Last updated: February 10, 2026
Every Google Ads account is bleeding money right now. Not from bad ad copy or weak landing pages, but from search queries that should never have triggered an ad in the first place. Someone searches "how to become a plumber" and your emergency plumbing ad shows up. Someone types "free CRM software open source" and your $200/month SaaS product gets a click. A student researching "physical therapy salary" sees your clinic's ad and costs you $12 for absolutely nothing.
This is the negative keyword problem, and in 2026, it is worse than ever. Google's broad match algorithm is more aggressive than it has been at any point in the platform's history. AI Max for Search is expanding keyword matching in ways that even experienced advertisers find surprising. Performance Max is generating matches across search, shopping, display, and YouTube with almost no transparency about which queries triggered which ads. The average Google Ads account wastes somewhere between 20% and 40% of its budget on irrelevant search queries, and that number has been climbing as Google's matching gets broader.
The solution is not complicated. It is just tedious. You need a comprehensive, well-organized negative keyword list that blocks the categories of queries that will never convert for your business. And you need to keep updating it constantly, because Google's AI keeps finding new creative ways to match your ads against queries you never anticipated.
This article gives you more than 500 negative keywords organized by universal categories and industry verticals, along with the strategic thinking behind each category so you understand why these terms matter, not just what they are. We have also included guidance on the major limit changes from 2025 and how to structure your lists to get maximum coverage without overblocking.
If you want to skip the manual work entirely, groas handles negative keyword management autonomously across every campaign in your account, 24/7, without you ever touching a list. But if you prefer to do it yourself, this is the most comprehensive resource you will find anywhere.
Before we get to the lists, it is worth understanding why the negative keyword problem has gotten so much worse in recent years. If you managed Google Ads in 2018 or 2019, you could get away with a relatively short negative keyword list because match types actually meant something. Exact match was exact. Phrase match required the phrase to appear in order. Broad match was loose, but most experienced advertisers avoided it.
That world is gone.
In 2026, exact match routinely triggers for queries that share "the same meaning or intent" as your keyword, even if the actual words are completely different. Phrase match is even wider. And broad match, which Google now actively encourages through Smart Bidding and AI Max, will match your ads against queries that are only thematically related to your keywords.
A dentist bidding on "teeth whitening" might see their ad triggered by "is baking soda safe for teeth," "celebrity smile makeover," or "dental school admission requirements." None of these are close to the original keyword, but Google's AI considers them semantically related. Without negative keywords blocking these categories, every one of those impressions and clicks comes out of your budget.
When Performance Max launched, Google gave advertisers 100 negative keyword slots for the entire campaign. One hundred. For a campaign type that serves ads across search, shopping, display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps. Advertisers reported that up to 40% of their PMax spend went to irrelevant queries they simply could not block.
In March 2025, Google increased the Performance Max negative keyword limit from 100 to 10,000 per campaign. In August 2025, they rolled out shared negative keyword list support for PMax. These were massive improvements that fundamentally changed how advertisers could control automated campaigns. But 10,000 slots means nothing if you do not know which terms to add.
AI Max for Search, which Google rolled out broadly through 2025, takes your existing keywords and automatically generates variations, expands match types, and tests new query combinations. Google reports a 14% average conversion improvement from AI Max, but independent testing shows that 84% of advertisers see neutral or negative results. The difference between the winners and losers often comes down to negative keyword hygiene. Without comprehensive negatives, AI Max's expanded matching just means expanded waste.
The average cost per click across Google Ads now sits around $4.66 to $5.26 depending on your source. In competitive industries like legal, insurance, and home services, CPCs regularly exceed $15 to $50 per click. At those prices, even a handful of irrelevant clicks per day adds up to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month in pure waste. A well-maintained negative keyword strategy typically saves advertisers 15-30% of their total spend while simultaneously improving conversion rates, because the clicks that do get through are higher quality.
Before building your lists, you need to understand the current limits so you can structure everything properly. The landscape changed dramatically in 2025, and many advertisers are still working with outdated information.
Search campaigns allow up to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign. You can also create up to 20 shared negative keyword lists per account, with 5,000 keywords per list (though multiple advertisers have reported successfully adding up to 10,000 per list since September 2025, despite Google's documentation still stating 5,000). Account-level negative keywords allow up to 1,000 exclusions that apply across every campaign.
Performance Max went from 100 to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign in March 2025. Shared negative keyword lists became available for PMax in August 2025. This 100x increase was the single most important PMax update since the campaign type launched. However, PMax negative keywords only apply to Search and Shopping inventory. They do not affect Display, YouTube, Gmail, or Discover placements.
Display and Video campaigns are limited to 1,000 negative keywords. For these campaign types, placement exclusions, topic exclusions, and content label exclusions are generally more effective than keyword-level negatives.
The most efficient approach uses three tiers. First, account-level negatives (up to 1,000 keywords) for terms that are never relevant to any campaign in your account, like job-related queries, explicit content, or geographic areas you do not serve. Second, shared negative keyword lists organized by theme (up to 20 lists of 5,000+ keywords each) that you apply to relevant campaigns. Third, campaign-level negatives for precision exclusions specific to individual campaigns.
This structure gives you theoretical capacity of over 100,000 negative keywords across your account. You will not need anywhere near that many. Most well-optimized accounts use between 5,000 and 30,000 total negatives deployed strategically across their structure.
These are the negative keywords that belong in virtually every Google Ads account regardless of industry. They block query categories that almost never convert for commercial advertisers. Add these to your account-level negatives or a shared list applied to all campaigns.
Why block these: Job seekers searching for employment in your industry will trigger your ads if you bid on industry-relevant terms. A law firm bidding on "personal injury lawyer" does not want clicks from people searching "personal injury lawyer salary" or "how to become a personal injury lawyer." These clicks have zero commercial intent and can represent 5-15% of total impressions in many accounts.
The list:
job, jobs, career, careers, hiring, recruit, recruiting, recruitment, recruiter, recruiters, resume, resumes, CV, employment, employer, employers, intern, interns, internship, internships, vacancy, vacancies, position, positions, staff, staffing, salary, salaries, wage, wages, hourly pay, glassdoor, indeed, linkedin, ziprecruiter, work from home, remote work, part time, full time, entry level, junior, apply, application, volunteer, volunteering, apprentice, apprenticeship
Match type recommendation: Add "job" and "jobs" as broad match negatives. Add the rest as phrase match to catch variations like "plumber salary in Texas" or "marketing internship near me."
Why block these: Unless you offer a free tier, free trial, or free consultation as a lead generation strategy, "free" queries represent users who have no intention of paying. This category also catches bargain hunters whose conversion rate and lifetime value are typically a fraction of regular customers. One SaaS company reported a 35% increase in trial-to-paid conversions after blocking free-intent queries.
The list:
free, freeware, free download, free trial, free version, free alternative, free online, no cost, gratis, complimentary, cheap, cheapest, bargain, discount, discounted, budget, low cost, lowest price, affordable, inexpensive, economical, thrifty, frugal, coupon, coupons, coupon code, promo code, voucher, deal, deals, clearance, closeout, sale, on sale, markdown, wholesale, bulk pricing, second hand, secondhand, used, refurbished, pre-owned, preowned
Match type recommendation: Add "free" as a broad match negative (unless you offer free trials, in which case use phrase match negatives like "free alternative" and "free download" instead). Add "cheap" and "cheapest" as broad match negatives for premium brands. Be cautious with "affordable" if you position your product as value-oriented.
Strategic exception: If your business model includes a freemium tier or free consultation as a conversion funnel entry point, do not add "free" as a broad match negative. Instead, selectively block specific free-intent phrases that do not align with your offer.
Why block these: Students, academics, and casual researchers generate significant irrelevant traffic, especially in technical, scientific, medical, and legal industries. A user searching for "contract law case study" is writing a paper, not hiring a lawyer. A user looking for "HVAC system diagram" wants information, not an installation quote.
The list:
university, universities, college, colleges, school, schools, course, courses, class, classes, degree, degrees, certification, certifications, certificate, training, tutorial, tutorials, how to, guide, lesson, lessons, textbook, textbooks, study, studies, research, researcher, thesis, dissertation, essay, essays, academic, scholarly, journal, journals, paper, papers, white paper, curriculum, syllabus, exam, exams, test, quiz, homework, assignment, lecture, lectures, professor, student, students
Match type recommendation: Use phrase match for most of these. Be careful with "training" and "certification" if you sell training or certification services. "How to" should be phrase match, not broad match, to avoid blocking queries like "how to contact [your business]."
Why block these: If you sell products or services, you generally do not want to pay for clicks from people who want to do it themselves. The plumber does not want "how to fix a leaky faucet." The web design agency does not want "build a website yourself." These queries signal the opposite of purchase intent.
The list:
DIY, do it yourself, homemade, handmade, home remedy, self made, make your own, build your own, create your own, fix it yourself, repair yourself, step by step, instructions, manual, manuals, blueprint, blueprints, template, templates, pattern, patterns, recipe, recipes, formula, formulas, hack, hacks, trick, tricks, tip, tips, ideas, inspiration, examples, samples, meaning, definition, definitions, explained
Match type recommendation: "DIY" and "do it yourself" work well as broad match negatives for service businesses. "Template" and "templates" should be phrase match to avoid overblocking if you sell template-based products. Be cautious with "tips" and "ideas" if your content marketing strategy targets top-of-funnel informational queries.
Why block these: These terms protect your brand from appearing alongside inappropriate content and prevent your ads from showing for queries with explicit intent. This is especially important for Display and Performance Max campaigns where your ads appear across the Google Display Network and YouTube.
The list:
porn, pornography, xxx, nude, naked, sex, sexual, explicit, adult, nsfw, erotic, fetish, dating, hookup, escort, gambling, casino, bet, betting, wager, torrent, torrents, pirate, pirated, crack, cracked, keygen, serial number, hack, hacked, leaked, illegal, scam, fraud
Match type recommendation: Add all of these as broad match negatives at the account level. There is almost no scenario where a legitimate commercial advertiser wants to appear for these queries.
Why block these (selectively): This category is more nuanced. Some advertisers intentionally bid on competitor terms (known as conquesting). But if you do not have a conquesting strategy, queries containing competitor names and comparison intent can waste significant budget on users who have already decided on a different product. Even if you do conquest, you should block competitor terms from campaigns where they are not relevant.
The list:
vs, versus, compare, comparison, alternative, alternatives, competitor, competitors, review, reviews, rating, ratings, best, top, ranking, rankings, pros and cons, benchmark
Match type recommendation: Only add these if you do not run comparison or conquesting campaigns. Use phrase match. "Review" and "reviews" deserve special consideration because users searching "[your product] reviews" may be close to purchasing and represent high-value traffic, so only block these from campaigns where review queries are irrelevant.
Why block these: If you serve a specific geographic area, add cities, states, regions, and countries you do not serve as negative keywords. A plumber in Austin should block "Houston," "Dallas," "San Antonio," and every other major city they cannot reach. An ecommerce business that only ships domestically should block international location terms.
The list: This is entirely specific to your business. Build a list of every geographic area you do not serve. With the expanded limits, you can now block hundreds of locations without worrying about running out of space.
Ecommerce accounts bleed money on wrong product variations, competitor brand searches, non-purchase intent, and users looking for products you do not carry. These negatives are in addition to the universal list above.
Why block these: Ecommerce campaigns, especially Shopping and Performance Max, frequently match against queries for products you do not sell. A store selling premium running shoes gets matched to "running shoe rack" or "shoe cleaning kit." A furniture store gets matched to "furniture moving company."
The list:
repair, repairs, fix, fixing, parts, spare parts, replacement parts, manual, instruction manual, user guide, schematic, diagram, recall, warranty claim, return policy, sizing chart, assembly instructions, care instructions, washing instructions, material composition, dimensions, weight, specifications, compatibility, compatible with
Match type recommendation: Most of these work as phrase match negatives. Be careful with "parts" and "repair" if you sell parts or repair services.
The list:
rent, rental, lease, leasing, borrow, borrowing, lend, lending, subscribe, subscription box, sample, samples, swatch, swatches, catalog, catalogue, brochure, lookbook, showroom, store hours, store location, near me hours, opening times, in stock, out of stock, restock, backorder, discontinued, recalled
Match type recommendation: Use phrase match. Be careful with "subscribe" and "subscription" if you offer subscription-based purchasing.
The list:
torrent, download free, free pdf, free ebook, pirated, cracked, serial key, activation code, free streaming, watch free, read free, free online, open source alternative, github, free software
Match type recommendation: Broad match for "torrent" and "pirated." Phrase match for the rest.
The list:
wholesale, bulk order, bulk buy, bulk pricing, distributor, distribution, supplier, manufacturer, manufacturing, OEM, white label, private label, reseller, resell, dropship, dropshipping, MOQ, minimum order
Match type recommendation: Broad match for "wholesale" and "dropshipping" if you are strictly B2C. Phrase match for the others.
SaaS accounts get destroyed by open-source seekers, integration queries for tools you do not support, "free tier" hunters who will never upgrade, and people researching software for academic purposes.
Why block these: Users searching for open-source alternatives have explicitly decided they do not want to pay for software. These clicks have some of the lowest conversion rates in all of SaaS advertising, typically under 0.5%.
The list:
open source, open-source, free software, freeware, free alternative, free version, free plan, free forever, community edition, self hosted, self-hosted, free tool, free app, no cost, source code, github, gitlab, license free, GNU, GPL, MIT license, Apache license, free download, trial, demo
Match type recommendation: "Open source" as a phrase match negative is essential for most SaaS companies. Be careful with "trial" and "demo" if you offer these as part of your sales funnel. "Free plan" should be phrase match if you have a freemium model but want to avoid "free plan only" type queries.
Strategic exception: If you compete directly with open-source products and your messaging addresses why paid software is worth it, you might keep some of these for specific campaigns designed to convert open-source users.
Why block these: Users searching "[your product] Salesforce integration" when you do not integrate with Salesforce will click, arrive at your site, discover the integration does not exist, and bounce. This wastes money and creates a poor user experience.
The list:
integration, integrate, integrates, plugin, add-on, addon, extension, connector, API, webhook, Zapier, sync, synchronize, compatible, compatibility, works with, connect to, import from, export to, migrate, migration, data transfer
Match type recommendation: Do not add these as broad negatives. Instead, create phrase match negatives specifically for integrations you do not support, like "Salesforce integration" or "QuickBooks plugin." The generic terms are too risky as negatives because they could block legitimate high-intent queries about integrations you do offer.
Why block these: Unless you sell developer tools, technical queries about your product category usually come from developers building their own solution, not from potential customers evaluating yours.
The list:
API documentation, SDK, code, coding, codebase, developer, developers, programming, script, scripts, repository, repo, stack overflow, bug, bugs, debug, debugging, error, error message, command line, CLI, terminal, library, framework, documentation, docs, changelog, release notes, version history
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. If you sell developer tools or have a significant developer audience, skip this entire category.
The list:
enterprise, enterprise-grade, Fortune 500, large scale, 10000 users, unlimited users, SOC 2, HIPAA compliant, FedRAMP, on-premise, on-premises, custom deployment, dedicated server, SLA, service level agreement, white glove, managed service
Match type recommendation: Only add these if your product targets small and mid-size businesses and you do not serve enterprise customers. Phrase match recommended.
Local service businesses waste enormous budgets on geographic areas they cannot serve, DIY intent, and queries from people looking for employment rather than services. These are critical for plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, lawyers, dentists, chiropractors, contractors, and similar businesses.
Why block these: When someone searches "how to unclog a drain," they are explicitly telling you they do not want to hire a plumber. Service businesses are particularly vulnerable to informational queries because many people research problems before deciding whether to call a professional.
The list:
how to fix, how to repair, how to install, how to remove, how to replace, how to build, how to clean, how to maintain, how to troubleshoot, DIY, do it yourself, yourself, on your own, step by step, tutorial, guide, video, instructions, tools needed, parts needed, cost to fix, average cost, price estimate, price range, how much does, what does it cost
Match type recommendation: "How to" works well as a phrase match negative for most service businesses. "DIY" and "do it yourself" as broad match negatives. Be careful with "cost" and "price" queries because some of these represent users in the research phase who may convert later. Consider keeping "cost" queries in top-of-funnel campaigns while blocking them from your most targeted campaigns.
Why block these: These queries come from people entering the profession, not from people who need the service.
The list:
license, licensing, licensed, certification, certified, exam, examination, school, training, course, courses, apprentice, apprenticeship, requirements, qualifications, degree, how to become, become a, career as, day in the life, profession, professional development, continuing education, CEU, CE credits, board exam
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. "How to become" is particularly high-value as a phrase match negative because it blocks an entire category of career research queries.
The list:
free estimate, free consultation, free inspection, pro bono, cheap, cheapest, lowest price, budget, discount, affordable (use with caution), complaint, complaints, lawsuit, sue, suing, BBB, Better Business Bureau, yelp review, bad review
Match type recommendation: Use caution here. "Free estimate" and "free consultation" might actually be part of your sales funnel if you offer these services. Only block them if free consultations are not part of your business model. "Complaint" and "lawsuit" are good broad match negatives unless you are a lawyer handling those cases.
The list:
commercial (if residential only), residential (if commercial only), industrial, wholesale, fleet, government, municipal, federal, state contract, military, emergency (if you do not offer emergency service), 24 hour (if you do not offer 24/7 service), weekend (if you do not work weekends), after hours, same day (if you cannot deliver same-day service)
Match type recommendation: These are highly business-specific. Only add the terms that genuinely do not apply to your service offering.
Healthcare advertising is one of the most expensive verticals in Google Ads, with CPCs regularly exceeding $10 to $50. Wasted spend from irrelevant queries hits harder here than almost anywhere else. Healthcare advertisers also face unique challenges from symptom researchers, medical students, and users looking for information rather than appointments.
Why block these: The vast majority of symptom-related searches are informational. Someone searching "what causes lower back pain" is not ready to book an appointment with your orthopedic clinic. They want information. These queries generate massive impression volume and very low conversion rates for healthcare providers.
The list:
symptoms, symptom, causes, cause, signs, what is, what are, is it normal, am I, do I have, can I, should I, contagious, hereditary, genetic, home remedy, home treatment, natural cure, natural remedy, herbal, holistic, alternative medicine, self care, self treatment, over the counter, OTC
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. "Symptoms" and "what is" are particularly effective as phrase match negatives. Be careful with "treatment" because "[condition] treatment near me" represents high-intent commercial traffic. Block "home treatment" and "natural treatment" specifically rather than "treatment" broadly.
Strategic exception: If you run content marketing or top-of-funnel awareness campaigns targeting symptom searchers, keep these terms in those campaigns while blocking them from your appointment-booking campaigns.
The list:
medical school, nursing school, residency, fellowship, clinical rotation, board certification, MCAT, USMLE, NCLEX, continuing education, CME, grand rounds, journal, study, research, clinical trial, clinical trials, peer reviewed, case study, pathophysiology, anatomy, pharmacology
Match type recommendation: Phrase match. These are safe to add for any healthcare provider that is not an educational institution or research facility.
Why block these (selectively): Insurance and cost queries are tricky. Some represent genuine patients trying to determine if they can afford your services, which means they may convert. But many represent users who will not convert regardless, especially queries about insurance plans you do not accept.
The list:
insurance, covered by insurance, does insurance cover, Medicaid, Medicare (if you do not accept), out of pocket, cost without insurance, sliding scale, charity care, financial assistance, payment plan, how much does, average cost, price, pricing, fee, fees, free clinic, community health center, low income
Match type recommendation: Only add insurance-related negatives for plans you genuinely do not accept. "Free clinic" and "community health center" are safe broad match negatives for private practices. Be very cautious with "cost" and "price" queries as these often represent patients in the decision phase.
The list: Add specific specialties and conditions you do not treat. A dermatologist should block cardiology, orthopedic, neurological, and other unrelated specialty terms. A chiropractor should block surgical, medication, prescription, and pharmaceutical terms if those do not align with their services.
B2B advertisers face a unique challenge: their potential customers use the same language as job seekers, students, and casual researchers. "Marketing automation" could be someone evaluating tools for their company or a student writing a paper. The negative keyword strategy for B2B is about filtering intent signals to identify the commercial queries.
Why block these: If you sell to businesses, queries from individual consumers waste your budget. The person searching for "project management tips" is not your enterprise software customer.
The list:
personal, for personal use, for home, home use, individual, beginner, beginners, starter, basic, free, free version, free plan, small project, one user, single user, hobbyist, freelancer (if you do not serve freelancers), solopreneur, side project, for fun
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. "Personal" and "for home" as phrase match negatives work well. Be careful with "freelancer" if you serve the freelance market.
The list:
assignment, homework, essay, thesis, dissertation, project report, case study analysis, literature review, research paper, academic, scholarly, student, university, college, professor, lecturer, exam, quiz, coursework, module, semester, syllabus
Match type recommendation: Phrase match. These are safe for virtually any B2B advertiser.
The list:
small business, startup, startups, solopreneur, one person, freelance, bootstrap, bootstrapped, free trial, free plan, cheapest, most affordable, budget, under $50, under $100, basic plan, starter plan
Match type recommendation: Only add these if you genuinely do not serve small businesses. Phrase match recommended.
Real estate advertising wastes significant budget on rental queries when you sell (or vice versa), out-of-market locations, and informational queries about the industry rather than active property searches.
The list (for agents selling properties):
rent, rental, rentals, renting, lease, leasing, sublease, sublet, month to month, short term rental, Airbnb, VRBO, vacation rental, corporate housing, furnished rental, student housing, roommate, room for rent
The list (for property managers and rental companies):
buy, buying, purchase, purchasing, for sale, listing price, mortgage, down payment, pre-approval, real estate agent, realtor, home loan, investment property (if only managing rentals)
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most terms. "Rent" and "buy" can be broad match negatives in the appropriate campaigns since they are strong intent signals.
The list:
real estate license, real estate exam, real estate course, become a realtor, real estate agent salary, real estate school, MLS access, broker exam, property management course, real estate investing course, wholesale real estate, flip, flipping, house flipping
Match type recommendation: Phrase match. Safe for any real estate professional who is not selling educational products.
Financial services advertising is among the most expensive in Google Ads. CPCs for terms like "personal injury lawyer" or "auto insurance" can exceed $50. The cost of irrelevant clicks in this vertical is extreme, making negative keywords even more critical than usual.
The list:
calculator, calculators, spreadsheet, Excel template, formula, how to calculate, how to file, file myself, self-file, TurboTax, free filing, DIY taxes, do my own, on my own, without an accountant, without a lawyer, without an advisor, self-directed, self-managed
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. "Calculator" is a strong phrase match negative for financial advisors and accountants because calculator queries are informational, not commercial.
The list:
regulation, regulations, compliance, law, laws, statute, statutes, code, legal code, IRS, SEC, FINRA, regulatory, requirement, requirements, guideline, guidelines, ruling, rule, rules, amendment, policy, policies
Match type recommendation: Only add these if you do not provide compliance or regulatory advisory services. Phrase match recommended and use caution since some of these might represent commercial queries from businesses that need compliance help.
The list: Add specific financial products you do not offer. A mortgage broker should block "auto loan," "personal loan," "student loan," "credit card," and "business loan" if those are not in their product set. An accountant should block "bookkeeper" if they do not offer bookkeeping. A financial advisor should block "day trading," "crypto," and "forex" if those are not part of their advisory services.
Educational institutions advertising degree programs, courses, and enrollment need to block queries from students looking for free resources, people researching jobs in education, and queries for educational levels they do not offer.
The list:
free course, free class, free training, free certification, free online, MOOC, Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy, YouTube tutorial, free lesson, free ebook, free PDF, free download, free resource, open courseware, free education, scholarship (if not relevant), financial aid (if not relevant)
Match type recommendation: Phrase match. Be cautious with "scholarship" and "financial aid" if your institution offers these, as those queries may represent prospective students.
The list: Block education levels you do not offer. If you are a university, block "high school," "elementary," "middle school," "K-12," and "preschool." If you offer undergraduate programs only, block "masters," "PhD," "doctorate," "MBA," and "postgraduate."
The list:
teaching jobs, professor jobs, faculty position, adjunct, lecturer position, school administrator, principal job, education jobs, campus jobs, work at university, academic position
Match type recommendation: Phrase match. Safe for virtually any educational institution running student recruitment campaigns.
Travel advertisers face unique challenges from informational queries, wrong destination searches, and users looking for free or self-guided alternatives to paid experiences.
The list:
free things to do, free attractions, free activities, free tour, self guided, on a budget, budget travel, cheap flights, cheapest hotel, hostel, couch surfing, camping, backpacking (unless relevant), travel blog, travel vlog, travel tips, travel advice, travel planning, itinerary template, packing list
Match type recommendation: Phrase match for most. "Free things to do" is a particularly effective phrase match negative for tour operators and paid attraction advertisers.
The list:
review, reviews, rating, ratings, tripadvisor, yelp, blog, vlog, photography, photos, pictures, images, wallpaper, screensaver, map, maps, directions, distance, how far, how long, weather, climate, visa requirements, passport, travel advisory, safety
Match type recommendation: Use extreme caution here. "Review" and "reviews" might block high-intent queries from travelers comparing options before booking. Only add these to campaigns specifically designed for bottom-of-funnel conversions where review queries historically do not convert.
Having 500+ negative keywords is useless if you add them carelessly and block traffic that would have converted. Overblocking is a real risk, and it is invisible because you never see the conversions you prevented. Here are the principles to follow.
Take the universal negative keyword lists (jobs, free/bargain, explicit content, brand safety) and add them at the account level. These are the safest negatives because they apply to categories that virtually never convert for commercial advertisers. This alone will immediately clean up a significant portion of wasted spend.
Create shared negative keyword lists organized by theme (one for DIY intent, one for educational queries, one for wrong product types) and apply them to relevant campaigns. This approach lets you quickly remove a list from a campaign if you discover it is blocking valuable traffic.
Before adding a word as a broad match negative, check your search terms report for queries containing that word. If "free" appears in 200 queries and 198 of them are irrelevant, it is safe as a broad match negative. If "training" appears in 100 queries and 40 of them are from potential customers looking for your training services, it should be phrase match or exact match only.
Negative keyword lists are not set-and-forget. New search patterns emerge constantly, especially as Google's AI matching evolves. Schedule a monthly review of your search terms report to identify new irrelevant query patterns. Look for high-impression, zero-conversion terms and trace them back to the root words causing the match.
When adding negative keywords that are borderline (terms that could represent both relevant and irrelevant traffic), start by adding them to a single campaign and monitoring the impact for two weeks before rolling out broadly. If conversion volume drops without a corresponding improvement in conversion rate or CPA, the negative may be overblocking.
Everything in this article works. If you take the 500+ keywords above, organize them into proper lists, add them to your account with the right match types, and review your search terms monthly, you will save significant money and improve campaign performance.
But here is the honest truth: almost nobody actually does this consistently.
The average account manager reviews search terms once a month if they are disciplined. Once a quarter if they are busy. Never if they are overwhelmed, which describes most people managing Google Ads alongside other responsibilities. In the time between reviews, Google's AI is continuously finding new irrelevant queries to match against your ads. Every day without updated negatives is a day you are leaking budget.
The math works like this. Suppose your account generates 50 new irrelevant search term patterns per week. If you review monthly, you catch about 200 patterns per review. But in the four weeks between reviews, those 200 patterns collectively triggered hundreds or thousands of impressions and dozens of clicks. At $5 per click, that is $250 to $500 in waste before you even identify the problem. Multiply that across a year, and manual negative keyword management leaves $3,000 to $6,000 on the table annually even in small accounts. In larger accounts spending $20,000 or more per month, the waste reaches five figures easily.
This is one of the reasons groas was built. Negative keyword management is one of the twelve optimization levers that groas handles autonomously. The AI continuously analyzes search term data across every campaign in your account, identifies irrelevant query patterns through n-gram analysis, and adds the appropriate negative keywords automatically with the right match types at the right levels. It does not wait for a monthly review. It does not take holidays. It does not get busy with other clients.
groas clients consistently see 25-35% reductions in wasted spend from negative keyword optimization alone, because the AI catches patterns within hours instead of weeks. Combined with the other eleven levers groas optimizes simultaneously (bid adjustments, ad copy testing, budget allocation, campaign structure, audience targeting, and more), the cumulative impact on ROAS is substantial.
You can absolutely manage negative keywords manually using the lists in this article. Many successful advertisers do exactly that. But if you find yourself falling behind on reviews, if your search terms report keeps surfacing the same categories of waste month after month, or if you simply have better things to do with your time than manually adding keywords to exclusion lists, autonomous AI handles it better than any human can at scale.
Universal Lists
Job and employment queries: 48 keywords. Free and bargain intent: 42 keywords. Educational and research intent: 52 keywords. DIY, tutorial, and informational intent: 38 keywords. Explicit, inappropriate, and brand safety: 34 keywords. Competitor and comparison shopping: 18 keywords.
Industry-Specific Lists
Ecommerce: 87 keywords. SaaS and software: 79 keywords. Local services: 73 keywords. Healthcare: 68 keywords. B2B and lead generation: 56 keywords. Real estate: 45 keywords. Finance and insurance: 48 keywords. Education: 38 keywords. Travel and hospitality: 42 keywords.
Total: 768 keywords across all lists
Not every keyword applies to every business. Start with the universal lists, add the industry-specific list that matches your vertical, and build from there based on what your search terms report tells you.
There is no magic number, but most well-optimized accounts use between 5,000 and 30,000 total negative keywords deployed strategically across account-level, shared lists, and campaign-level. Quality matters far more than quantity. One well-placed broad match negative like "jobs" can block thousands of irrelevant queries, while adding hundreds of exact match negatives for individual bad queries is far less efficient. Start with the universal categories in this article (about 230 keywords) and your relevant industry list, then expand based on what your search terms report reveals.
Account-level negative keywords (up to 1,000) apply to every campaign in your account. Use these for terms that are never relevant to any part of your business. Campaign-level negatives (up to 10,000 per campaign) apply only to that specific campaign. Use these for terms that might be relevant to some campaigns but not others. Ad group-level negatives provide the most granular control and are useful for separating intent between ad groups within the same campaign. Shared negative keyword lists (up to 20 lists of 5,000+ keywords each) can be applied across multiple campaigns simultaneously, which is the most efficient way to manage themed exclusion lists.
Yes, significantly. The biggest confirmed change was Performance Max going from 100 to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign in March 2025. Shared negative keyword lists also became available for PMax in August 2025. For regular negative keyword lists, the official limit remains 5,000 per list, but multiple advertisers have reported successfully adding up to 10,000 since September 2025 without encountering errors. Google has neither confirmed nor denied this change officially.
No. Performance Max negative keywords only affect Search and Shopping inventory. They do not block your ads from appearing on Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, or Maps placements. For non-search channels in PMax, you need to use placement exclusions, topic exclusions, and content label exclusions for additional control. This is one of the most common misconceptions about PMax negatives.
It depends on the term. Use broad match negatives for terms that are almost always irrelevant regardless of context, like "jobs," "porn," or "torrent." Use phrase match negatives for multi-word phrases where the combination signals irrelevance, like "how to become" or "free download." Use exact match negatives only when you need to block a very specific query without affecting variations. In practice, most negative keywords should be broad or phrase match. Exact match negatives are rarely the right choice because they only block one specific query while leaving dozens of variations unblocked.
Yes, if you overblock. Adding "training" as a broad match negative makes sense for a plumber, but it would be disastrous for a company that sells training courses. Adding "free" as a broad match negative blocks bargain hunters, but it also blocks users searching for your "free consultation" or "free shipping" offers. Always check your search terms report before adding borderline negatives, and start with phrase or exact match if you are unsure. The risk of overblocking is real, but the risk of not having enough negatives is almost always greater.
Ideally, weekly. Realistically, most advertisers manage monthly reviews. The key is consistency. Google's matching algorithms continuously evolve, and new irrelevant query patterns emerge regularly. If you rely on AI Max for Search or broad match with Smart Bidding, you need to review more frequently because these features expand your query matching significantly. groas handles this continuously, adding and adjusting negative keywords in real time as new patterns emerge.
It depends on your strategy. If you do not run competitor conquesting campaigns (bidding on competitor brand names intentionally), then yes, add competitor names as negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing when people search for specific competitors. If you do run conquesting campaigns, obviously keep competitor names out of your negative lists for those campaigns, but consider blocking them from your non-conquesting campaigns to avoid accidental spend on competitor queries where you do not have targeted messaging.
N-gram analysis examines the individual words and word combinations that appear in your search term data. Instead of looking at each search query as a unique string, you break queries into their component words and analyze which words appear most frequently in non-converting queries. For example, if the word "free" appears in 300 of your search queries and 295 of them resulted in zero conversions, adding "free" as a single broad match negative blocks all 300+ queries with one keyword instead of adding 300 individual negatives. This is exponentially more efficient and is the foundation of smart negative keyword management.
Yes. Search campaigns give you more control and transparency, so your negative keyword strategy can be more nuanced. Performance Max negative keywords only affect Search and Shopping inventory, so your PMax negatives should focus on the query-level exclusions most likely to impact those channels. Account-level negatives apply to both campaign types, so your universal exclusions (jobs, explicit content, brand safety) should live at the account level where they protect everything automatically.
Yes. Negative keyword management is one of the core optimization levers that groas manages autonomously. The AI continuously analyzes search term data, identifies waste patterns through n-gram analysis, and adds negative keywords with the appropriate match types at the appropriate levels, all without manual intervention. groas typically identifies irrelevant patterns within hours rather than the weeks or months it takes for manual review, which means significantly less wasted spend. This runs alongside the other eleven optimization levers groas manages, including bid adjustments, ad copy testing, budget allocation, and campaign structure optimization.
