Identify irrelevant searches, assess negative-keyword scope and avoid accidentally excluding valuable customer enquiries.
An apparently related search is not always commercially relevant. Someone seeking a design job has a different intent from someone requesting a website proposal. Negative keywords help reflect those distinctions.
Compare queries with your service
Identify needs you do not serve. Training, free templates or recruitment searches may be irrelevant for one business and relevant for another. Do not exclude them automatically.
Understand matching behaviour
Google Ads offers broad, phrase and exact negative matching. Negative keywords behave differently from positive ones and do not automatically cover every close variant. Test the likely effect with example queries.
Choose the right scope
Separate business-wide exclusions from campaign-specific ones. An overly broad shared list can block customers for another service. Record a short reason for each exclusion.
Review the outcome
Do not judge success only by reduced spending. Check whether qualified enquiries also disappear. Revisit old exclusions when introducing new services because their relevance may change.