Where do I put each negative keyword?

Short Answer: Negative keywords should be placed at different levels within your Google Ads structure depending on their relevance. Account-level negative keywords apply across the entire account, ad group-level keywords should be related to specific services you offer, and campaign-level negative keywords often include location-based terms that are irrelevant to your target area.

Full Explanation

Negative keywords are essential to refine your advertising reach and prevent your ads from appearing to irrelevant audiences. Strategically placing these negative keywords at the correct level within your Google Ads setup helps optimize your campaigns and avoid wasting budget on unwanted clicks.

First, account-level negative keywords are the broadest and impact every campaign under your account. These typically include things like competitor names, store names that you don’t want to associate with, and locations that are outside your service area.

Next, campaign-level negative keywords are more targeted and often include location terms. For example, if your business is located in Orlando but you see traffic coming from searches related to Boca Raton, adding “Boca Raton” as a negative keyword at the campaign level will prevent those irrelevant searches from triggering your ads within that campaign.

Finally, ad group-level negative keywords should be related directly to the services or products you are advertising in that specific ad group. For instance, if you have separate ad groups for automotive services and residential services, placing the word “house” as a negative keyword within the automotive ad group will stop your automotive ads from appearing in searches related to houses, which better qualifies your traffic.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Account Level: Add broad negative keywords that apply everywhere, like competitor names, unrelated store names, or locations you do not serve.
Campaign Level: Insert negative keywords based on location targeting and broader campaign themes, such as cities outside your service area (e.g., add “Boca Raton” if you’re operating in Orlando).
Ad Group Level: Place negative keywords specific to each ad group’s offerings. For example, “house” can be a negative keyword in an automotive ad group to prevent irrelevant residential traffic.

Real Examples

Account Level: Exclude competitors or unrelated store names so no ads show for those terms throughout the account.
Campaign Level: If your business serves Orlando, adding “Boca Raton” as a negative keyword avoids showing ads to users searching for that city.
Ad Group Level: In an automotive ad group, add “house” as a negative keyword to avoid showing car-related ads to house searchers.

Common Mistakes

Placing too many broad negatives only at one level, leading to unintended blocking across campaigns or ad groups.
Neglecting to exclude location-based irrelevant searches at the campaign level, causing wasted ad spend.
Failing to tailor negative keywords within ad groups, resulting in ads showing for unrelated services.

FAQs

Why place negative keywords at different levels?: Because negative keywords affect campaigns differently depending on where they are added. Account-level blocks terms globally, campaign-level blocks scope by campaign, and ad group-level restricts only specific ad group traffic.
Can I put the same negative keyword at multiple levels?: Yes, but it’s more efficient to place them where they are most relevant to avoid overblocking.
What kinds of keywords belong at the account level?: General negative keywords like competitors, unrelated businesses, and out-of-state locations.

Key Takeaways

Use account-level negative keywords for broad exclusion such as competitors and unrelated locations.
Apply campaign-level negatives for location-specific exclusions related to your target markets.
Add ad group-level negative keywords connected directly to the services in that group to refine ad relevance.
Proper placement of negative keywords helps reduce wasted spend, improve campaign focus, and increase ROI.