The Negative Keyword Strategy That Saves 20-30% of Budget
Build a tiered negative keyword system: account-level universal negatives, campaign negatives for theme control, and ad group negatives for precision.
Why This Matters
Most accounts are bleeding money on irrelevant searches. Google's hidden search terms make proactive negative keyword management more important than ever. A systematic approach prevents wasted spend.
How To Implement
1. Create an account-level negative list with universal blockers: 'free', 'jobs', 'salary', 'DIY', 'reddit', 'youtube'.
2. Apply campaign-level negatives to prevent overlap between campaigns (e.g., brand terms in non-brand campaigns).
3. Review Search Terms Report weekly - add irrelevant terms as exact match negatives.
4. Use negative keyword themes: competitors, informational intent, wrong audience.
5. Create separate negative lists by theme for easy management.
6. Check 'Negative keyword conflicts' in Recommendations to avoid blocking good traffic.
Pro Tip
Export your Search Terms Report to a spreadsheet and filter by 'Conversions = 0' and 'Cost > £50'. These are your biggest waste opportunities.
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