Every Google Ads account pays for some searches that were never going to convert: people looking for free versions, jobs at your company, how to make the product themselves, or used and wholesale deals. Negative keywords tell Google not to show your ads for those searches. For stores running Search, Shopping or Performance Max, a good negative list is one of the simplest ways to cut wasted spend and push budget toward buyers.
Free tool · Google Ads
Negative Keyword Generator
Build a starter negative keyword list for your store and stop paying for searches that will never buy.
- 100% free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
One per line or comma-separated.
43 negative keywords
"free" "freebie" "giveaway" "free download" "free sample" "torrent" "pirate" "crack" "job" "jobs" "career" "careers" "hiring" "salary" "internship" "resume" "employment" "vacancy" "diy" "how to make" "homemade" "tutorial" "pattern" "template" "instructions" "blueprint" "what is" "definition" "meaning" "history of" "wiki" "wikipedia" "pdf" "statistics" "study" "images" "pictures" "photos" "clipart" "png" "wallpaper" "drawing" "coloring page"
Review before adding: remove any term you actually sell (for example "refurbished" if you sell refurbished items). Paste into Google Ads under Tools → Shared library → Negative keyword lists.
How do I build a negative keyword list for Google Ads?
When to use the negative keyword generator
Best for
- Launching new Search or Shopping campaigns
- Cutting wasted spend on free, jobs or DIY searches
- Creating a shared negative list for several campaigns
Not the right pick for
- Blocking words you actually sell, like used for refurbished stores
- Replacing regular search terms reviews
How it works
- 1
Pick your industry
Get terms specific to what you sell.
- 2
Choose search types
Select what to exclude, such as free, jobs or wholesale.
- 3
Choose match types
Output broad, phrase, exact or all three.
- 4
Review and paste
Remove anything you sell, then add the list in Google Ads.
How to use the generator
- Pick your industry so the list includes terms specific to what you sell.
- Choose the search types to exclude, for example free, jobs and careers, DIY and how-to, used and secondhand, wholesale and bulk, rental, and competitor research terms such as reviews or comparisons.
- Choose the match type format: broad, phrase, exact, or all three.
- Review the list and remove anything that could block searches you want.
- Copy and paste it into Google Ads, ideally into a shared negative keyword list you can apply to multiple campaigns.
How negative match types work
Negative keywords behave differently from regular keywords. They do not match close variants, synonyms or misspellings, so you sometimes need several versions of the same idea.
| Format | How it is written | Blocks searches that |
|---|---|---|
| Negative broad | free | Contain all the words in any order |
| Negative phrase | "free shipping" | Contain the exact words in that order |
| Negative exact | [free] | Match the term exactly, with no extra words |
Broad negatives are the most powerful and the most dangerous. A negative broad keyword of free also blocks "free shipping running shoes", which may be a search you want. That is why the generator lets you output phrase and exact versions as well.
Building on the starter list
The generated list covers patterns that are almost always irrelevant for retailers. Your best negatives, though, come from your own data:
- Open the search terms report in Google Ads regularly and add irrelevant queries as negatives.
- Look for patterns, not just single queries. If several searches mention "repair", add it as a negative instead of adding each one.
- Separate account-level negatives (never relevant anywhere) from campaign-level negatives used to route traffic between campaigns.
- For Performance Max, account-level negative keywords are supported, so apply your universal exclusions there.
Our guide to negative keywords for e-commerce goes deeper on structuring lists and campaign sculpting.
Common mistakes
- Blocking words you sell. If you sell refurbished products, do not exclude "used" or "refurbished". If you offer a free gift with purchase, be careful with "free".
- Using broad negatives too aggressively when phrase match would be safer.
- Excluding competitor brand names by default. Some stores profit from competitor searches. Exclude them only if those searches are not converting for you.
- Setting the list once and forgetting it. New irrelevant searches appear all the time.
- Assuming negatives catch misspellings. They do not, so add common variants manually.
Tips
- Review search terms weekly for new campaigns and at least monthly once they are stable.
- Keep a separate list per theme, such as jobs, free and DIY, so you can apply them selectively.
- Clean traffic makes your performance data more reliable. Check whether campaigns clear your profit line with the ROAS calculator.
- If wasted spend is a recurring problem, our Google search ads service manages search term hygiene as part of every account.
Free tool vs having us run your Google Ads
| Free tool (do it yourself) | Mercantads does it for you | |
|---|---|---|
| Know your numbers | Calculate them here | Targets set from your real margins and data |
| Campaigns | Learn and build them yourself | Shopping, Performance Max and Search built for you |
| Optimization | Whenever you find time | Weekly search terms, bids, budgets and feed updates |
| Results | Depends on your time and experience | A Google Partner team focused on your profit |
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no ideal number. Start with a solid list of universal exclusions, then grow it from your search terms report. Mature accounts often have hundreds.
Yes. Standard Shopping campaigns accept negatives at the campaign and ad group level, and Performance Max supports account-level negative keywords.
No. Negative keywords do not expand to close variants, plurals or misspellings, so add important variations separately.
Use phrase for most multi-word exclusions, exact when you only want to block one precise query, and broad only for single words that are never relevant to your store.
More free tools
All tools →Ad copy checkerCheck headline and description limits with a live ad preview.UTM builderTag your links, with a Google Ads ValueTrack mode.Merchant Center feed checkerUpload your product feed and find errors before Google does.GTIN / UPC checkerValidate UPC, EAN and GTIN check digits in bulk.Product title builderBuild Google Shopping titles in the recommended order.Product image checkerCheck image size and format against Shopping requirements.
Negative Keyword Generator
Build a starter negative keyword list for your store and stop paying for searches that will never buy.