The real strategy behind negative keywords in 2026
From match types to automation, learn how to make smarter exclusion decisions that align with account goals.
Topic: Negative keyword
Microsoft Ads launches self-serve negative keyword lists for PMax
Shared exclusion lists now work across campaigns or accounts, with CSV export and match types handled like standard Search.
Aashna Makin’s experience of when best practices backfire
Aashna Makin shares how a costly early-career mistake taught her the power of ownership, context, and careful campaign management.
Google Ads doubles negative keyword list limit: Glitch or quiet policy change?
It's unclear whether Google quietly raised negative keyword list limits after one account exceeded the documented 5,000-cap without issue.
7 Google Ads search term filters to cut wasted spend
These filtering tactics help refine your targeting, reduce spend on low-quality clicks, and uncover new keyword opportunities.
Google adds Search Terms visibility to Performance Max campaigns
Google Performance Max now shows which search terms are triggering ads, allowing negative keywords to be added directly from the Search Terms report.
Google Ads brand settings: What you need to know about inclusion & exclusion
Want to fine-tune your Google Ads targeting? Learn how brand inclusion and exclusion can help you control which searches trigger your ads.
How to use negative keywords in PPC to maximize targeting and optimize ad spend
Improve your PPC performance with a strong negative keyword strategy. Learn insights to reduce wasted ad spend and target the right audience.
Broad match keywords: When to test and when to avoid
Looking to expand your reach with broad match keywords? Find out how to carefully manage them and avoid overspending on irrelevant searches.
Negative keywords in paid search: 6 strategies for effective implementation
Learn hands-off vs. aggressive approaches, platform variations and best practices to improve ad relevance with negative keywords.
Google Account-level negative keywords are here
Now you can apply the same negative keyword lists you already use across multiple campaigns.
How to stop wasting brand search spend – and save it with automation
Identify where you can reduce your marketing costs and increase profitability without hurting revenue.
Google Ads Editor update includes support for Discovery campaigns
Version 1.2 is now available.
3 ways humans can do PPC better than machines alone
Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic in PPC, but until the machines fully take over day-to-day account management, there are a few key areas where human PPC pros can still add a lot of value. Use business data for bid management Bid management can be one of the most repetitive and boring tasks of managing […]
AdWords Managed Accounts can finally share negative keyword lists across accounts
Create a single list of negative keywords that can be applied to campaigns within an MCC.
7 advanced tips for Google Shopping ads
As we edge closer to the holidays, it's time to make the most of your Google Shopping campaigns. Columnist David Rekuc reveals seven tips to help you bring your shopping campaigns up a notch.
Google is completely redesigning AdWords: Offers first peek
The now-legacy platform will be undergoing a redesign process to make it easier to navigate and use.
Bing Ads To Force Close Variants On Advertisers & Will Modify The Way That Negatives Operate
Last year Google ticked off paid search professionals with the announcement that a true Exact Match will no longer exist. Next month, Bing will be following suit when close variants will be added to all campaigns. Additionally, big changes are afoot with negative terms, advertisers will need to take heed to the new matching rules. […]
Hacking Quality Score: How One Advertiser Got A Quality Score Of 8.8/10
In previous articles, I’ve discussed why I believe that Quality Score is so critical to PPC success. To illustrate the point in a more concrete way, I want to present a detailed case study of a WordStream client that is absolutely crushing its AdWords Quality Score. In this case study, I’ll reveal exactly how they did […]
Microsoft adCenter Re-Intros Yahoo Rich Ads, Tweaks Negative Keywords And Landing Page Functionality
Microsoft Advertising seems to be introducing a new feature a day, these days. Some of the more interesting: the re-introduction of Yahoo Rich Ads In Search (RAIS), changes to negative keyword behavior and the ability to pick specific landing pages per match type. The re-introduction of Yahoo RAIS, mentioned by both Portent and Rimm-Kaufman Group, […]
Google AdWords Gets Shared Lists To Eliminate Duplicate Data Entry
Sick of inputting the same things across multiple campaigns in Google AdWords? Yeah, Google suspected that was the case. Following the same philosophy that spawned the introduction of negative keyword lists in January of last year, Google has added placement exclusion lists and list suggestions. All of these will live in a new place on […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 31, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Content Strategy Tuesday, Improve Paid Search on Thursday – Webcasts this week Search Marketing Now, our sister site, will host two webcasts this week. Tomorrow, November 1, Maria Pergolino of Marketo […]
Advanced Negative Strategies For Improved Paid Search Performance: Part II
As discussed last month, negative keywords are an extremely important part of any top performing paid search program. Negative keywords help marketers both avoid non-converting impressions as well as shape traffic for better converting results. Implementing “Match Type Silos” Before I delve into new tips, I got a number of questions in response to last […]
Advanced Negative Strategies For Improved Paid Search Performance: Part I
Negative keywords are a necessity in any well constructed high volume paid search campaign. In a perfect world, large advertisers would run all keywords on exact match to ensure that the keyword bids truly reflect the quality of each keyword’s expected conversion rate. Unfortunately, limiting campaigns to only exact match keywords sacrifices too much volume, […]
Case Study: How Negative Keywords Can Pump Up Paid Search Performance
Once campaigns reach a certain size, successful paid search marketing becomes less about generating traffic and more about identifying and driving the highest value visitors. At the same time, however, scale makes creative testing and ad group refinement difficult to implement across hundreds of thousands or even millions of keywords. In a high-volume world, actively […]
Short Vs. Long Tail: Which Search Queries Perform Best?
The focus on the utility (or lack thereof) of long tail keywords in paid search campaigns seems to ebb and flow, but recently a series of articles about leveraging the long tail for pay-per click have been published. But in all the debate there’s an important distinction that most people fail to focus on. Keywords […]
US Court Orders Advertiser To Use Negative Keywords In Trademark Case
Eric Goldman reports that a US District Judge in Florida ordered an advertiser using a trademark term to use the negative keyword option, to ensure that they would no longer bid on that term in the future. The judge ordered the defendant to stop using the word “ORION” in their search ad campaigns by adding […]