Negative keywords in Google Ads are terms you add to your campaigns to prevent your ads from showing on searches that contain those terms. Essentially, they tell Google Ads *not* to trigger your ads when someone searches for something irrelevant to your business, even if your regular keywords might otherwise match that search.
As of December 2025, Google Ads allows you to add negative keywords at the campaign, ad group, and account levels. This granular control means you can apply them broadly or very specifically. Currently, you can use negative keywords in broad match, phrase match, and exact match types, with broad match now including a ‘negative keyword theme’ feature that automatically suggests related negative keywords based on search term reports. Google’s Performance Max campaigns, widely used by Australian businesses, also support negative keywords at the campaign level, though the application differs from standard Search campaigns. The system works by comparing the search query to your negative keyword list *before* considering your positive keywords. Google Ads’ automated bidding strategies, prevalent in 2026, will still respect negative keyword settings, preventing wasted ad spend. In 2027, Google has announced expanded negative keyword options within Performance Max, allowing for more precise control.
Negative keywords function as a filter, refining your ad targeting and ensuring your budget is spent on relevant searches.
