Negative Keywords Guide

Universal B2B Negatives

These should be applied account-wide for most B2B accounts:

Job/Career Terms

free, cheap, discount, coupon, promo, deal, bargain

Educational/Informational

how to, what is, tutorial, course, training, certification, learn, example, sample, template

Employment

jobs, careers, salary, hiring, resume, interview, glassdoor

Competitor Brands

(Customer-specific — add as discovered)

Consumer/Home Use

home, personal, diy, hobby, residential

Campaign-Specific Negatives

Build these from search term reports:

• Irrelevant product/service terms
• Geographic terms outside target area
• Wrong industry terms

Match Type Strategy

Scenario	Match Type	Example
Exact irrelevant term	Exact	[free backup software]
Theme to block	Phrase	"how to"
Single toxic word	Broad	tutorial

Review Cadence

Account Age	Review Frequency
Month 1	Weekly
Months 2-3	Bi-weekly
Month 4+	Monthly

Process

1. Run search term report: python api/google-ads/pull-search-terms.py --customer {slug}
2. Sort by cost descending
3. Flag terms with zero conversions and high spend
4. Categorise: irrelevant, low-intent, competitor, off-topic
5. Add to appropriate negative list with correct match type
6. Document in search term audit report