Negative keyword list generator for Google Ads

Generic negative keyword lists are a starting point. The list that actually saves money comes from your own search terms report, because it's built from the searches you've already paid for.

Generate negatives from your search terms

Download your search terms report from Google Ads as a CSV (Insights and reports, then Search terms, then download) and drop it into TermSweep. It splits every search into 1, 2 and 3-word n-grams, totals cost and conversions for each, and suggests the words that have spent past your threshold without converting. You choose the match type and copy the list, or download a Google Ads Editor CSV. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded, and there's no Google login.

For the method behind it, including thresholds and guardrails, see the n-gram analysis guide.

How negative match types behave

Negative keywords use the same three match types as normal keywords, but they don't behave the same way. Here's what each one blocks, using the negative keyword running shoes:

The most important difference: negative keywords don't match close variants. Your positive keywords pick up plurals, misspellings and similar forms, but a negative only blocks the words you actually entered. A negative for job won't stop "jobs", and diy won't stop "do it yourself". Add each form you need.

A few practical rules follow from that:

• For a single word, broad and phrase negatives block the same searches. Phrase only starts to differ once there are two or more words.
• Phrase is a good default for n-gram negatives: it blocks the pattern wherever it appears without the looser any-order matching of broad.
• Use exact when you want to block one specific search but keep longer searches that contain it.

Adding a list in Google Ads

For negatives that apply to several campaigns, use a shared list so you maintain it in one place:

1. Open Tools, then Shared library, then the negative keyword lists section (newer versions of the interface call these exclusion lists).
2. Create a new list and give it a clear name, such as "Jobs and careers" or "DIY".
3. Paste your negatives one per line. Use quotes for phrase match and square brackets for exact; plain words are broad.
4. Save, then apply the list to the campaigns it should cover.

For negatives that only belong in one campaign or ad group, add them from that campaign's negative keywords page instead. Google moves menu items between interface versions, so if a label above doesn't match what you see, search the Google Ads help for "negative keyword lists".

Importing with Google Ads Editor

Editor is quicker when you're adding negatives to many campaigns at once:

1. Open the account in Google Ads Editor and get recent changes, so you're working on current data.
2. Use the Import option on the Account menu and choose to import from a file (or paste the text).
3. Check the column mapping. TermSweep's CSV uses three columns:

Campaign,Keyword,Criterion Type
"Plumbing - Search","how to",Negative phrase
"Plumbing - Search","jobs",Negative phrase

4. Rows with a campaign and no ad group become campaign-level negatives. Editor shows the proposed changes before applying them; review them and keep the ones you want.
5. Post the changes to your account.

The CSV adds negatives to campaigns, not to a shared list. If you want them in a shared list, paste them into the list in Google Ads as described above.

A starter list of common negatives

These words often attract searches that don't buy. They're grouped by category and written as phrase match. Treat them as a checklist to compare against your own report, not something to paste in wholesale.

"job"
"jobs"
"career"
"careers"
"hiring"
"salary"
"resume"
"internship"
"vacancies"

"for free"
"free download"
"free online"
"torrent"
"crack"

"diy"
"do it yourself"
"how to"
"homemade"
"tutorial"
"step by step"

"course"
"courses"
"class"
"training"
"certification"
"degree"
"definition"
"meaning"
"what is"
"pdf"

"amazon"
"ebay"
"walmart"
"craigslist"
"used"
"second hand"

"competitor name"
"competitor product"

Remember that negatives don't cover close variants, so check your report for other spellings and forms of anything you keep.

A list like this catches the obvious cases. What it can't do is find the waste that's specific to your account: the product you don't stock, the town you don't serve, the service people confuse with yours. That's what your search terms report is for.