How to Use Negative Keyword Lists on Google Ads to Avoid Wasting Budget

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Silvio Perez
Founder @AdConversion

Google makes money when people click on ads, whether those clicks convert or not. That’s why our defense against blowing our budget starts with negative keyword lists.


I learned this the hard way when I spent $300 on clicks meant for my DJ business on the keyword “DJ Khaled”. Because he came into town and I didn't add “DJ Khaled” as a negative keyword.


Today, I’m breaking down how to use negative keyword lists  effectively so you don’t make the same mistake that I did.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What Negative Keywords Are and Why They Matter

Negative keywords are words or phrases that prevent our ads from appearing when people search for them.


In Google Ads, they are the exact opposite of “positive keywords”, which are words or phrases that match the ads to what people are searching for.


The simplest way I can explain positive vs. negative keywords is: Positive keywords are the searches I want to show up for, but negative keywords are the searches I don’t want to waste my money on.


As I always say: Positive keywords give me visibility, but negative keywords give me focus. Without them, I’m spending money on people who were never looking for me in the first place.


By consistently adding negative keywords, I’m able to refine search terms, report, and block irrelevant, wasteful queries.


And I can’t stress this enough: Negative keywords are crucial to success as a Google advertiser.

Building and Organizing Negative Keyword Lists

One of the best ways to implement negative keywords is through lists.


I could apply them at the campaign or ad group level, but using a negative keyword list keeps things organized.


Think about categories like employment, education, profanity, or even competitors. I recommend grouping similar themes.


For example
, as a B2B marketer, I block keywords around job searches or salary info, which are rarely relevant. And instead of adding these keywords manually to every campaign, I create a negative keyword list called “Employment” and apply it across the account.


When it comes to competitors, if I see irrelevant brand searches appearing in my search terms report, I add them to a “Competitor” negative keyword list and block them all at once.


I don’t want to pay for clicks from users looking for a company I don’t even sell!

Applying Negative Keywords Strategically

As I mentioned before, I could add negative keywords at the ad group or campaign level.


But here’s the trick: Using them strategically for campaign sculpting. This is how I prevent closely related keywords from triggering the wrong ad group.


It’s powerful but can get complicated if not handled with care.


If I go overboard, I might create keyword conflicts, meaning my ads don’t show up at all.


The lesson I learned is: Start simple, and build out as needed.

How to Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads?

Negative keywords aren’t a one-and-done deal. They need to be continuously refined to keep campaigns running efficiently.


The best way to do this? A system.

First, I review the search terms report. Google gets looser with keyword matching every year, so I  always find searches that shouldn’t be triggering my ads.


And then block them.


Second, I build themed negative keyword lists. Here are some common ones:

  • Employment: Blocks job-related searches like hiring, careers, salary, Glassdoor.
  • Education: Stops ads from showing up for courses, certifications, degree programs.
  • Investors: Prevents searches related to stock prices, funding rounds, shareholder meetings.
  • Profanity: Blocks offensive or inappropriate searches.
  • Bargain Shoppers: Eliminates searches with free, cheap, discount, coupon.
  • Support: Keeps customer service-related queries out, like help desk or technical support.


By now,  if I were you, I couldn't help but apply the negative keyword lists to my Google Ads dashboard. So here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

  • In my Google Ads dashboard, click the  🛠️Tools icon
In my Google Ads dashboard, click the  🛠️Tools icon - Negative Keyword Lists
  • Click the Shared Library drop-down in the menu (1), and then Exclusion Lists (2)
Click the Shared Library drop-down in the menu (1), and then Exclusion Lists (2) - Negative Keyword Lists
  • Click on the ➕icon (Add negative keyword list) to create a list
Click on the ➕icon (Add negative keyword list) to create a list - Negative Keyword Lists
  • Name your list, paste in the negative keywords, and save
Name your list, paste in the negative keywords, and save - Negative Keyword Lists
  • To apply a negative keyword list to a campaign, click on the list in the Exclusion lists
To apply a negative keyword list to a campaign, click on the list in the Exclusion lists - Negative Keyword Lists

  • And check the campaign name to which you want the negative keyword list applied to.
And check the campaign name to which you want the negative keyword list applied to - Negative Keyword Lists

Universal Negative Keyword List for B2B

Over the years of managing B2B Google Ads campaigns, I’ve learned that a well-optimized negative keyword list is just as important as selecting the right positive keywords.


To help businesses cut out wasted spend and improve lead quality, I’ve compiled a universal list of negative keywords that I consistently apply across campaigns.


These terms filter out job seekers, educational or support questions, and other unqualified traffic that could derail ad performance.


No matter where we are in our advertising strategy journey, this list serves as a strong foundation for refining targeting and maximizing ROI.

Employment

  1. address
  2. headquarters
  3. careers
  4. glassdoor
  5. indeed
  6. job openings
  7. positions
  8. salary
  9. internship
  10. looking for work
  11. occupation
  12. part time
  13. full time
  14. recruiter
  15. resume

Education

  1. "can I"
  2. "how to"
  3. "what is"
  4. "what are"
  5. "books"
  6. "courses"
  7. "school"
  8. "classes"
  9. "university"
  10. "college"
  11. "academy"
  12. wikipedia
  13. "powerpoint"
  14. "presentation"
  15. "training"
  16. "workshops"

Support

  1. help desk
  2. knowledge base
  3. login
  4. support

Investors

  1. funding
  2. investment
  3. investors
  4. series a
  5. series b
  6. series c
  7. series d
  8. series e
  9. series f
  10. crunchbase

Profanity

  1. chicks
  2. dating
  3. kinky
  4. naked
  5. nude
  6. porn
  7. porno
  8. sex
  9. x-rated
  10. xxx
  11. fuck
  12. damn
  13. shit
  14. bitch
  15. cunt
  16. fucker
  17. hoe
  18. asshole
  19. ass
  20. murder
  21. death
  22. accident
  23. horrific

Bargain Shoppers

  1. close outs
  2. short cut
  3. shortcuts
  4. remainders
  5. remainder
  6. liquidation
  7. close out
  8. hack
  9. hacks
  10. closeout
  11. cheap
  12. overstock
  13. bargain
  14. cheapest
  15. clearance
  16. odd lots
  17. shortcut
  18. free
  19. discount
  20. closeouts
  21. inexpensive
  22. short cuts
  23. discounted

Politics

  1. democrats
  2. republicans
  3. senate
  4. congress
  5. terrorism
  6. isis
  7. hamas
  8. voting
  9. legislation
  10. riots

Of course, each business is unique in its own way.


So definitely add new negative keywords to your Google Ads account depending on your business and make sure to take that into account when adding the above negative keywords.


And to make it easy for you to manage your own negative keyword list, we created a template for you.


You can access the Negative Keyword List Templates in the Paid Search - Planning Template in the "Negative Keyword Lists" tab.

The Bottom Line

Negative keywords aren’t just a nice-to-have.


They’re the guardrails that keep your Google Ads budget from spiraling into wasted clicks. By grouping them into strategic lists and continuously refining, you’re ensuring that every dollar goes toward the right audience.


So, don’t wait.


Start building and optimizing your negative keyword lists today. Your ROI will thank you.


But if you really want to level up your B2B advertising game, there’s more to master than just negative keywords. That’s where Google Ads course by AdConversion comes in.


Join 4,500+ B2B marketers who are sharpening their paid media skills inside AdConversion’s free, on-demand courses. Here’s why you should sign up:


✅ 100% free access – No hidden fees, no fluff.


✅ Taught by vetted industry experts – Learn from people who run high-budget B2B campaigns.


✅ Workbooks, resources & templates – So you can implement, not just watch.


✅ Bite-sized lessons (<10 min each) – Easy to fit into your schedule.


Click here to join
in under 90 seconds (seriously, we timed it 😂)

Silvio Perez
Founder @AdConversion
Want to level up your B2B advertising skill set?
AdConversion was created to help B2B marketers master advertising with free courses, articles, resources, and templates created by the world best practitioners.
☝️Takes <  90 seconds
Want to level up your B2B advertising skill set?
AdConversion was created to help B2B marketers master advertising with free courses, articles, resources, and templates created by the world best practitioners.
☝️Takes <  90 seconds
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