Not all Google Ads campaigns are created equal when it comes to negative keywords. Your level of control varies dramatically depending on campaign type—and Google's been steadily reducing that control in newer formats. Here's what you need to know.
Search Campaigns: Full Control (For Now)
Search campaigns give you the most control over negative keywords. Everything we discuss in our guides on building negative keyword lists and mining search terms reports applies here.
What you can do:
- Add negatives at account, campaign, and ad group levels
- Use all match types (broad, phrase, exact)
- See search terms that triggered your ads
- Apply shared negative keyword lists
Limitations:
- Search terms report doesn't show everything (privacy thresholds)
- Match types have gotten looser (see match type strategy)
- Can't block specific search partner sites
This is your best environment for negative keyword management. Use it fully.
Shopping Campaigns: Limited Control
Shopping campaigns don't use keywords—Google matches your products to searches based on your product feed. This means negative keywords work differently.
What you can do:
- Add negative keywords at campaign and ad group levels
- Block searches you don't want triggering your product ads
What you can't do:
- Bid on specific keywords (matching is automatic)
- Control which products show for which searches (beyond negatives)
- Get as much search term visibility as Search campaigns
Strategy for Shopping:
-
Review search terms aggressively
- Shopping search terms often include irrelevant matches
- Product titles/descriptions influence matching
-
Use campaign priorities for control
- High priority: specific, high-intent terms
- Low priority: broader catch-all
- Use negatives to funnel traffic to appropriate priority
-
Common Shopping negatives:
- "free"
- "DIY" / "homemade"
- Competitor brand names (unless you want conquest traffic)
- Product types you don't sell
-
Feed optimization is key
- Better product titles = better matching
- Negatives are a patch, not a solution
Standard Shopping vs. Performance Max
Google is pushing advertisers toward Performance Max, which offers far less control than Standard Shopping. If you haven't migrated yet, consider the negative keyword implications.
Display Campaigns: Different Animal
Display campaigns target people based on audiences, placements, and topics—not search queries. "Negative keywords" in Display work differently.
Content Exclusions (like negatives):
- Exclude specific topics (news, politics, etc.)
- Exclude placements (specific sites, apps, categories)
- Use content suitability settings
Negative keywords in Display:
- Available but work differently
- Block ads from showing on pages containing those keywords
- Don't block based on user searches
Strategy for Display:
- Focus on placement exclusions over keyword negatives
- Exclude low-quality placements aggressively
- Use content suitability controls
- Review placement reports regularly
Negative keywords in Display are less impactful than in Search. Your control lever is placements, not keywords.
Video Campaigns (YouTube)
YouTube campaigns offer moderate negative keyword control:
What you can do:
- Add negative keywords at campaign and ad group levels
- Negative keywords affect which videos/channels show your ads
- Block based on video content, not user search (for most formats)
For YouTube Search ads:
- Negatives work more like Search campaigns
- Block specific search queries on YouTube
For in-stream/discovery:
- Negatives block based on video content containing those terms
- Less precise than Search negatives
Strategy for Video:
- Use placement exclusions liberally (specific channels, videos)
- Use topic exclusions for brand safety
- Negative keywords are supplementary, not primary control
- Focus on audience targeting over keyword blocking
Performance Max: The Black Box
Performance Max represents Google's vision for the future—and it's concerning for negative keyword enthusiasts.
What you can do:
- Add account-level negative keywords (brand terms only, by request)
- Add brand exclusions (relatively new feature)
- Use audience signals (suggestions, not restrictions)
What you can't do:
- Add campaign-level negative keywords directly
- See detailed search terms (very limited visibility)
- Control which placements show your ads
- Manage Shopping-specific negatives within Performance Max
The Control Problem:
Performance Max runs across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discovery—all in one campaign. You lose:
- Granular negative keyword management
- Detailed search query visibility
- Ability to optimize specific channels differently
Workarounds (Limited):
- Contact Google support to add account-level brand negatives
- Use asset group structuring to somewhat segment targeting
- Monitor Search campaigns for queries that should be negated account-wide
- Accept less control in exchange for Google's automation (the trade-off)
My take: Performance Max works well for some advertisers but removes too much control for others. If negative keyword management is important to your strategy, consider maintaining Standard Shopping and Search campaigns alongside (or instead of) Performance Max.
For more on where this is heading, see the future of keyword targeting.
App Campaigns: Minimal Control
App campaigns (formerly Universal App Campaigns) offer almost no negative keyword control:
- No keyword targeting at all
- No negative keywords available
- Google's AI decides everything based on your app and conversion goals
If you need keyword control, App campaigns aren't it.
Comparison Table
| Campaign Type | Negative Keywords | Search Terms Visibility | Control Level | |--------------|-------------------|------------------------|---------------| | Search | Full support | Good (not complete) | High | | Standard Shopping | Supported | Moderate | Medium | | Display | Limited utility | N/A (placement-based) | Low | | Video | Supported | Limited | Medium | | Performance Max | Account-level only (by request) | Very limited | Very Low | | App | Not available | None | None |
Strategic Recommendations
If negative keywords are critical to your strategy:
- Prioritize Search and Standard Shopping campaigns
- Avoid or limit Performance Max
- Accept that some campaign types won't offer the control you want
If you're using Performance Max:
- Build robust account-level negative lists (request from Google)
- Monitor brand safety through exclusions
- Accept the trade-off: automation vs. control
- Run Search campaigns alongside for visibility and control
For multi-campaign accounts:
- Use shared negative lists across Search campaigns
- Apply consistent exclusions across Display/Video
- Don't assume what works in one campaign type applies to another
The Trend Line
Google's direction is clear: less advertiser control, more AI/automation. New campaign types offer progressively fewer negative keyword options.
Your response should be:
- Master negative keywords where you still have control (Search, Shopping)
- Learn the alternative controls for other campaign types (placements, audiences)
- Advocate for negative keyword features in newer campaign types
- Make informed decisions about which campaign types fit your need for control
The era of precise keyword control is fading. Negative keywords remain one of your last levers—use them where you can.