Common Negative Keyword Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Alon TAlon T·

December 16, 2025

Negative keywords are powerful—which means mistakes can be costly. I've audited hundreds of accounts and see the same errors repeatedly. Here are the most common negative keyword mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Blocking Your Own Keywords

This is the most damaging mistake, and it's surprisingly common.

What happens: You add a negative that conflicts with keywords you're bidding on, effectively blocking your own ads.

Example:

  • You bid on: "CRM software free trial"
  • You add negative: "free"
  • Result: Your ad never shows for your own keyword

How to avoid:

  • Always check for conflicts before adding negatives
  • Use Google Ads Editor's "find duplicate keywords" feature
  • Review campaign keywords when adding broad match negatives
  • Test with phrase or exact match negatives when unsure

How to detect:

  • Keywords with zero impressions (shouldn't happen if the keyword has volume)
  • Sudden drops in impressions after adding negatives
  • Use the Google Ads "Conflicting negative keywords" notification

Mistake #2: Over-Negating with Broad Match

Broad match negatives are powerful—sometimes too powerful.

What happens: A broad match negative blocks more searches than intended.

Example:

  • You add negative: free shipping (broad match)
  • This blocks: "free shipping," "shipping free," "does company offer free shipping on orders"
  • But also could affect: searches you didn't intend

Better approach:

  • Use phrase match "free shipping" for more control
  • Or be specific: free only if you truly want to block all free-related searches
  • Test narrow before going broad

Mistake #3: Forgetting Close Variants Don't Apply

Here's a critical difference many advertisers miss: negative keywords don't include close variants.

With regular keywords:

  • Keyword: "running shoe" matches "running shoes," "running shoe," "runningshoes"

With negative keywords:

  • Negative: "running shoe" only blocks "running shoe"
  • "running shoes" still triggers your ads

Solution: Add both singular and plural versions:

  • running shoe
  • running shoes
  • run shoe
  • run shoes

Same for common misspellings of terms you want to block.

Mistake #4: Adding Negatives at the Wrong Level

Where you add negatives matters:

Account level: Applies everywhere (use for universal negatives like "jobs")

Campaign level: Applies to one campaign (use for campaign-specific exclusions)

Ad group level: Applies to one ad group (use for granular control)

Common mistakes:

  • Adding campaign-specific negatives at account level (blocks traffic across unrelated campaigns)
  • Adding universal negatives at ad group level (tedious, easy to miss groups)
  • Inconsistent application (some campaigns protected, others not)

Best practice:

  • Account level: Universal negatives (jobs, adult terms, completely irrelevant industries)
  • Campaign level: Campaign theme negatives (competitor names for non-competitor campaigns)
  • Ad group level: Granular product/service distinctions

Mistake #5: Set and Forget

Adding negatives once and never revisiting is a recipe for problems.

What goes wrong:

  • Search behavior changes over time
  • New irrelevant terms emerge
  • Your business evolves (negatives that made sense before might block good traffic now)
  • Seasonal patterns create temporary need for different negatives

Solution:

  • Schedule regular search term reviews (see mining search terms reports)
  • Audit negative lists quarterly
  • Update lists when launching new products/services
  • Document why negatives were added (so you know if they're still relevant)

Mistake #6: Not Using Negative Keyword Lists

Adding negatives individually to each campaign is:

  • Time-consuming
  • Error-prone
  • Hard to maintain

Better approach: Create shared negative keyword lists:

  • "Job Seekers" list: jobs, careers, salary, hiring, resume, etc.
  • "Free/Cheap" list: free, cheap, discount, budget, etc.
  • "Competitor" list: competitor brand names
  • Industry-specific lists

Apply lists to appropriate campaigns. Update once, applies everywhere.

Mistake #7: Blocking Brand Terms Accidentally

What happens: You add a negative that blocks your own brand searches.

Example:

  • Your brand: "Blue Widget Co"
  • You add negative: "blue" (trying to block "blue widget" wrong product searches)
  • Result: "Blue Widget Co" searches no longer trigger your ads

Solution:

  • Be specific with negatives
  • Use "blue widget wrong product" instead of just blue
  • Always test brand term searches after adding new negatives

Mistake #8: Ignoring Search Partners

Negatives work differently on the Search Partner network:

  • Less predictable matching
  • Often lower quality traffic
  • Same negatives may not be as effective

Solutions:

  • Consider separate search partner analysis
  • May need more aggressive negatives for partner traffic
  • Or opt out of search partners entirely for certain campaigns

More details in search partners and negative keywords.

Mistake #9: Using Negatives Instead of Better Targeting

Sometimes negatives are a band-aid for deeper problems.

Example: Adding hundreds of geographic negatives because location targeting is too broad.

Better solution: Fix your location targeting settings rather than patching with negatives.

Example: Adding tons of negatives because broad match is matching irrelevantly.

Better solution: Consider whether match type strategy is right, not just more negatives.

Negatives should complement good campaign structure, not compensate for bad structure.

Mistake #10: Not Testing Before Full Rollout

Adding negatives to an entire account without testing can cause major damage.

Better approach:

  1. Add negative to one campaign first
  2. Monitor for 3-7 days
  3. Check for impression drops, blocked good traffic
  4. If clean, roll out to other campaigns

Especially important for broad match negatives or anything that could conflict with valuable keywords.

How to Audit Your Negative Keywords

Run this audit quarterly:

Check for Conflicts

  • Export all keywords
  • Export all negatives
  • Cross-reference for any overlaps
  • Use Google Ads Editor's conflict detection

Check for Effectiveness

  • Are negatives actually blocking searches? (Check search terms report)
  • Are any negatives obsolete? (Business changed, no longer relevant)

Check for Gaps

  • Review recent search terms for patterns
  • Are there obvious negatives you're missing?

Check Organization

  • Are lists being used effectively?
  • Are negatives at the right level?
  • Is there documentation for why negatives exist?

Recovery: What to Do If You've Made a Mistake

If you've over-negated:

  1. Identify the damage: Look for sudden impression/click drops
  2. Find the culprit: Review recently added negatives
  3. Remove carefully: Don't over-correct by removing too many
  4. Monitor: Watch metrics for a few days after changes
  5. Document: Note what went wrong to avoid repeating

Speed matters. A bad negative can waste money quickly through blocked good traffic.

Conclusion

Negative keywords are a precision tool. Used well, they protect your budget. Used carelessly, they can block the traffic you actually want.

The common thread in most mistakes: lack of attention and process. Building systems for regular review, proper organization, and careful testing prevents most of these issues.

For a solid foundation, see building a negative keyword list. For ongoing maintenance, see mining search terms reports.