Keywords are the backbone of a successful AdWords campaign, but negative keywords are the “secret sauce” that make a program truly successful.
Negative keywords in an AdWords account will limit the search queries where an ad will show on Google search, but not quite as effectively in the Display network. That being said, the inclusion of negative keywords into every AdWords program is something that should be done and routinely reviewed.
Here are some of my tips on developing your own negative keyword list for your AdWords account.
1. Create a standard list you can use for every program but review it first before using as some keywords may not be appropriate for every campaign. Some I routinely use are: free, discount, info, information, forum, reviews, stories, school, job, hire, career.
2. Decide if you want to add all your keywords to the negative keyword field as broad match or if you would like to use phrase match instead or in addition to the broad match keywords you’ve added. This requires a little bit of thought; think how searches for your product would be done. I will typically add a combination of both.
3. Do a reality check and monitor your account for actual search queries. If you are seeing keywords that are not targeted to what you are really selling, take some time to review if you need to expand the negative keywords you are using. You may find that there are new versions you may want to add. An easy way to do additional negative keyword discovery is to use the “add keywords” button just above the keyword table. Look at the keywords that Google is suggesting that you add. Look over the list, you’ll find all kinds of additional keywords that may really not be about your product or service and these keywords will give you great ideas on new negative keywords to add.
4. If you add your negative keywords as broad match, you will not need to create such an extensive list as Google will also use synonyms and close variations in your negative list as a nice benefit of using broad match.
5. Watch your AdWords alert button for negative keyword conflicts that Google will tell you about over time. Sometimes you will want to leave the keyword in place and sometimes you may want to remove it.
If you need help with your AdWords program, I invite you to find out more about our AdWords set up and management services.