To prevent unwanted impressions or clicks from certain search terms across multiple campaigns, advertisers can create a negative keyword list at the account level and then apply it to relevant campaigns. This will save you the effort of adding the same negative keywords to individual campaigns and make it easier to manage future changes to negative keywords across campaigns.
How it works. Creating a list of negative keywords allows you to block your ads from showing for specific irrelevant terms for your brand, making it easier for your ads to reach your desired audience and resulting in more successful conversions.
As an example from the Google Ads Help doc, if you own a sporting goods store that specializes in workout clothes, you can create a negative keyword list that includes terms such as “dress pants” or “blouses” to prevent your ads from showing to people searching for those terms.
Why we care. Negative keyword lists help to ensure that their ads are only being shown to the most relevant audience. By excluding irrelevant search terms, negative keyword lists make it more likely that ads will be seen by people who are actually interested in the products or services being advertised. This can lead to higher click-through rates and conversion rates, resulting in a better return on investment for the advertiser. Additionally, it can save on Ad spend by avoiding showing ads to people who are not interested in the product.
Setting these lists at the account level saves advertisers a lot of time if they have an account with multiple campaigns.
Dig deeper. You can read the full announcement from Google here.
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About the author
Nicole Farley is an editor for Search Engine Land covering all things PPC. In addition to being a Marine Corps veteran, she has an extensive background in digital marketing, an MBA and a penchant for true crime, podcasts, travel, and snacks.
