appearing on your searches.
How it works
Google supports broad, phrase and exact negative match types. A broad negative blocks searches that contain all its words in any order; phrase blocks searches with the words in the same order; exact blocks only the exact search without extra words.
Google states that negative keywords do not match close variants or other expansions, so synonyms and singular or plural forms must be added separately; casing and misspellings are handled automatically. It also warns that too many negatives can reduce reach.
Microsoft Advertising supports phrase and exact negatives and says only the precise negative keyword is filtered: plurals, synonyms and misspellings need their own entries. Negatives can be set at account, campaign and ad group level, or in shared lists.
Example
Northstar's affiliate agreement asks partners to add northstar as a negative keyword. trailpicks.example confirms it did, but monitoring shows its Bing ad on northstr boots in Chicago two days later.
The partner had added the negative on Microsoft Advertising, where misspellings are not filtered automatically. It adds the common misspellings as separate negatives and the ads stop appearing in later checks.
Fictional brands and domains, for illustration only.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
A negative keyword blocks every variant of the word. Google says negatives do not match close variants such as synonyms or plurals, and Microsoft says plurals, synonyms and misspellings are not filtered. Add the variants you need.
If a partner added my brand as a negative, their ads cannot appear. Match type, level and variants all matter, and other campaigns may not share the list. Check with monitoring.
Negatives cost nothing. Too many or too broad negatives can block searches you wanted, which Google warns can reduce reach.
How to monitor it in Ads Lighthouse
Ads Lighthouse cannot see anyone's negative keywords. It shows the outcome: whether an advertiser's ads keep appearing on your monitored searches after a change. Add misspellings and variants of your brand to your project to test the gaps negatives often leave.
For your own account, the optional Google Ads connection opens your Search terms report on demand, which shows the searches your ads matched and where a negative may be missing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check that a partner added my brand as a negative?
Monitor your brand and its common variants in the partner's markets, then compare observations before and after the date they gave you.
Do negative keywords work the same on Google and Bing?
Both let you exclude searches, but the rules differ: Google offers broad, phrase and exact negatives and handles misspellings, while Microsoft documents phrase and exact negatives and asks you to add misspellings yourself.
Should a brand add its own name as a negative?
Many advertisers add their brand as a negative in generic campaigns so brand searches go to the dedicated brand campaign. Keep it out of the brand campaign itself.
Official sources
- Google Ads Help: About negative keywords
- Microsoft Advertising Help: Learn about using negative keywords to get to the right customers
- Google Ads Help: About the search terms report
Sources checked on .