You want lower costs, cleaner traffic, and leads that actually convert. A strong negative keyword list is the fastest way to get there. This guide explains how to use negatives the right way, gives you a categorized starter list, and shows how to keep it healthy over time.
Download the full 3,000+ negative keyword list as a CSV
Table of Contents
What are negative keywords, and why do they matter?
Negative keywords tell Google Ads which queries you never want to match. Instead of chasing every click, you deliberately block the noisy ones that will not buy. The result is higher relevance, a better clickthrough rate, and a healthier return on ad spend. Google’s help center defines negatives as terms you exclude to focus spending on the queries that matter.
How big should your list be on day one?
Big enough to protect your budget without strangling your reach. If you sell a paid product, you likely want to block free, torrent, coupon, and student terms from day one. If you do not hire, block jobs and salary terms. For many accounts, a few hundred to a thousand well-chosen negatives is normal at launch. You can expand weekly as you learn from search terms.
Which core categories should every account consider?
Different businesses need different exclusions, but the following categories are common across most advertisers.
| Category | Free and ultra-cheap intent | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs and employment | Job seekers and HR queries | job, hiring, salary, internship |
| Education and training | Research and academic searches | course, tutorial, syllabus |
| Freebies and price hunters | Free and ultra cheap intent | free, coupon, discount |
| Downloads and file types | File hunting instead of buying | pdf, download, template |
| Piracy and cracks | Illegal downloads | torrent, crack, keygen |
| Adult and dating | NSFW traffic | porn, dating, xxx |
| Support and complaints | Customer service and reviews | support, refund, complaint |
| Pure information | Definitions and general research | Do it yourself instead of buying |
| DIY and how to | Do it yourself instead of buy | diy, guide, step by step |
| Wholesale and supply | B2B wholesale procurement | wholesale, distributor, factory |
| Resale and classifieds | What it protect you from | What does it protect you from |
| Local store queries | Store visits when you sell online only | near me, directions, hours |
| Code and developer | api, GitHub, sample code | used, Craigslist, marketplace |
| Creative assets | Designers searching for files | logo, icon, mockup |
Use categories as guardrails. They keep you from overfitting on one or two terms.
Where do you add negatives in Google Ads?
There are three main places.
- Directly at the campaign or ad group level.
- In a shared negative keyword list applied across campaigns.
- Account level for Search and Shopping if your structure requires global exclusions.
Shared lists keep things consistent. Start with a master list and a few specialized lists that certain campaigns need. Google documents how negatives work and where to add them. Google Help
What match type should you use for negatives?
Negative match types behave differently from positive keywords.
| Negative match type | What it blocks | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Exact | Only the exact query you specify | Rare cleanups when you must keep close variants |
| Phrase | Queries containing that phrase in the same order | The default workhorse for most single-word terms |
| Broad | Queries containing all the words in any order | The default workhorse for most single word terms |
Google’s help materials note that negative match types are not identical to positive match types. That is important when you plan your list.
How do negatives interact with Performance Max?
Performance Max supports negatives for Search and Shopping inventory and offers brand exclusions. Use negatives to block generic junk and use brand exclusions to control branded matching in PMax. The process is documented in Google’s help center and brand exclusion articles.
What should you never block by accident?
Brand terms, high intent modifiers, and profitable misspellings. Before adding any new negative, run a quick test. If the search term has a strong conversion history or matches a core offer, do not block it. Review top converting terms weekly to spot conflicts before they hurt you.
How do you find new negatives without killing good traffic?
Look at the Search terms report at least once a week. Filter for zero conversions and high cost. Scan for intent patterns like job seekers or free templates. Add the smallest negative that solves the problem. If a string like internship marketing shows up, the smallest fix is internship as a broad negative if you never want job seekers. Start small and expand only if the noise keeps coming.
Starter table: high-impact terms by category
Use this as a quick add. These are broad or phrase ideas. Adapt to your product and goals.
| Category | Sample negatives to consider |
|---|---|
| Jobs and employment | job, jobs, hiring, careers, salary, internship |
| Education and training | course, tutorial, syllabus, university, college |
| Freebies and price hunters | free, coupon, discount, cheap, free trial |
| Downloads and file types | pdf, template, example, download, xls |
| Piracy and cracks | torrent, crack, keygen, license key |
| Adult and dating | porn, xxx, dating, webcam, escort |
| Support and complaints | refund, complaint, cancel, help desk |
| Pure information | What is, definition, wiki, and meaning |
| DIY and how to | diy, how to, step by step, guide |
| Wholesale and supply | wholesale, distributor, factory, bulk |
| Resale and classifieds | What is the definition, wiki, and meaning |
| Local store queries | near me, directions, hours, store |
| Code and developer | api, github, sample code, sdk |
| Creative assets | logo, icon, mockup, font |
For a full-scale list across many categories, grab the CSV at the top.
Example: a B2B SaaS that sells paid onboarding
The company sells a paid product. It does not hire. It serves buyers globally online. It should strongly consider these base exclusions
Job-related terms like job, hiring, internship, and salary.
Freebie and template terms like free, coupon, template, and example.
Local store terms like near me and directions.
File hunters like PDF and download.
After launch, the company checks search terms weekly. It notices courses and tutorials starting to appear. It adds tutorials and courses as phrase matches. It notices refund queries and adds refund and cancellation. Over one month, wasted spend drops and conversion rate improves because only the right searches get through.
Should you use separate lists for different goals?
Yes. Create a master safety list that nearly every campaign uses. Create a research list for campaigns that intentionally cast a wider net and need fewer negatives to learn. Create a brand protection list if you need to guard brand terms across many campaigns while allowing exact brand terms in a dedicated Search campaign.
How do you handle brand in Performance Max?
Use brand exclusions at the campaign level to control brand coverage. This is better than juggling many brand negatives, because exclusions leverage Google’s understanding of brand entities and misspellings. Google’s help docs walk through brand exclusions for PMax.
What is a safe process for adding many negatives at once?
Start in a spreadsheet. Group terms by category. Add a notes column that records the reason for each addition. Import into a shared list. Apply to a test campaign first. Watch search terms for a few days. If volume and conversions remain healthy, roll out to more campaigns. If traffic drops too hard, remove the heaviest terms first.
How do you test if a negative is too aggressive?
Pick a campaign that needs reach. Remove the negative at the campaign level only. Watch for two or three days. If spend rises but conversions stay flat, keep the negative in place. If spend rises and qualified leads rise, then your negative was too aggressive. Reintroduce a narrower version. For example, if the template is blocked too much, try the template PDF instead.
How do you keep lists clean over time?
Schedule a monthly cleanup. Remove duplicates. Merge terms that are essentially the same pattern. Keep your notes column updated so future you knows why each term exists. If a campaign needs a special exemption, document it in the campaign notes and in your spreadsheet.
What about Performance Max quirks and exceptions?
PMax negatives apply to Search and Shopping inventory. They do not govern every inventory type in PMax. When you need more control, combine account-level lists and brand exclusions with creative and audience signals. Google’s help page outlines the scope and setup.
How do you avoid overblocking valuable long tail searches?
Do not add long multi-word negatives unless you are very sure. Prefer single-word stems that are clearly irrelevant, like internship or torrent. For ambiguous stems like free, test them as phrase negatives when that makes sense. Monitor conversion paths in your analytics. If a term you blocked contributes to assists, reconsider.
Can you share a large, ready-to-use list?
Yes. We compiled a categorized list with thousands of common exclusions across jobs, education, freebies, downloads, piracy, adult, support, information, DIY, wholesale, classifieds, local store intent, developer, creative assets, media, food, healthcare, finance research, and more. It is formatted as CSV with Category and Negative Keyword columns so you can filter and import into a shared list.
View the full 3,500+ negative keyword list as a CSV
For reference, Level Agency also publishes a public starter list that many marketers have used as inspiration.
How do you localize your list for different markets?
Language and culture shift the meaning of many words. Start with your master list in English. Duplicate it for each locale. Add country-specific terms like marketplace names and education systems. Remove anything that would accidentally block legitimate local queries. Align the list with your geo targeting and languages in Google Ads so the context matches.
What reporting setup helps you find new negatives every week?
Use the Search terms report filtered by zero conversions and cost at or above your median CPC. Segment by device and hour to see if junk clusters in certain windows. Pipe the report to a sheet. Add columns for Category and Action so your team can tag and schedule adds. Review with your account owner on a fixed weekly cadence. Google’s help center is a good reference when you need a reminder of how negative behavior differs across match types. Google Help
Quick examples that show the approach
Example 1
An e-commerce brand sells premium tools online only. On day one, it blocks near me, store, directions, hours, cheap, coupon, pdf, template, torrent, job, salary, internship. Search terms immediately lose most local store traffic. The brand keeps reaching high-intent buyers searching for model numbers and features.
Example 2
A B2B software company sells a paid platform. It blocks free, open source, GitHub, api tutorial, student discount, course, wiki, and refund. It leaves integration and api as positive keywords in a dedicated developer campaign that offers a partner program. It uses brand exclusions in PMax while it measures pure non-brand performance.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Do not upload a giant list without review. Start with the safest categories first.
Do not block the brand by accident. Control brand through routing and brand exclusions where needed.
Do not forget phrase order. Negative phrase match blocks the phrase in the same order. That nuance matters when you craft multi-word exclusions.
How to import the CSV safely
Open the CSV. Filter to the categories you want. Copy the Negative Keyword column into a new shared list in Google Ads. Apply the list to one test campaign. Watch results for a few days. If volume stays healthy, roll out to more campaigns. Keep your CSV as your source of truth and add notes as you learn.
Final checklist you can run every month
Review Search terms and tag new negatives by category.
Trim duplicates in your shared lists.
Scan for conflicts with top converters and brands.
Reapply lists to any new campaigns you launched.
Revisit PMax brand exclusions if your brand strategy has changed.
Want a larger starting point right now?
Grab the CSV and paste what fits your situation. The file contains thousands of entries organized by category, including modifiers like online and near me to catch variations. You can import the sheet as is or filter by category first. If you prefer to explore other public starter lists as inspiration, Level Agency has a widely shared negative list article that many teams reference.
View the full 3,500+ negative keyword list as a CSV
References
Google Ads Help explains how negative keywords work and how to add them. Google Help+1
Google documents negatives and brand exclusions for Performance Max. Google Help+1
A public example of a large negative list is available from the Level Agency. Level Agency
