Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, ensuring your marketing spend reaches genuinely interested customers. As of early 2026, platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising utilise sophisticated machine learning, but precise negative keyword implementation remains crucial for campaign optimisation.
- Automated Suggestions: Current systems include AI-powered suggestions within platforms, identifying search terms triggering your ads that have low conversion rates.
- Phrase & Exact Match Negatives: You can now features both phrase and exact match negative keywords, offering granular control over ad visibility. For example, “free” as a phrase negative blocks “free plumbing advice”, while “free” as an exact negative *only* blocks that specific term.
- Campaign-Level Negatives: Apply negative keywords at the campaign level to avoid duplication across multiple ad groups, streamlining management.
- Shared Negative Keyword Lists: Create and reuse lists across multiple campaigns, ensuring consistency and saving time.
In 2026, Australian businesses need to be particularly mindful of colloquialisms and regional variations. A term like “arvo” (afternoon) might trigger irrelevant searches if not accounted for. Furthermore, compliance with Australian Consumer Law means avoiding negative keywords that could be interpreted as misleading or deceptive regarding product availability or pricing.
Instead of navigating these technical complexities and constantly refining your negative keyword lists, let ROI.com.au handle it for you. We can take care of all this for you. Contact our team today to discuss a tailored digital marketing strategy.
