In paid advertising, precision is key. You want your ads to be seen by the right people, those who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. This is where negative keywords come into play.
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords are terms that you exclude from your paid ad campaigns to prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches. Essentially, you’re telling search engines, “Don’t show my ad when people search for these terms.”
Why use negative keywords?
- Reduce wasted spend: By preventing your ads from appearing on irrelevant searches, you avoid paying for clicks from people who are unlikely to convert.
- Improve ad relevance: Negative keywords help ensure that your ads are only shown to people who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
- Increase click-through rates (CTR): When your ads are more relevant, people are more likely to click on them, leading to a higher CTR.
- Boost conversions: By attracting more qualified traffic, you increase the chances of those clicks turning into conversions (sales, leads, etc.).
- Improve Quality Score: A higher CTR and improved ad relevance contribute to a better Quality Score, which can lead to lower ad costs and better ad positions.
How to use negative keywords:
- Brainstorm: Think about terms that are related to your products or services but that indicate someone is not a good fit for your target audience.
- Use keyword research tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you identify relevant search terms and potential negative keywords.
- Analyze your search terms report: See what terms people are actually using to find your ads and identify any irrelevant ones to add as negative keywords.
- Start with broad match: Use broad match negative keywords to exclude a wider range of irrelevant searches.
- Refine with phrase and exact match: As you gather more data, you can refine your negative keyword list with phrase and exact match to further improve targeting.
- Monitor and adjust: Regularly review your negative keyword list and make adjustments as needed.
Examples of negative keywords:
- If you sell high-end jewelry, you might exclude terms like “cheap,” “discount,” or “costume.”
- If you offer online courses for professionals, you might exclude terms like “free,” “beginner,” or “kids.”
- If you’re a local business, you might exclude terms related to other locations.
By strategically using negative keywords, you can significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your paid ad campaigns.