Search Ads Negative Keywords

Last updated: July 2025

Add Negative Keywords to your ad group/campaign to help manage performance and for brand safety optimization. These utilize the same Match Types as Keywords do.

Broad match: keyword

Syntax: none, type keyword normally

Logic: Queries must relate to your chosen keyword (highest reach, lowest relevance)

Phrase match: “keyword”

Syntax: type keywords in “quotation marks”

Logic: Queries must include your keywords in the order they're written (medium reach, medium relevance)

Exact match: [keyword]

Syntax: type keywords in [brackets]

Logic: Queries must exactly match your keyword (lowest reach, highest relevance)