What Do We Want to Add as a Negative Keyword List Just for a Campaign Level?

Short Answer: At the campaign level, we add city names as negative keywords to prevent those cities from triggering ads in that specific campaign. This allows us to control where our ads appear by excluding certain locations from individual campaigns while potentially targeting them in separate campaigns.

Full Explanation

Adding negative keywords at the campaign level means specifying certain keywords that you do not want your ads to show for within a particular campaign. In this context, the keywords we add are city names. By excluding these city names as negative keywords, we prevent the ads from appearing when people search using those city names within the campaign’s targeting scope.

This approach is especially helpful when you want to organize your advertising efforts by location; instead of trying to block cities across all campaigns, you manage exclusions directly where it matters most. For example, if one campaign covers certain regions but excludes a particular city, adding that city as a negative keyword ensures the campaign will not display ads there.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Identify which cities you want to exclude from your current campaign.
2. Create a negative keyword list at the campaign level including those city names.
3. Apply the negative keyword list to the specific campaign you want to control.
4. Monitor the campaign performance to ensure ads do not show in the excluded cities.
5. Consider creating separate campaigns for cities where you do want your keywords to appear, without these cities on the negative list.

Real Examples

If you are running an ad campaign targeting multiple regions but want to exclude New York City from this particular campaign, you would add ‘New York’ as a negative keyword at the campaign level. This prevents searches containing ‘New York’ from triggering ads under this campaign. Then, if you want to target New York City separately, you could create a new campaign without adding it as a negative keyword, allowing ads to show there.

Common Mistakes

• Adding city names as negative keywords at the account level instead of the campaign level, which blocks those cities across all campaigns unintentionally.
• Overlooking the creation of separate campaigns for different cities, resulting in missed targeting opportunities.
• Failing to update negative keyword lists as campaign goals evolve, which can cause inefficient ad delivery.

FAQs

Why add city names as negative keywords at the campaign level?

To exclude specific cities from triggering ads in that campaign while still having the option to target them in other campaigns.

Can I add negative keywords at other levels?

Yes, negative keywords can be added at the ad group or account level, but adding them at the campaign level provides a balanced control for city exclusions without affecting other campaigns.

What happens if I don’t use negative keywords for cities?

Your ads might show in locations where you don’t want them visible, causing less efficient use of your budget.

Key Takeaways

• City names are added as negative keywords at the campaign level to control ad exposure in specific locations.
• Using negative keywords at the campaign level helps organize location targeting efficiently.
• Separate campaigns for different cities allow precise keyword targeting and ad delivery.