Short answer: Google Ads negative keywords stop your ads from showing on searches you do not want to pay for, such as “free”, “jobs” or a competitor’s support queries. You can add them at ad group, campaign or account level, share them through negative keyword lists, and, in 2026, add up to 10,000 per Performance Max campaign. The key rule: negatives do not match close variants, so you must add plurals, misspellings and synonyms yourself. Build them from your search terms report every week or two.
What negative keywords do and why they matter
Broad match, AI Max and Performance Max all reach more searches than your keyword list suggests. That reach is useful, but some of those searches will never convert. Negative keywords are how you tell Google “not this”. Used well, they cut waste, improve your clickthrough rate and keep your conversion data clean, which helps Smart Bidding learn from the right signals.
Used badly, they block good traffic. Google’s own advice, repeated when it raised the Performance Max limit, is to use negatives carefully so you do not limit conversions.
Negative keyword match types explained
Negative match types work differently from normal keyword match types. According to Google Ads Help:
| Match type | How to enter it | Blocks | Example: negative “running shoes” |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative broad | running shoes | Searches containing all the words, in any order | Blocks “blue shoes for running”; does not block “running shoe” |
| Negative phrase | “running shoes” | Searches containing the words in that exact order, with other words around them | Blocks “red running shoes”; does not block “shoes for running” |
| Negative exact | [running shoes] | Only the exact search, with no extra words | Blocks “running shoes”; does not block “running shoes sale” |
Three details trip people up:
- No close variants. Google states that negative keywords do not match close variants. “Job” does not block “jobs”. Add singulars, plurals and common misspellings.
- Single words are powerful. A negative broad keyword of one word, like “free”, blocks every search containing that word. That is usually what you want, but check before adding words like “cheap” if you sell budget products.
- Long searches. Google notes your ad may still show if the negative word appears after the 16th word of a search.
Where you can add negatives: levels, lists and limits
- Ad group level: useful for steering traffic between ad groups, for example blocking “women’s” in a men’s ad group.
- Campaign level: the most common place for negatives in Search campaigns.
- Negative keyword lists: shared lists you apply to many campaigns at once. Google allows up to 20 lists per account and 5,000 negatives per list.
- Account level: up to 1,000 account-level negatives, applied to search and shopping inventory across Search, Performance Max, Shopping, App, Smart and Local campaigns. Add them under Admin, then Account settings, then Negative keywords.
Negative keywords in Performance Max
Performance Max used to be a black box for negatives. That has changed:
- Google raised the campaign-level limit from 100 to 10,000 negatives per Performance Max campaign, matching Search.
- You can apply existing negative keyword lists to Performance Max campaigns, and match types work with the usual symbols.
- Performance Max negatives apply to Search and Shopping inventory only. They do not stop your ads on YouTube, Display or Gmail.
- Google offers a preview of the impact of adding negatives to a Performance Max campaign, for up to 10 keywords at a time, shown as a projected change in conversions or conversion value.
- To keep Performance Max off your own brand searches, use brand exclusions rather than negatives. They are built for that job.
If you run both campaign types, read Performance Max vs Search campaigns for how to split traffic between them.
My search terms report workflow
- Pick a date range. The last 14 to 30 days, depending on volume.
- Open the search terms report for Search campaigns, then the search terms insights and report for Performance Max.
- Sort by cost. Start with the terms that spend the most and have no conversions.
- Look for patterns, not single queries. If you see “how to fix”, “diy” and “tutorial” again and again, the negative is the theme word, not each full search.
- Choose the narrowest match type that does the job. Use broad for words that are never relevant (“jobs”), phrase for word pairs (“used cars”), exact when only that exact search is a problem.
- Add it at the right level. Account-wide junk goes in an account-level or shared list. Routing problems go at ad group or campaign level.
- Check for conflicts. Make sure a new negative does not block one of your own keywords or a search that converted in the past.
- Write it down. Keep a short change log, so you can undo a negative if conversions drop.
Google Ads negative keywords list examples
These are starting points, not lists to paste blindly. Every word below is right for some businesses and wrong for others.
eCommerce
- Price intent you do not serve: free, freebie, giveaway, “second hand” (unless you sell used items).
- Research and DIY: diy, “how to make”, pattern, template, tutorial.
- After-sale queries: repair, manual, “spare parts” (if you do not sell parts), “return policy”.
- Products you do not stock: brands, sizes or materials you never carry.
Lead generation (local services)
- Job seekers: jobs, job, careers, hiring, salary, apprenticeship, training, course.
- DIY: diy, “how to”, “do it yourself”, youtube.
- Wrong location: towns and cities outside your service area.
- Services you do not offer: for example a plumber who does not fit bathrooms might add “bathroom fitting”.
B2B and SaaS
- Students and researchers: pdf, thesis, assignment, definition, examples, “what is”.
- Free or personal use: free, “open source”, crack, personal (if you only sell to companies).
- Existing customers: login, “sign in”, support, “customer service”. Send these users to your site through SEO, not paid clicks.
- Careers: jobs, salary, interview, certification.
What I recommend
- Set up three shared lists from day one: a universal junk list (jobs, free, diy), a competitor list if you choose not to bid on competitors, and a location list.
- Review search terms every week while a campaign is new, then every two weeks once it is stable.
- Prefer phrase and exact negatives for anything that is not clearly irrelevant, so you do not block good searches by accident.
- Before adding many Performance Max negatives, preview the impact and remember they only touch Search and Shopping inventory.
Better negatives also tend to lift your clickthrough rate, which helps the signals behind your Google Ads Quality Score.
Frequently asked questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Do negative keywords match plurals and misspellings?
How many negative keywords can I add to Performance Max?
Should I use broad, phrase or exact negatives?
Can someone build a negative keyword list for my account?
Need help cutting wasted ad spend?
I’m Saifur Saif. As part of my Google Ads management, I review search terms, build negative keyword lists and set up brand exclusions so your budget goes to searches that can convert. Get a free ads audit and I will show you where your account is leaking money. To make sure your conversion data is right first, see my guide to Google Ads conversion tracking with GA4 and GTM.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: About negative keywords
- Google Ads Help: About negative keyword lists
- Google Ads Help: About account-level negative keywords
- Google Ads Help: Negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns
- Google Ads Help: Estimate the impact of adding negative keywords to Performance Max
- Search Engine Land: Google Ads expands PMax negative keyword limits