Negative keyword match types

Negative match types are stricter than people expect, and they are not the same rules as positive keywords. Getting this wrong either blocks your best queries or lets the junk straight back in.

Exact

An exact negative blocks that query and very close variants, not longer queries. Negative exact [dentist jobs] blocks “dentist jobs”. It does not block “dentist jobs austin” and it does not block “emergency dentist”.

Use exact when the wasted term is a single word that also appears inside good queries. Blocking [free] as exact stops the query “free” and little else. It does not stop “free dental implants”.

Phrase

A phrase negative blocks queries that contain the words in order. Negative phrase "free dental implants" blocks “free dental implants austin”. It does not block “dental implants austin”, because “free” is missing.

This is the default for a wasted search term of two or more words. You are blocking the query you saw, not the individual words inside it.

Broad

A broad negative blocks queries that contain the words in any order, without requiring extra words to be absent in the way people assume from old matching rules. It is the widest of the three and the easiest to overuse. JunkTerms does not suggest broad negatives from a single search term. If you want a broad negative, add it yourself after you have checked the queries it would remove.

A check before you save

Write the negative down, then look at two lists: search terms that converted, and keywords that are enabled. If the negative would block any of them, do not add it. Shorten it, switch it to exact, or leave the query alone.

Shared negative keyword lists are the right place for this weekly set. Attach the list to the Search campaigns that should inherit it. One list named for the job is easier to audit than dozens of ad-group negatives added by hand on different days.

The JunkTerms script writes phrase and exact keywords only, and only after you approve the row.