Google Ads negative keywords prevent ads from appearing for search terms that do not match what your business sells. For a Delhi NCR service company, that can mean filtering job seekers, free-resource hunters or people searching for an unrelated service before those searches consume advertising budget. The right exclusions can improve traffic relevance, but careless exclusions can also block genuine customers.
Quick answer: Open your Google Ads search terms report, identify queries that are irrelevant to the advertised service, select an appropriate negative match type, apply the exclusion at the narrowest useful level and review lead quality after the change. Do not copy a generic 500-word negative list into every campaign.
Updated: 22 October 2026. This guide focuses on Search campaigns and explains the separate Search/Shopping scope of Performance Max negatives.
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
A negative keyword is a rule that makes your ad ineligible for specified searches. A plumbing company advertising emergency repair might exclude a query about plumbing courses; a B2B web development agency may exclude an irrelevant search for free templates. The exclusion is not a judgment that a search is low quality in general. It is a decision that the search is not commercially relevant to a particular offer.
Unlike positive keyword matching, negative keywords do not automatically cover synonyms or singular and plural variants. Google says case differences and misspellings are handled, but flower and flowers can require separate exclusions. Review the actual wording rather than assuming broad semantic coverage.
This is a different optimization task from improving a page after a click. For that, see our Google Ads landing page optimization guide. Both search relevance and landing-page experience matter to qualified lead generation.
Negative broad, phrase and exact match: which should you use?
The names resemble positive keyword match types, but the rules are more literal. The table below uses the hypothetical negative keyword running shoes, following Google’s documented logic.
| Negative match type | Example entry | Search it blocks | Search it may allow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad | running shoes |
blue running shoes and shoes running |
running shoe |
| Phrase | "running shoes" |
blue running shoes |
shoes running |
| Exact | [running shoes] |
running shoes |
blue running shoes |
Negative broad excludes searches containing every word in the negative, in any order. Negative phrase requires the words in the same order, though other words can appear before or after. Negative exact excludes the specific search without additional words. A one-word broad negative such as jobs can be much wider than a phrase negative such as "digital marketing jobs".
Do not assume a negative exact keyword behaves like a positive exact keyword. Positive matching can use meaning and intent; negative exact matching is narrower. See Google’s official negative keyword reference before implementing exclusions at scale.
12 negative keyword opportunities for Delhi NCR service businesses
These are review candidates, not a universal upload list. A training company should not exclude course; a recruitment agency should not exclude jobs; and a budget-friendly service should not automatically exclude cheap. Apply only terms that contradict your actual offer.
| Search intent to review | Illustrative query | Possible action |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | digital marketing agency jobs delhi | Consider excluding a relevant jobs phrase in client-acquisition campaigns. |
| Internships | SEO internship noida | Exclude if you are advertising services, not hiring. |
| Free resources | free website builder | Exclude only if free tools are not part of the offer. |
| Education | google ads certification course | Exclude if you sell campaign management, not courses. |
| DIY tutorials | how to run ads myself | Review separately; some educational searches later convert. |
| Templates | free proposal template | Exclude if you do not offer downloadable resources. |
| Software support | google ads customer care number | Exclude if you are not the platform’s support provider. |
| Wrong geography | agency jobs in another city | Check location settings first; exclude only persistent irrelevant patterns. |
| Wrong service | graphic design course | Exclude from a PPC management campaign if unrelated. |
| Product research | best free CRM software | Exclude if the campaign sells CRM implementation, not software. |
| Used goods | second hand laptop repair tools | Exclude from a managed IT service campaign when irrelevant. |
| Consumer intent | personal loan app | Exclude from an enterprise lending technology campaign when irrelevant. |
For a Delhi, Noida, Gurugram or Ghaziabad campaign, a search mentioning a nearby city is not automatically unwanted. Service-area targeting, presence settings, landing-page location relevance and sales coverage must be considered together.
How to find wasted search terms without blocking valuable leads
Step 1: define the conversion you actually want
Write down the desired outcome for each campaign: booked consultation, qualified phone enquiry, demo request, purchase or another meaningful action. A search can produce a cheap click and still be a poor match for that goal. Conversely, an informational search can be useful to a longer sales cycle. Agree on the business rule before adding negatives.
Step 2: open the search terms report
In Google Ads, navigate to Campaigns → Insights and reports → Search terms. Review the terms that actually triggered your ads. Google notes that the report covers searches meeting its reporting thresholds, not necessarily every individual query. Filter by campaign, date range, cost and conversion metrics, then inspect relevance manually.
Step 3: label queries by intent
Use four practical buckets: high-intent relevant, relevant but early-stage, irrelevant and uncertain. Only the clearly irrelevant bucket should be excluded immediately. Investigate uncertain queries using landing-page analytics and, where available, CRM lead outcomes.
Step 4: choose the smallest effective exclusion
Use an ad-group negative when one service should not appear in another ad group’s searches. Use a campaign negative for an offer-specific mismatch. Use a shared list for a consistent exclusion policy across selected campaigns. Reserve account-level negatives for terms that are inappropriate across all eligible Search and Shopping inventory.
Step 5: record the reason
Maintain a change log with the term, match type, level, date, campaign and reason. Example: “Excluded ‘digital marketing internship’ as phrase negative from agency lead campaign; search intent is hiring, not services.” This makes the decision reviewable when traffic patterns change.
Step 6: compare lead quality, not just clicks
Track impressions, search-term relevance, cost per qualified enquiry and downstream outcomes. Our GA4 lead tracking guide explains how to measure forms, calls and WhatsApp interactions without treating every click as a qualified lead. For higher-value services, connect campaign identifiers to CRM stages where your consent and data-handling practices permit it.
Where should negative keywords be added?
Ad group: useful for a specific service or offer. For example, a campaign separating website maintenance from new website builds may need careful ad-group routing.
Campaign: useful for service-specific exclusions, such as filtering course searches from a management-service campaign while keeping them eligible in a training campaign.
Shared negative keyword list: useful when several campaigns should share the same policy. Avoid a shared list that contains terms valuable to any campaign receiving it.
Account level: useful for categorically irrelevant queries across eligible Search and Shopping inventory. Because the scope is broad, it requires the strictest review.
Google Ads interfaces and eligibility can change. Follow the account’s current controls rather than relying on an outdated screenshot or menu label.
Do negative keywords work in Performance Max and AI-driven campaigns?
Yes, with important scope differences. Google documents that Performance Max negative keywords can be added at campaign or account level and apply to Search and Shopping inventory. They are not a universal exclusion for every Performance Max placement. For video, display or other inventory, use the relevant content suitability and placement controls instead.
AI-driven matching can expand the set of searches eligible to trigger an ad. Negative keywords remain a practical relevance control, but they are not a substitute for strong conversion signals, relevant landing pages, location settings and ongoing search-term review. Check the current campaign’s supported controls before making changes.
For exact product behavior and steps, consult Google’s Performance Max negative keyword instructions.
Seven mistakes that can make negative keywords backfire
- Blocking a whole word too broadly. Excluding
freemay also block a search about a paid service with a free consultation. Check the full query. - Copying lists from another industry. Words such as jobs, course and cheap can be valuable in the right campaign.
- Forgetting variants. Negative keywords do not automatically include every singular, plural or synonym.
- Confusing positive and negative match types. A negative exact keyword is not the same as positive exact matching.
- Applying campaign-specific terms at account level. This can suppress legitimate traffic in unrelated services.
- Ignoring location and language context. A term that looks irrelevant in English may describe a relevant service in another language or region.
- Measuring only lower CPC. A smaller bill is not a win if qualified leads and revenue decline disproportionately.
A 20-minute weekly negative keyword review workflow
Minutes 0–5: compare the past week with a suitable prior period. Flag campaigns with higher spend, weaker lead quality or unusual search-term patterns. Avoid interpreting a tiny sample as a trend.
Minutes 5–10: group visible queries by service, audience and intent. Note recurring irrelevant phrases and high-cost anomalies.
Minutes 10–15: select narrow negative matches for the clearly irrelevant queries. Check whether each candidate overlaps with a positive keyword or a valuable conversion path.
Minutes 15–20: apply approved changes, record the reason and schedule a follow-up review. Where possible, validate results using qualified-lead data rather than raw conversion count.
Run a deeper monthly audit for account-level exclusions, shared lists and Performance Max campaigns. Recheck negatives whenever a new service, market or landing page launches.
How should Delhi NCR businesses measure the outcome?
Compare cost per qualified lead and qualified-lead rate before and after changes, while accounting for seasonality, budgets, bids, attribution windows and other simultaneous campaign edits. For example, a Noida B2B agency should distinguish a student asking for training from a procurement manager requesting a proposal; the same click cost does not imply the same business value.
Pair search-term hygiene with a useful landing page and timely follow-up. If visitors reach the wrong service page, negative keywords alone will not fix the problem. A managed Google Ads and PPC strategy should combine targeting, ad copy, landing pages and lead-quality feedback.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best negative keywords for Google Ads?
There is no universal best list. Start with search terms that are clearly unrelated to your service, such as job searches for a campaign selling services, and choose the narrowest exclusion that solves the problem.
How do I add negative keywords in Google Ads in 2026?
Open the Search terms report or Negative keywords area, choose the ad group, campaign, shared list or supported account-level control, enter the terms with the intended match types and save. Review the change after it has collected enough data.
Can negative keywords reduce wasted ad spend?
They can prevent ads from showing for irrelevant searches, which may reduce wasted clicks. Results depend on your campaign, the chosen exclusions and whether the blocked traffic was truly unqualified.
Should I exclude “free” from every lead-generation campaign?
No. A business offering a free consultation or assessment may want some searches containing “free.” Exclude only the irrelevant intent, preferably with a more specific phrase when appropriate.
Do negative keywords work with broad match?
Yes. Negative keywords can filter eligible searches even when positive keywords use broad match. Negative matching itself is more literal and does not automatically cover all synonyms or word forms.
Do Performance Max negative keywords block YouTube and Display?
No. Google’s Performance Max documentation says negative keywords apply to Search and Shopping inventory, not every placement. Use other suitability and placement controls where appropriate.
How often should I review negative keywords?
Weekly is a practical starting point for active campaigns. Increase frequency when launching new campaigns or when traffic changes sharply, and review shared and account-level lists at least monthly.
Can negative keywords hurt conversions?
Yes. Overly broad exclusions can remove relevant searches and reduce qualified lead volume. Check search intent, apply changes carefully and measure outcomes rather than assuming more exclusions are always better.
Next step: audit search intent before increasing budget
If your campaigns generate clicks but few useful enquiries, start with the search terms report, campaign structure, conversion quality and landing-page alignment. Share your Google Ads challenge with Keshav Enterprises for a scoped review covering Delhi NCR or other target markets. The aim is better-fit traffic and measurable business outcomes, not a guaranteed ranking, conversion rate or return.
References: Google Ads negative keyword behavior; Google Ads search terms report; Performance Max negative keywords. Reviewed 22 October 2026.
