How do I prevent my ad from showing when someone searches for my competitor?

Short Answer: To prevent your ad from appearing when someone searches for your competitor, you should add your competitor’s name as a negative keyword. Using square brackets around the name blocks only exact phrase searches, while using phrase match without brackets stops your ad from showing for any search containing your competitor’s name.

Full Explanation

When running ads, you may want to avoid having your ads show up when someone is specifically looking for your competitor. This can be controlled by using negative keywords related to your competitor’s name. Adding the competitor’s name as a negative keyword tells the ad system not to display your ad in searches containing that term. How you add the negative keyword affects which search queries trigger the block.

If you place the competitor’s name in square brackets, this creates an “exact match” negative keyword. Your ad won’t show only when someone types that exact phrase verbatim. However, if the search query includes additional words along with the competitor’s name, your ad may still show.

Alternatively, if you add the competitor’s name as a phrase match negative keyword by removing the square brackets, your ad will be prevented from showing for any search that contains your competitor’s name, regardless of any other words in the query.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Identify your competitor’s name that you want to block from triggering your ad.
2. Add the competitor’s name to your negative keyword list in your ad platform.
3. Decide on the match type:
   • Use square brackets [ ] for exact match negative keywords, blocking only the exact phrase.
   • Remove the brackets for phrase match negative keywords to block any search including the competitor’s name.
4. Save and apply the changes to ensure your ad no longer appears on searches for your competitor as specified.

Real Examples

For example, if your competitor’s name is “BrandX” and you add [BrandX] as a negative keyword, your ad won’t show if someone searches exactly “BrandX.” But if the search is “compare BrandX products,” your ad may still show.

If instead you add “BrandX” as a phrase match negative keyword (without brackets), your ad will be blocked for searches like “BrandX pricing,” “compare BrandX,” and any other search containing the term “BrandX.”

Common Mistakes

• Adding competitor names without understanding the match type, leading to either too broad or too narrow blocking.
• Using exact match negatives with brackets but expecting all searches containing the competitor name to be blocked.
• Forgetting to add competitor names as negative keywords at all, causing ads to show on competitor searches unintentionally.

FAQs

Can I block multiple competitors?
Yes, you can add multiple competitor names as negative keywords individually using the same match type logic.

What happens if I don’t use brackets or quotes?
Not using brackets generally defaults to phrase match, which blocks any search containing that phrase.

Key Takeaways

• Use negative keywords with the competitor’s name to prevent your ad from showing on competitor searches.
• Square brackets create exact match negative keywords blocking only precise phrases.
• Phrase match negative keywords without brackets block any search containing the competitor’s name.
• Choosing the right match type helps control how broadly your ads are excluded on searches involving competitors.