Google Enables Negative Keywords For Product Listing Ads

AdWords advertisers have long had the ability to use negative keywords to limit the situations when their ads will display, and now product listing ads — rolled out in November — will have this feature, too. Google announced the new targeting capability, saying it’s the first of more extensive targeting features that it is working […]

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Screen Shot 2010 12 22 At 4.29.48 PMAdWords advertisers have long had the ability to use negative keywords to limit the situations when their ads will display, and now product listing ads — rolled out in November — will have this feature, too.

Google announced the new targeting capability, saying it’s the first of more extensive targeting features that it is working on.

Product Listings ads allow merchants to bid on product-related keywords and display ads that feature their products. With the negative keyword feature, advertisers can ensure their ads won’t appear for search queries relate to products they don’t offer, for example. So, a sock retailer that specializes in cotton socks could exclude the keyword “wool,” so that a query for “socks” would trigger the ads, but a query for “wool socks” would not.

Advertisers can also use the negative keyword list feature that Google introduced in January, to manage negative keyword lists across campaigns.


About the author

Pamela Parker
Staff
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media's Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

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