What Symbol Would You Use To Add A Negative Keyword

Navigating the world of online advertising can feel like traversing a complex maze. Among the many strategies and tools available, negative keywords stand out as crucial elements for optimizing your campaigns. Understanding how to effectively use negative keywords can significantly improve your ad relevance, reduce wasted ad spend, and ultimately boost your ROI. A key part of this understanding lies in knowing the symbols used to add negative keywords and how each one modifies your targeting.

Understanding Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are terms that you exclude from your advertising campaigns. By specifying these keywords, you tell the search engine (like Google Ads) not to show your ads to people who are searching for those terms. This ensures that your ads are displayed only to users who are genuinely interested in your products or services, leading to higher click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates.

Why Use Negative Keywords?

Improved Ad Relevance: Negative keywords help you refine your audience, ensuring your ads are shown to people who are actively searching for what you offer.
Reduced Wasted Ad Spend: By excluding irrelevant searches, you avoid paying for clicks from users who are unlikely to convert.
Higher Conversion Rates: When your ads reach the right audience, you're more likely to see an increase in conversions and sales.
Better ROI: Optimizing your campaigns with negative keywords leads to a more efficient use of your advertising budget, resulting in a higher return on investment.

Symbols for Adding Negative Keywords

When adding negative keywords to your campaigns, you'll encounter different symbols that modify how those keywords function. Each symbol represents a different match type, affecting the scope of searches that your negative keyword will block. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown:

1. Broad Match

Symbol: None
Function: Broad match is the default match type for negative keywords. When you add a negative keyword without any symbols, you're using broad match. This means your ads won't show if the search query contains all the words in your negative keyword, in any order.
Example:
- Negative Keyword: free books
- Search Queries That Won't Trigger Your Ad:
  - buy cheap books free shipping
  - books for free
  - download free books
- Search Queries That Might Trigger Your Ad:
  - books online (The word "free" is not present.)
  - books and magazines (Neither "free" nor "books" are present together.)
Use Case: Broad match is useful for blocking very general, irrelevant searches. However, it should be used with caution, as it can sometimes block relevant searches if not carefully monitored.

2. Phrase Match

Symbol: Quotation Marks (" ")
Function: Phrase match ensures that your ads won't show if the search query contains the exact phrase within the quotation marks, in the exact order. The search query can contain additional words before or after the phrase.
Example:
- Negative Keyword: "cheap flights"
- Search Queries That Won't Trigger Your Ad:
  - find cheap flights
  - cheap flights to new york
  - best deals on cheap flights
- Search Queries That Might Trigger Your Ad:
  - flights that are cheap (The words are in a different order.)
  - cheap airline tickets (The phrase is not an exact match.)
Use Case: Phrase match is ideal for blocking specific phrases that are consistently irrelevant to your offerings. It provides a more targeted approach compared to broad match.

3. Exact Match

Symbol: Square Brackets ([ ])
Function: Exact match means your ads won't show if the search query is an exact match to the keyword within the square brackets. This is the most restrictive match type, providing the highest level of control.
Example:
- Negative Keyword: [discount shoes]
- Search Queries That Won't Trigger Your Ad:
  - discount shoes
- Search Queries That Might Trigger Your Ad:
  - buy discount shoes (Additional words are present.)
  - discounted shoes (The word is slightly different.)
  - shoes discount (The words are in a different order.)
Use Case: Exact match is best used for blocking very specific searches that are known to be completely irrelevant. It’s important to use this match type judiciously to avoid excluding potentially valuable traffic.

Summary Table of Symbols and Match Types

Match Type	Symbol(s)	Function	Example
Broad Match	None	Blocks ads if the search query contains all the words in the negative keyword, in any order.	`free books`
Phrase Match	Quotation Marks	Blocks ads if the search query contains the exact phrase within the quotation marks, in the exact order.	`"cheap flights"`
Exact Match	Square Brackets	Blocks ads if the search query is an exact match to the keyword within the square brackets.	`[discount shoes]`

Practical Examples and Use Cases

To further illustrate how these symbols work, let’s consider a hypothetical business: "EcoFriendly Supplies," an online store that sells sustainable and eco-friendly office and home supplies.

Scenario 1: Blocking Irrelevant Free Products

EcoFriendly Supplies sells products; they don't give them away for free. They want to ensure that users searching for "free" items don’t see their ads.

Problem: Users searching for "free eco-friendly products" or "where to get free sustainable items" are clicking on their ads, leading to wasted ad spend.
Solution:
- Broad Match: Adding free as a broad match negative keyword will prevent their ads from showing to anyone who includes the word "free" in their search query.
  - Negative Keyword: free
- Phrase Match: Adding "free eco products" as a phrase match negative keyword ensures that the specific phrase "free eco products" will block the ads.
  - Negative Keyword: "free eco products"
- Exact Match: Adding [free sustainable supplies] as an exact match negative keyword will block only the exact search query "free sustainable supplies."
  - Negative Keyword: [free sustainable supplies]

Scenario 2: Avoiding Wholesale Inquiries

EcoFriendly Supplies focuses on direct-to-consumer sales and does not offer wholesale options.

Problem: Users searching for "wholesale eco-friendly supplies" are clicking on their ads, but the business doesn't cater to wholesale customers.
Solution:
- Broad Match: Adding wholesale as a broad match negative keyword will block searches that include the term "wholesale."
  - Negative Keyword: wholesale
- Phrase Match: Adding "wholesale supplies" as a phrase match negative keyword prevents ads from showing for the specific phrase "wholesale supplies."
  - Negative Keyword: "wholesale supplies"
- Exact Match: Adding [eco friendly wholesale] as an exact match negative keyword blocks only the exact search query "eco friendly wholesale."
  - Negative Keyword: [eco friendly wholesale]

Scenario 3: Excluding Second-Hand or Used Items

EcoFriendly Supplies only sells new products and doesn't deal with second-hand or used items.

Problem: Users searching for "used eco-friendly products" or "second-hand sustainable items" are clicking on their ads.
Solution:
- Broad Match: Add used and second-hand as broad match negative keywords to block searches containing these terms.
  - Negative Keywords: used, second-hand
- Phrase Match: Adding "used eco products" and "second-hand supplies" as phrase match negative keywords will block those specific phrases.
  - Negative Keywords: "used eco products", "second-hand supplies"
- Exact Match: Adding [used sustainable items] and [second hand eco supplies] as exact match negative keywords blocks only those exact search queries.
  - Negative Keywords: [used sustainable items], [second hand eco supplies]

Best Practices for Implementing Negative Keywords

Regularly Review Search Term Reports:
- Continuously monitor your search term reports in Google Ads to identify irrelevant search queries that are triggering your ads. This will help you discover new negative keyword opportunities.
Start Broad, Then Refine:
- Begin with broad match negative keywords to catch a wide net of irrelevant searches. As you gather more data, refine your negative keywords with phrase and exact match types for more precise targeting.
Consider Intent:
- When adding negative keywords, think about the user's intent behind the search query. Ensure that you're not blocking potentially valuable searches that could lead to conversions.
Use a Mix of Match Types:
- Employ a combination of broad, phrase, and exact match negative keywords to achieve a balance between broad coverage and precise targeting.
Account Level Negative Keyword Lists:
- Utilize account level negative keyword lists to apply common negative keywords across multiple campaigns. This saves time and ensures consistency in your targeting.
Monitor Performance:
- Keep a close eye on the performance of your campaigns after adding negative keywords. Monitor metrics like CTR, conversion rates, and cost per conversion to ensure that your negative keywords are having the desired effect.
Be Specific with Long-Tail Keywords:
- For long-tail keywords (longer, more specific search queries), use phrase or exact match to ensure that you’re only blocking the most irrelevant variations.
Don't Overdo It:
- While negative keywords are essential, adding too many can limit your reach and potentially block relevant searches. Regularly audit your negative keyword lists to ensure they are still effective and necessary.
Update Regularly:
- The search landscape is constantly evolving, so it's crucial to update your negative keyword lists regularly to stay ahead of new and emerging irrelevant search terms.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Blocking Relevant Keywords: Be careful not to add negative keywords that are too broad and could potentially block relevant searches. Always consider the context and intent behind the search query.
Ignoring Variations: Don't forget to account for variations in spelling, synonyms, and related terms when adding negative keywords.
Not Using Match Types Effectively: Failing to use the appropriate match types can lead to either over-blocking or under-blocking of irrelevant searches.
Neglecting Regular Monitoring: Ignoring your search term reports and failing to update your negative keyword lists can result in wasted ad spend and missed opportunities.
Assuming Broad Match is Always Bad: While broad match requires careful monitoring, it can be effective for catching a wide range of irrelevant searches that you might not have anticipated.

Advanced Strategies

Using Negative Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can help you identify potential negative keywords based on search volume, competition, and related terms.
Analyzing Competitor Strategies: Look at your competitors’ campaigns to identify negative keywords they might be using. This can give you insights into irrelevant search terms in your industry.
Creating Themed Negative Keyword Lists: Organize your negative keywords into themed lists based on categories like "free products," "wholesale," "used items," etc. This makes it easier to manage and apply your negative keywords effectively.
Leveraging Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) with Caution: If you're using DKI in your ad copy, be extra cautious with your negative keywords to avoid inadvertently triggering your ads with irrelevant searches.

Conclusion

Mastering the use of negative keywords and their associated symbols is essential for anyone running online advertising campaigns. By understanding the nuances of broad, phrase, and exact match types, you can significantly improve the relevance of your ads, reduce wasted ad spend, and ultimately drive better results. Regular monitoring, strategic planning, and continuous refinement are key to maximizing the effectiveness of your negative keyword strategy. Whether you're running a small local business or a large e-commerce operation, taking the time to implement a robust negative keyword strategy will pay dividends in the form of higher ROI and more efficient advertising campaigns.