How do I add negative keywords to a specific ad group?

The short answer is that adding negative keywords to a specific ad group helps ensure your ads only show for relevant searches. For example, if you have separate ad groups for different services, like kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling, you add negative keywords to prevent overlap. Specifically, you would add “bathroom” as a negative keyword to the kitchen remodeling ad group so that those ads don’t show when people search for bathroom remodeling.

Full Explanation

When managing multiple ad groups focused on different services, it’s important to keep your targeting precise. If your ad groups are too broad or overlapping, your ads might show up in irrelevant searches, leading to wasted spend and reduced campaign effectiveness. Adding negative keywords to each specific ad group ensures that each group only triggers ads for its intended audience. For instance, by adding “bathroom” as a negative keyword to the kitchen remodeling ad group, you prevent ads for kitchen remodeling from appearing in searches related to bathroom remodeling. This targeted approach helps improve both the quality of your traffic and your overall campaign performance.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Identify the different services or themes your ad groups target—for example, kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling.
Review the keywords assigned to each ad group to understand potential overlaps.
For each ad group, determine terms that should not trigger ads. For the kitchen remodeling ad group, “bathroom” is one such term.
Add these terms as negative keywords to the specific ad group to exclude irrelevant searches.
Monitor your ads performance regularly to ensure negative keywords are effectively filtering out unwanted traffic.

Real Examples

If you run campaigns for remodeling services, your ad groups might be divided by service type. When someone searches for “bathroom renovation ideas,” you want only the bathroom remodeling ad group to respond, and not the kitchen remodeling group. Adding “bathroom” as a negative keyword in the kitchen remodeling ad group accomplishes this by excluding those searches from triggering kitchen remodeling ads.

Common Mistakes

Failing to add negative keywords to separate ad groups, resulting in ads appearing for the wrong searches.
Adding negative keywords at the campaign level instead of the ad group level, which can unintentionally block relevant ads.
Not regularly reviewing and updating negative keywords to refine targeting as your campaign evolves.

FAQs

Why should I add negative keywords to specific ad groups?: To prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches and to keep each ad group’s targeting focused and precise.
Can I add the same negative keyword to multiple ad groups?: Yes. If a term is irrelevant across several ad groups, adding it as a negative keyword in each specific group will help maintain targeted ad delivery.
What happens if I add negative keywords at the campaign level instead?: Adding negative keywords at the campaign level can exclude those terms across all ad groups, which might block ads you want to run for some ad groups.

Key Takeaways

Adding negative keywords to specific ad groups helps keep your ad targeting precise.
It prevents your ads from showing for irrelevant search terms related to other ad groups.
For example, adding “bathroom” as a negative keyword in your kitchen remodeling ad group excludes bathroom-related searches.
Review and update your negative keywords regularly to maintain effective targeting.