When it comes to Google Search campaigns, every click counts—and so does every keyword. Many businesses dive into paid search ads expecting immediate results, only to be disappointed when their budget disappears on irrelevant traffic. One of the most underutilized tools for protecting your ad spend and improving targeting? Negative keywords.
In this blog, we’ll break down how Google Search campaigns work, why it’s important to distinguish between keywords and search terms, and how using negative keywords—especially at the account level—can dramatically improve your return on ad spend. Whether you’re managing a traditional Search campaign or using Google’s Performance Max, this guide will show you how to prevent wasted spend and drive more qualified traffic.
What Are Google Search Campaigns and Why Do They Matter?
Google Search campaigns allow advertisers to show their ads on Google’s search engine results page when users type in specific queries. These campaigns are intent-based, meaning you’re capturing users at the exact moment they’re actively looking for a product, service, or solution. This high level of intent makes Search campaigns an effective tool for lead generation, online sales, and growing local visibility.
One of the primary advantages of Search campaigns is the ability to reach high-intent traffic. Unlike display or social ads that rely on interruption-based marketing, search ads meet users when they’re already in research or buying mode. This often leads to higher click-through and conversion rates.
Another benefit is real-time visibility. You can appear directly in front of users who are actively searching, and you have the flexibility to adjust bids, messaging, and targeting based on what’s working.
Search campaigns also allow for precise geographic targeting. Whether you’re a national brand or a local business, you can zero in on your service areas to make sure your ads only appear where they’re relevant.
Finally, Google Ads offers detailed tracking and attribution tools. You can see exactly which keywords, devices, and locations are generating clicks, calls, and conversions—giving you the data you need to refine and scale effectively.
But none of these advantages matter if your keyword strategy isn’t dialed in. The real magic happens after the campaign launches—when you start optimizing for relevance.
How to Determine the Right Keywords for Your Campaign
A solid keyword strategy begins with understanding your customer. What are they searching for? What questions are they asking? What pain points are they trying to solve?
To uncover these insights, you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, which offers estimates of search volume, competition, and suggested bid ranges. Google Search Console can also be valuable for identifying the queries that are already bringing traffic to your website organically. In addition, competitive analysis tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, or Ahrefs can show you what terms your competitors are targeting—and give you a better sense of what you’re up against.
Once you have a strong list of keywords, the next step is to choose a match type, which controls how closely a user’s query must align with your keyword in order to trigger your ad.
Keyword Match Types Explained
Broad Match is the most flexible keyword type. It allows your ad to show up for any searches that are deemed relevant to your keyword—even if they don’t contain the exact words you’ve entered. For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “moving services,” your ad could appear for search terms like “cheap storage units” or “hire a truck for relocation,” even though those phrases don’t match exactly. While broad match can help you discover new traffic sources, it also increases the risk of irrelevant clicks.
Phrase Match offers more control. Your ad will only appear if the user’s query includes your keyword phrase in the correct order, though additional words may appear before or after it. For instance, targeting “dog grooming” might match searches like “mobile dog grooming near me” or “best dog grooming services,” but it won’t trigger ads for unrelated queries like “cat grooming services.”
Exact Match is the most precise option. It ensures your ads only show when the exact keyword—or a very close variant—is searched. So, if you’re targeting [emergency plumber], your ad might show for “emergency plumber” or “emergency plumbers near me,” but not for broader searches like “plumbing tools” or “DIY pipe repair.”
Choosing the right match type depends on your goals and how closely you want to control relevance. But no matter which match types you use, you’ll always need to watch out for search term mismatches—especially when using broad match.
Keywords vs. Search Terms: What’s the Difference?
This distinction often trips up advertisers: Keywords are what you bid on, but search terms are what people actually type into Google.
For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “affordable accounting software,” your ads might be triggered by search terms like “free accounting courses” or “how to become an accountant.” These queries may not indicate buying intent and are likely irrelevant to your business—leading to wasted impressions and clicks.
This is where negative keywords come in. They allow you to filter out search terms that don’t align with your offer or audience.
Why Broad Match Keywords Can Drain Your Budget
Broad match keywords open the door to a wide range of loosely related searches. While this can be useful for discovering new opportunities, it can also burn through your budget by bringing in unqualified users.
Let’s say you’re a private tutor offering one-on-one Spanish lessons. If you bid on the broad keyword “Spanish classes,” Google might show your ad to users searching for “free Spanish classes online,” “Spanish class credits for college,” or even “Spanish language movies.” These are not potential customers—they’re not looking for a paid, in-person tutor—and every click on your ad drives up your cost without offering a return.
When left unchecked, broad match keywords can quickly lead to a bloated campaign with low relevance and high cost-per-click.
Introducing Negative Keywords: Your Budget’s Best Friend
Negative keywords act as a filter to keep irrelevant searches from triggering your ads. When you add a word or phrase as a negative keyword, you’re essentially telling Google: “Don’t show my ad if this term is part of the query.”
For example, let’s say you operate an upscale wedding venue and you’re targeting the phrase match keyword “wedding venues.” Without negative keywords, your ad might show up for queries like “cheap wedding venues,” “DIY backyard wedding ideas,” or “wedding venues under $1,000.” These searches suggest a different budget or event style than what you offer.
By adding negative keywords such as “cheap,” “DIY,” and “backyard,” you ensure your ads are only shown to users who are more likely to be a fit—saving your budget and increasing your conversion rates.
How to Use the Search Terms Report
The Search Terms report in Google Ads shows you the actual queries that triggered your ads. It’s one of the most valuable tools for spotting inefficiencies and refining your targeting.
When reviewing the report, look for search terms that don’t align with your offer. These may include irrelevant topics, such as queries containing “free,” “jobs,” or “training,” which often indicate informational rather than transactional intent. You may also see mismatched intent, like “how to start a staffing agency” when you’re actually advertising “staffing agency near me.” The former is a researcher or entrepreneur, while the latter is a potential client. Watch out for brand confusion too, where your ads are triggered by competitors’ names, resulting in low-quality traffic and potentially higher bounce rates.
By regularly reviewing and acting on this data, you can continuously refine your negative keyword list, improve ad relevance, and increase campaign ROI.
Don’t Overlook This: Are Your Search Ads Running on the Display Network?
Here’s a common oversight: Many Search campaigns are, by default, opted into the Display Network, meaning your text ads could appear on unrelated websites, apps, and video content across Google’s broader advertising network.
While this feature is intended to extend reach, it often results in impressions and clicks from users who aren’t actively searching for your solution. This can inflate your costs and dilute the effectiveness of your campaign.
To check your settings, go to your campaign and look under “Networks.” If the box for “Display Network” is checked, your ads may be showing on placements outside of Google Search.
Why does this matter? The Display Network is generally more effective for brand awareness campaigns that use visual ads. For campaigns focused on search intent, conversions, or lead generation, opting out of the Display Network helps keep your traffic high-quality and your data clean.
Account-Level Negative Keywords: A Must for Performance Max Campaigns
With Performance Max campaigns, Google uses automation to determine which placements and audiences to show your ads to. You don’t choose keywords directly, which makes negative keywords even more important.
If you’re running both Search and Performance Max campaigns, account-level negative keywords help you avoid showing ads for irrelevant terms across the board. They also prevent overlap and competition between your own campaigns.
To implement this, go to your Account Settings and navigate to Negative Keywords. There, you can create a shared list with persistent negatives such as “jobs,” “free,” “cheap,” “DIY,” and other terms that consistently produce low-quality traffic. These lists can be applied across multiple campaigns, giving you an extra layer of control over Google’s automation.
Don’t Just Set It and Forget It
Managing negative keywords isn’t a one-and-done task. Search behaviour evolves, seasonal trends emerge, and Google’s machine learning updates how keywords are interpreted. That’s why it’s essential to keep your strategy fresh.
Make it a habit to review your search terms report weekly—or at least biweekly—especially during the early stages of a campaign. Update your negative keyword list based on newly discovered irrelevant queries. Over time, you can even organize your negative keywords into themes, such as pricing (e.g., “cheap,” “under $100”), education-related terms (e.g., “certification,” “course”), or career-oriented keywords (e.g., “jobs,” “hiring”).
Being proactive with negative keywords is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect your investment and keep your campaigns relevant.
Conclusion: Negative Keywords Are a Smart Marketer’s Secret Weapon
Google Ads can deliver impressive results—but only if you know how to manage relevance. In many cases, the difference between a successful campaign and one that quietly drains your budget comes down to how effectively you handle keyword targeting and filtering.
By regularly auditing your search terms, removing unnecessary Display Network exposure, and building comprehensive negative keyword lists at both the campaign and account levels, you can dramatically improve your cost efficiency and lead quality.
Whether you’re launching your first Search campaign or optimizing a complex Performance Max strategy, remember: Controlling what your ads don’t show up for is just as important as choosing what they do. Contact us today if you’d like help getting started with digital advertising.
